Bring Back the Arcade!

Oh! How I do love this game!!!

Ms. Pacman, Galaga, Skee Ball and Air Hockey - these are the games I adore. Whether it is a reflection of my yesteryear or simply that ever-breathing competitive nature inside me, I really don't know, but this is what I automatically think of when I think of "the arcade."

I didn't really grow up in the arcade culture, although I was of age to do so. "My" arcade closed before I started to make any kind of money where that type of activity could be appreciated, and it is one thing I wished I always had.

I've been know to yell at the screen...

Meet Me at the Arcade 
 
It was for this reason that the panel at the New York Comic Con entitled "Meet Me At The Arcade" intrigued me so much.  There was a group of gamers discussing the closing of the last true Arcade in New York City, the culture of the arcade and what the future holds for this particular type of gamer.

Meet Me At The Arcade Panel at NYCC 2011

Every single one of these gentlemen had their own experience to share from the arcade as gamers, employees and even as a film maker. The perspectives drew not only from experiences shared in the famed "Chinatown Fair" arcade that was the last arcade in New York City, but also across the United States and even Japan.

I found every bit of the conversation engaging, enlightening and it just made me want to go grab a bunch of friends to go find an arcade!

Why the arcades were/are important even now.

One of the final days at Chinatown Fair.

As the panelists each shared their own experiences it became clear that a trip to the arcade was about so much more than just gaming. Lessons learned at the arcade were:

1. stretching the dollar - One panelist summed it up perfectly, "Every game was a money match." These guys went to the arcade with their lunch money for the day/week and had to use only that to entertain themselves for hours. How was this done? By becoming very good at the game and making each quarter last.
2. patience - Players have to wait their turn to play their game of choice. If they happen to be behind someone who is especially skilled, well, they might be there for awhile. This is far removed from so much of our current media which seems to center around instant gratification.
3. social skills - There was really only one way to get better at games in the arcade without going broke, you had to learn from fellow gamers. Many times this would mean having to approach gamers you may only know from the arcade and engaging in a conversation about strategy and tips. (It also involved spending lots and lots of time simply watching other gamers play the games!) In today's gaming world, where you are in your living room with an unlimited (free) amount of do-overs this type of strategic thinking about the game can often be lost. Fellow gamers have been replaced by strategy guides, YouTube videos and websites and face-to-face interaction has been replaced with voices coming out of the screen or into headsets. Other benefits of the social scene of the arcade mentioned by panelists were:

• finding like-minded people
• finding one's truth - the panelist seemed to agree that the idea that gaming is an "escape"  from reality is a major misconception held by society. They argued, rather, that games allowed them to become more themselves

What about Japan?

Image

You may or may not know this, but arcades are alive and well in Japanese society. This begs the question Why are arcades so popular in Japan when they can't seem to survive in the US? Four very compelling points were raised by the panel:

1. That's where the technology is. This makes the purchase of games and parts a lot more affordable in Japan than here in the US where they would have to be shipped overseas.
2. "No one wants to stay at home in Japan." I found this point particularly interesting. According to multiple panelists, the homes in Japan are so small that they really aren't conducive to "hanging out." They claim that while they lived there they witnessed the prevalence of eating out, going out and just plain being out of the house more in Japan due to limited space!
3. Customer service in Japanese arcades is second to none! Evidently if your button breaks in the middle of you playing a game, you stay where you are, raise your hand and an attendant comes to you with the parts in hand, ready to repair and replace. In contrast, the anecdotes from the US arcades demonstrate that machines could lay dormant for days.
4. Cultural scene vs. Cash Business. Guess which definition belongs to which country! The arcade business is a cash business and, therefore draws the interest of certain types of owners in the US who are less concerned with the scene and more concerned with the cash. In Japan, arcade gaming is part of the culture. You can walk into an arcade and find gaming kids, but you'll be just as likely to see a guy, in his suit, making a gaming stop on his way home from work. Arcade gaming simply means two different things in these two different countries.

What to Look for Next...

And just when the audience felt that there was nothing left for America in terms of the arcade, two exciting ventures were discussed:

1. Next Level Arcade in Brooklyn! Although the location may not be as central as the Chinatown Fair, Next Level was opened by one of the former employees and gamers of Chinatown Fair. He said that he was bored, looking to fill a void and simply did not want to see the community separate. He knows that having a crowd of predominantly 21 and over changes the dynamic of the crowd, but at least some of the players have found a new place to continue their shared gaming.
2. Arcade: The Last Night at Chinatown Fair This movie is a Kickstarter project that was filmed in the final days of the arcade's existence. Here's the trailer so you can get a sneak peek at some of the footage and some of the perspectives of the gamers who were there (I'm looking forward to this movie's release!):

Arcade: The Last Night at Chinatown Fair Trailer from Kurt Vincent on Vimeo.

Do you consider yourself a gamer?

What types of social gaming have you participated in?

From your perspective, what are some of the benefits and/or drawbacks of today's online gaming culture?

PARENTS: Would you prefer your kids playing games socially in an arcade, or at home with the family's console?

A Geek Family Examines the Geek Zodiac

As my husband and I were driving around putting our final touches on our Mother's Day gift for my mother-in-law and getting ready for dinner later on, I quickly took a glance at my TweetDeck and found a tweet from Attack of the Show about the Geek Zodiac. As a self-proclaimed geek, obsessed with all types of signs, married to a comic book guy I was quite intrigued. I decided to give it a go:

attributed to geektyrant.com (click image to enlarge)

As I read off the various "signs" on this list, my husband and I just started laughing. This was turning out to be quite ridiculous. I was about to close the image when my husband said, "Well? Does it tell you what our signs are?"

It was then that things started to get a little creepy.

• My Husband I started with my husband, who, as I stated above, is a life-long comic-book guy. He loves superheroes, he is a really good guy - this is not just coming from me, it is an undeniable truth stated by anyone that knows him - it can be sickening sometimes. His sign, as a baby of 1975? Superhero. We both decided that was a bit freaky.
• Me I was born in 1976, I scanned over: Undead*. This was a bit of a let-down. My husband and I felt this was a bit off, UNTIL I read the description, the characters associated with "Undead": Dracula, Eric Northman (ok, ok, I had to admit I do have a thing for vampires...), Zombies, (then I screamed the next two), BUFFY, THE GHOSTBUSTERS. My husband actually took his eyes off the road, "You're joking!" You see, my dog's name is Buffy. I wear my Buffy the Vampire the Slayer T-shirts weekly, I own the entire series, I also own all of Angel and can't resist following Bones. Also, in terms of the rest of the description it was spot on. We were now a bit freaked out by this "silly" geek zodiac.

As we let it settle and my husband asked me to re-read the descriptions. We were "wow-ed." Then it occurred to me, "Who else do we know? My brother, your brother! Let's see!!"

• My Little Brother The former Marine, currently re-enlisting. He's a cop. He's always wanted to get into "intelligence." He was on his way up when mom got sick and he chose family over moving forward. He was born in 1980 making his sign a spooky spot-on Spy! 
• My Brother-in-Law is twelve years younger than his brother and was shown by him and his father the world of comics. He too, is a Superhero.

When we got to the restaurant for the Mother's Day dinner we were waiting for our table. I informed my brother-in-law of his status as Superhero which then sparked a conversation with everyone. We then continued exploring the people we know:

• Mother-in-Law  She is a lover of sales, finding anything the family needs and a coupon or sale that will get it. She also loves and immerses herself in the family culture. I will be a lady, and not reveal her year of birth, but she is a Treasure Hunter!
• Father-in-Law The man to go to with your questions. Many in the family come to him with questions about legal paperwork, financial decisions, directions to get places and he often, magically, provides all of us with beautiful prints and videos of any media. Not surprisingly (now that we were all converted believers in the Geek Zodiac), his sign is that of the Wizard.

After all of this I was a believer. My brother-in-law asked what the other signs were, when I got to "Daikaiju" I just said, "I have no idea what the heck that is. Then I read more closely as he explained to me (he has spent a lot of time in Japan) - it is those MegaMonsters like Godzilla and KingKong. I did a quick glance at the years to see if there was anyone I knew who fit the mold. I doubted it, but there was the year 1978. The year my cousin was born. He is a center of attention, larger-than-life kind of character. He just started his own business. Their name is T-REXX.

That was it. The Geek Zodiac may be the most accurate zodiac signs I have seen in a long time. Brilliant work geektyrant!   

What is YOUR geek sign? Does it fit?

If you want to follow me on twitter, my handle is @riverand.

I LOVE Ninja Warrior!

Ninja Warrior is awesome, it always makes me want to defy the odds and do incredible feats of my own. However, I just found something that might be even better than a Ninja Warrior rerun - this brand new Ninja warrior commercial!!

IT IS AWESOMEEEE!


To get the latest Ninja Warrior news as you prepare for May, check out the G4TV Ninja Warrior page.

Support for Japan

One week ago, my husband woke me up to because he was so struck by what he was seeing on the morning news. Japan had been hit by an enormous 8.9 earthquake, but what was worse was the incomprehensible tsunami that followed. Both of our brothers have spent a lot of time in that country - my brother was stationed there for over two years while enlisted in the Marines, and my brother-in-law not only studied abroad in Japan, but he just completed a job interview the previous week for a position that would take him back there!

As I spent the entire day watching the footage, I felt helpless. I posted a blog post It Can Just Get Washed Away... on my food blog, but I knew that still wasn't enough. Here's my problem, I currently have zero money to donate, so I really felt like my hands were tied, until I saw this video:



How to Help Japan FOR FREE:
 
For every time this guy (Victor Kim) gets 1,000,000 views of this video, he will donate $600 to the Red Cross (if you don't know why it is $600, then you didn't watch the video!!). As of this writing, he has exceeded 2,000,000 views - LET'S KEEP IT GOING!! Watch the video and share it with your friends!!

How to Help Japan if You have Some CASH:

If you have some cash of your own to donate, then you, too can donate to the Red Cross yourself! If you would like to give some monetary support and wear it with pride, then you might be interested in a offer from the company I am an affiliate for called We Add Up. They created a super-cool t-shirt for the cause:

We LOVE Japan t-shirt

Here's the details of the $25 t-shirt, from the site:

Donation
Show your love for the people of Japan. All of our hearts go out to the Japanese, as the earthquake, tsunami, and now nuclear crises unfold. 100% of profits from this "We Love Japan" shirt will be donated to the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army for relief efforts in the wake of this tragedy.

The "We Love Japan" shirt is also available in a Kid's Tee and Baby Tee/Onesie! Get your whole family counted in.

About
The Japanese symbol on the back of this shirt means "Love." Each 100% certified organic t-shirt is custom printed with a unique number, representing your position in our global count of people adding up to make a difference. All shirts are printed sequentially in order. Let's show the world that We Add Up! *Please check out our size guide and note that our Women's Tees run quite small. Thanks!

I am looking forward to rocking one of these after my tax return comes in!!

Do you know of any other ways to help Japan in their time of need?

****UPDATE****

Does Japan NEED our support???

A recent piece in the NY Times just came to my attention and is definitely worth a mention in a post about giving support to Japan. Here is just one excerpt to give you an idea of what you need to think about:

The Japanese Red Cross, for example, has said repeatedly since the day after the earthquake that it does not want or need outside assistance. But that has not stopped the American Red Cross from raising $34 million through Tuesday afternoon in the name of Japan’s disaster victims.

Roger K. Lowe, a spokesman for the American Red Cross, said his group had sent $10 million to Japan on Tuesday, and had spoken with the Japanese group, which had expressed gratitude for the support.

 ...The American Red Cross keeps 9 percent of any money it raises, which means that as of Tuesday afternoon, it had raised more than $3 million for itself through the Japan campaign. It also plans to cover the costs of the shelters it opened in California and Hawaii when there were warnings that a tsunami might hit there, estimated at somewhat less than $100,000.

That is definitely something to think about as you consider sending your support to the American Red Cross. However, I think taking the advice provided by AIDWatch, the blog that brought my attention to this matter, is best whenever thinking twice about donating:

Our best advice for people who feel moved to give by the tragedy in Japan: Give generously, in cash, to an organization that you trust, and don’t restrict your donation. This way, your charity can use the funds for Japan if it turns out they are needed. If not, then it is free to use your donation for another purpose, like the dozens of under-reported, large-scale disasters that CNN isn’t featuring today.