Right to Left: Disasterpeace & Lissajou

It’s that time of the month again, when that little yoga studio in West Philadelphia comes alive with 8-bit beats and visuals, thanks to 8static.

Performing this Saturday? You can catch Disasterpeace (Boston), Lissajou (Florida), visualist noTenDo (NYC), and Philadelphia’s own vBlank. This is your last chance to catch noTenDo here in the states, as he’s moving to Berlin rather soon.

Now, instead of the usual pre-show workshop, there is a special gallery opening related to the chip scene at Drexel University’s Klein Art Gallery. This show is called Ready>Run. More information can be found on the 8static events page.

The show will run you $8 at the door, but it’s only $5 if you have the flier. Hit up 8static’s official website to grab that jawn. Have fun!

8static: Featuring vBlank, Lissajou, & More
Saturday, September 19th
www.8static.com

Studio 34
4522 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA

Animal Style live at the BLIP Festival, Photo by Ziggy Fresh

Philadelphia is a city full of geeks. Me and my pals here on Geekadelphia love to show that fact off, and once a week, we highlight individual geeks here on the blog with Geek of the Week. Just another way for us to show off our awesome community, and hopefully, introduce you to some great people doing awesome things. Think you should be featured? Have a friend you’d like to see on here? Email us.

Joey Mariano, also known as Animal Style, is an incredibly talented chiptune artist I’ve featured on here before (his shows and modded controller). Check out the quick Q&A, where you can learn where to download his songs, scope out some videos, and more.

As a musician who works with video game music, I’ve got to ask… what are your top three, favorite video games.

#1 Tetris on the NES. Its the chess of video games – an all time classic – devoid of war and violence and all the bells and whistles,
Tetris stands on its own. I can always come back to it, although that new t-spin crap is cheating!

#2 Original Metroid on the NES. – I used to draw maps of the levels on huge flowchart paper my Dad got from work.

#3 Columns for the Genesis – I wasted a lot of my time in middle school playing the crap out of that game!

Moving away from 8-bit soundtracks, when it comes to modern video game music, do you have a favorite score? A favorite composer, perhaps?

I don’t really listen to many of the new guys but I’m obsessed with the old school guys like Jeroen Tel, Tim Follin, Neil Baldwin, etc.
I’ve played some shows with Virt and i love his music (did a newer Contra game and appears on 8bitpeoples) – i am a fan of a lot of the music in those new ArtStyle games you can download from WiiWare, in particular the Rotohex soundtrack – not sure who the composer is. Of course the new Megaman 9 soundtrack is killin! Rich Vreeland (Disasterpeace of iimusic.net) has done some indie game soundtracks that are sick! Phlogiston too.

Why do you think the chiptune scene is so popular here in Philly? Who are some of your favorite chiptune artists here?

The Chip scene has been growing all over the world in the last decade or so. I have seen the genre rise from complete obscurity to having large scale festivals! Its pretty exciting. It feels like just yesterday that me, Don Miller (No Carrier) and Dino Lionetti (Cheap Dinosaurs), and Alex Mauer were playing really small shows.

The chip scene is growing in Philly right now… there are a bunch of up and comers, like RoBear, along with some spillover from other genres, like Void Vision, a new wave type band that did a set at 8static. I think people are starting to realize that chip music stands on its own as an amazing and important genre and even though it is electronic in nature – its really fun to go see it performed live. Philly has a great chip music infrastructure set for the future, with free workshops @ 8static (for people to learn new techniques) and constant interest from the media.

More after the jump!

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Happy Monday, loyal readers! We hope your weekend was exciting as ours and perhaps you saw some of us at this years Game Core Con (more on what went down later this week). For this beautiful morning, we have some juicy discussion!

Russell Beale and Matthew Bond, researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, presented their study on how a game receives good scores at last weeks Human-Computer Interaction conference in Cambridge. The results?

Well, you can throw your appealing visuals, thrilling storyline and engaging gameplay out the door as this study goes to show that the two most important criteria are (drum roll, please) its price point and its level of social immersion. More after the break.

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If you’re into podcast fiction you’ve probably heard of an author by the name of Scott Sigler. He was one of the first authors who used podcasting/social media, and a little site called podiobooks.com – and turned giving away his content for free into his dream of a full fledged writing career. Scott Sigler is now currently a New York Times best selling author of such books as Infected and Contagious, which were released by Crown Publishing. Infected has actually been optioned for a feature film by Rogue Pictures. Scott Sigler will be in Philadelphia this Thursday – September, 17 supporting his latest self published effort The Rookie.

The Rookie is a Sci-Fi Sports story about an interplanetary football league in the far future.  The Rookie, which began as an adult sci-fi action novel was later edited for most of the naughty bits and is now aimed at the young adult market to help teach kids team-work and tolerance of people who are different than themselves.  The new incarnation of The Rookie are available for for purchase from scottsigler.com or as a free as podcast at podiobooks.com.

In keeping with the theme of the book Scott is calling this a “Tailgate Tour” and has been stopping at various family friendly sports locations for a discussion and a bite to eat. His Philadelphia Stop will be at Mickey’s American Grill and Sports bar from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. The plan is to meet on the 3rd Floor, read a little, have a bit of discussion, then grab a bite and a beer. For details or to let Scott know your coming check out this site. I have interviewed Scott before and shared a zombie panel with him at Balticon, and I highly suggest if any of this sounds interesting to you, you check his stuff out he’s a great writer and a great guy as well.

How do you improve on the American institution that is the high-school prom?  Hint, if you read my previous article you know where this is going. Why you add the living dead, of course. Pure proof that zombies when incorporated into almost anything makes them better, the Philly Zombie Crawl Presents – the Philly Zombie Prom.

The Zombie Prom will be held at the lovely Trocadero on Sunday, September 27 and tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door(sadly advance tickets are not available online). There will be makeup artists on hand from Terror Behind The Walls for all your zombie makeover needs, and music from Live Not On Evil and The Young Werewolves.

And what would a prom be without prom pictures to show the folks? There will be complimentary prom pictures taken throughout the night, and at the end there will even be a Zombie Prom King and Queen crowned. This is a 21+ event so you will need ID to get in. Also, check out the website for locations to score advance tickets and some other special offers they are offering for the event. So get your best frilly tux and your boutonniere and see ya there!

I adore Quirk Books and love knowing that they base themselves here, in Philadelphia. I also love that every now and again, I get a little surprise in the ol’ Geekadelphia mailbox, thanks to their wonderful PR team. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies found its way into my home (and my heart) not too long ago, as well as a wealth of other books that we still need to review on here.

The Quoteable Douchebag, as compiled by author Margaret McGuire (a Philadelphian!) is out now, and is a hilarious collection of incredibly stupid remarks from politicians, musicians, movie stars, athletes, and more. While a handful of people actually don’t belong in the book and, I believe, are unfairly included (Pete Wentz, for one), there are some truly outstanding gems that are worthy of inclusion. Notably the wealth of quotes from David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff. There are many dying children out there whose last wish is to meet me. Ah, David. You’re a real class act.

Rounding off at 144 pages, and running your pockets about $13 at the bookstore, The Quotable Douchebag is an excellent and hilarious addition to your coffeetable, and will no doubt, inspire plenty of conversation.

Now, speaking of conversation… want to win a copy of the book? I’ve got mine right here, primed for a giveaway. Update: Just leave a comment! We’ll randomly pick one of you and send you the book at the end of next week.

The Quotable Douchebag (Out Now!)
www.irreference.com/the-quotable-douchebag

Quirk Books
www.irreference.com

Remember back in August, when we threw that release party for Section 8? It was a lot of fun. Blue Robots were guzzled, games were given away, chicken parm sandwiches were devoured (thanks Tattooed Mom!), and everyone had a blast.

Our new friend Brett Silver took a whole bunch of great photos, and posted them up on his site, Event Updates. Go check them out.

Thanks again to Technically Philly, Tattooed Mom, Open Source Cupcakes, Sandbox PR, Timegate, SouthPeak Games, Mike Worth and the VGI, and everyone who came out, Twittered, Facebooked, etc. about the party. Looking forward to throwing a lot more like this.

A few days ago, Drew Lazor, the associate editor over at the City Paper, emailed me a link to this awesome article by Felicia D’Ambrosio. Apparently Philadelphia’s own Oyster House makes a mean Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, a drink served up in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Katie Loeb, the head bartender at Oyster House, serves up her own vision of Beeblebrox’s beverage, which is like “having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.”

Head over to the City Paper and read the article to learn how she makes it.

Drew, you know me too well.

Oyster House Makes a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
www.citypaper.net/articles/2009/09/03/pan-galactic-gargle-blaster

Wow. Lots of fundraisers and benefits going on around town this week! Nothing like seeing Philly Geeks come together to do something good. There’s the Blame Drew’s Cancer Blame-A-Thon tonight, which hits both Indy Hall and the North Star Bar (best. wings. ever.), and now, at the end of the week, there’s the Philly Twestival.

I know, I’m just as tired as you are of the whole combining-words-with-Twitter-or-Tweet thing. Recently, I heard a girl say she was “Twit” on by a guy over Twitter. Get it? Hit on? I wanted to scream. However, the Philly Twestival, which hits Lucky Strike Lanes this Saturday, September 12th, is for a good cause. So I’ll excuse the name, and will refrain from screaming.

The goal? Bring the Philly Twitter community together for a night of bowling and fund-raising. The event seeks to raise $2800 to sponsor 10 families for a seven day stay at the Gift of Life Family House. The House, which you may have seen on your way to Northern Liberties, sits on North 3rd Street, and offers support programs and temporary housing for families of organ transplant patients in the Philadelphia region.

Tickets can be purchased online here, and are only $10. All attendees receive “buy one get one free” bowling, free shoe rental, and a chance to enter a raffle for prizes donated by area sponsors.

Good luck to everyone involved! If the Geekadelphia crew wasn’t going to Game Core Con, we would be there. Be sure to RSVP to the event on Facebook.

Philly Twestival
Saturday, September 12th, 2009
1PM – 3PM @ Lucky Strike Lanes

Ah, XBLA. I eagerly await your weekly deals at the start of every week. And happily this week, you’re back with an awesome deal, returning from several weeks of crappy DLC packs.

I remember when Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords first debuted on XBLA. It was 1200 Points. This week, you can score this outstanding puzzle-meets-RPG for a meager, paltry, measly 400 MS Points. This is an awesome deal, and a MUST have.

Nintendo fans can purchase this game on the Wii and DS, ringing up around $20 for a brand new retail copy. It’s good to be a Xbox fan this week, with the ability to own such an awesome title for around $5.

What are you waiting for? Go pick this up! Now!

KITT Will Be Appearing, Sans The Hoff

GAMECORECON!

Just a few more days til Geekadelphia (and our friends ALBOTAS) converge upon Oaks, PA for a day-long celebration of video games, playing card tournaments, and more. The convention takes place this Saturday, September 12th, and we couldn’t be more excited. Top 5 things we’re most psyched up about?

1. KITT from Knight Rider.
2. Watching Bianca get harassed by a plethora of nerdy boys. *
3. Dreamcast’s Birthday Celebration!
4. MC Lars (and attempting a video interview with him)
5. Halo 3 Tournaments!

* Bianca might not be as psyched for number 2 as I am, but oh well.

Here’s some more details on the convention, via the con’s official website.

Game Core is not a new show but is really a show in its 5th year. Game Core has evolved from and, is presented by, Too Many Games. Too Many Games was a show that ran 5 times in the Reading, PA area after it evolved from East Coast Gaming Expo an event that ran for 3 years in Reading, PA.

Game Core is just that, the Core of gaming. While we see the differences between people who play video games, Arcade games, role-playing games, miniature games, and others, we don’t see it as a reason to keep them all separate. Game Core gathers the best of all types of gaming, and provides you the vendors, contests, tournaments, guests, and players you’re looking to find.

Anyhow, we hope to see some of you there. We’ll be there with video cameras, DSLRs, podcasting gear, and more, rocking out on Twitter, live blogging, etc. Say hi, we’ll hang out.

Game Core Con: September 12th, 2009
www.gamecorecon.com

Do you like Zombies? Do you like Musicals? Well Philly Fringe is presenting Zombie! The Musical, at the Plays and Players Theater: this Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Details on the website are rather scarce, but the description is as follows “It’s a musical. About zombies. Inspired by classic horror films and cult musicals, our story follows a mad scientist, a surly sheriff, a pair of young lovers, and a zombie hunter as they try to survive in a world overrun by zombies . . . and sing about it.” Sounds like a winner to me, I can’t wait!

Tickets for the Philly Fringe production are only $15 and available here. I have my tickets, and will be attending tonight’s show and let you know how it is. See ya there!