Blip Festival New York is upon us and between May 25th and the 27th, the Gramercy Theatre is going to be full of 8-bit artists from around the world to show off their circuit bent wares and a musical and visual masterpieces. Organized by 8BitPeoples since 2006, Blip Festival shows off the latest and greatest that the chip tune community has to offer.

Philly is familiar with the retro sounds of 8-bit music and because of 8 Static, this city has become a veritable breeding ground for a new brand of musicians using old Nintendos and a bit of ingenuity to create some groundbreaking sounds. Three local artists in particular have been invited to perform at this auspicious event.

Chipocrite can be found all over Philadelphia writing intricate compositions with a gameboy and a bass for the likes of 8 Static, GameStop ads, and Lebowskifest Philadelphia. We also love him because he was kind enough to cover a rockin’ version of the Game of Thrones theme for the first annual Philly Geek Awards. He’ll be sure to treat the New York chip tune scene to some incredible songs.

“Beauty from corruption, destruction from chrominance” is that mantra of Chromacle, a digital and video artist who can sometimes be found here in philly delighting eyeballs at the monthly 8 Static over at Philly MOCA. His clever amalgamation of shapes, colors, and lights adds incredible depth to 8 bit sounds coming from vintage gameboys and the odd NES.

Enso is another visual artist lending some lights to the sounds of Blip Festival. His low-res atmospheric shows are a hit here in Philadelphia and will be sure to dazzle everyone at the Gramercy Theater and possibly put them in a psychedelic trance.

Our home grown 8 Static veterans will be sure to blast the roof off of the Gramercy and it would be a shame for you to miss out on their audible exploits.

Tickets range from one day passes to the full three day shebang. You can snag them here. Also make sure to check out the schedule so you can go cheer on our local 8-bit extraordinaires!

Guest Post by Karl Cramer

Nobody would really want to be transported to the world of The Walking Dead. It’s a horrible place full of tension and death at any moment. But fans of the comic book and TV adaptation love to play the “that’s not how I would’ve done it” game.

Telltale Games gives those zombie wise guys a chance to put their money where their mouths are. It throws you into the life and death situations, forcing you to make difficult choices that aren’t clearly good or bad. Who do you ally yourself with? Do you help people who gave you grief? Between two friends, who do choose to live and who suffers a fate literally worse than death?

The first episode in the Walking Dead game thrusts you in the role of Lee Everett, a man convicted of murder and on his way to prison. This review is spoiler free but it’s no surprise that things don’t go according to plan. The intro does an excellent job of making you forget yourself and putting you in this role. Throughout the game you’ll be preoccupied with Lee’s guilt or innocence. Bits of dialog and other clues have you flipping from one side to the other several times.

At this point you might be asking what kind of game this is. Technically this falls into the adventure game category, but point-and-click clichés are the furthest thing from this game. Telltale has reinvented the genre by making it much more dynamic. In most cases you have direct control of Lee with the left stick. The right stick chooses objects and the buttons offer a simple, elegant way to interact with the environment.

Conversations sometimes follow tried-and true dialog branches but other times is based on a time-based split decision that reminds you of real life. You have five seconds to decide if you lie, tell the truth, be tough, or be nice. Did I mention there’s action? Just like any good zombie movie, there are scary, unexpected thrills that depend on hand-eye coordination as much as the puzzles require brainpower.

The graphics draw their inspiration from the original comic book; so much so that the game actually looks like one of those motion comics where animators use computers to make art from comic books move. The characters and environment are 3D models but they have a hand drawn look and feel that mimics Charlie Adlard’s comic art convincingly, except that it’s in color instead of black-and-white grayscale.

If you don’t get stuck on one of the puzzles, the game can be finished in one sitting, about a couple of hours. While that may seem shockingly short, keep in mind that this the initial episode in a five-part serialized game. Each chapter is bargain priced. The first episode sells for 400 Microsoft Points ($5) on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, $4.99 on PlayStation Network and on PC and Mac as a season pass covering all five episodes for $24.99 from the Telltale Online Store and Steam digital distribution.

For a chance to win a Steam Season Pass for PC and Mac, leave a comment below. One commentator will be chosen at random next week. Good luck.

Fans of ‘90s point and click adventure games are no doubt familiar with the Gabriel Knight series, but did you know that the series’ creator lives here in PA? True facts. Right out in Lancaster County. On a farm. That may or may not have some serious occult business going on. Watch the video, you’ll see what I mean.

Anyway, the farm is now home base for Pinkerton Road Studio, Jensen and composer/husband Robert Holmes’ new outfit exploring the idea of CSG, or community supported gaming. Like a CSA, but for video games! And the first game will be… Moebius:

Malachi Rector is an antiquities dealer who hunts down artifacts all over the world. After his upscale Manhattan store is destroyed in a fire, he’s hired by billionaire Amble Dexter to investigate a series of events and document them in his meticulous way.

The first event is the death of a young woman in Venice. She was found hanging from a bridge. As Rector investigates her life, compiling facts for his dossier, he realizes that the beautiful and talented young woman — and the interrupted path of her life — had great hidden significance.

It appears that Amble Dexter and his associates are playing with the fabric of life in a way Rector never imagined was possible. Even he, Rector himself, is part of a larger pattern. He must figure out who is doing what, and whether their intentions are for good or ill, before he can decide if he will play his pre-scripted role — or try to change the outcome. This is a metaphysical thriller ala Dante’s Equation and Gabriel Knight.

Want more? Watch the video and take a look at the video updates that the team is putting up. And go support them!

The Project: Jane Jensen’s Moebius and Pinkerton Rd. Studio

Creator: Jane Jensen

The Sweet Spot: $16 gets you one game this CSG cycle, which means Moebius! You’ll also get quarterly updates and access to a special member’s only forum. If you really want to get in there though, $50 makes you a full blown CSG member with monthly updates, beta access, PDF design bibles, and the ability to give your own input on the game. The decision is clear.

Funding Deadline: May 19th, 2012

More Info: Find Jane on Facebook, the official Pinkerton Road site, and of course right over on Kickstarter.

Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter created by locals. Check ‘em out and support our local geek scene. If you have a project that you’d like featured on site, contact geekadelphia@gmail.com

“Go head-to-head with other Tetris fans with a 100% original Hive76 Tetris Arm Wrestling game.”

The above is the description for the Hive 76 event on Thursday, April 26 from 7pm to 9pm during Philly Tech Week. It’s sparse in details, but what other information do you need? It’s “Over the Top” meets “The Wizard”.

Tetris + Arm Wrestling = Awesome to the Max, and that’s all you need to know.

Think about your favorite Tetris song. What does this say about you as an Tetris Arm Wrestler?

Type A: The slower methodical beat of Type A shows that you’re in it for the long haul. You know Tetris Arm Wrestling isn’t some layman’s sport, you are strong like bull and you will grind your opponent down like the weak L-Block that they are.

Type B: The more upbeat rhythm of Type B exhibits a more cunning and methodical Tetris Arm Wrestler. You’re like a fox and you know exactly what to do when each piece that falls. When the iron is hot you simultaneously strike down with both a Tetris and a slamming of your opponent’s crushed hand.

Type C: If you’re a Type C fan, you’re evoking the spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was an amazing Tetris Arm Wrestler, and he bested Handel in the 1706 World Tetris Arm Wrestling Championships in Berlin. You will reign a symphony of terror and Tetris pieces onto your opponents.

Tetris Arm Wrestling at Hive 76, Philly Tech Week
Thursday, April 26, 7pm to 9pm
915 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA 19123
phillytechweek.com/events/Tetris_Arm_Wrestling_Tournament

It seems like video game conferences are sprouting up in every city these days. From E3 in LA to PAX East in Boston, there are tons of expos highlighting the newest, biggest, and shiniest games that dev teams have taken painstaking years to perfect.

But this year Philadelphia has tossed it’s hat into the game conference arena with something a little bit different. Instead of featuring the latest and greatest games of the upcoming year, the Grassroots Games Conference will be all about celebrating the little guys who think games can be art and can be used for so much more.

Put together by Philly Game Lab, the Grassroots Game Conference will be held all over the city from April 23rd to the 29th. Tickets to the events range from Free to $20 depending on the event.

All of the events held on April 23rd, 28th, and 29th will be completely free, but you will have a chance to make a donation to the fantastic charity Child’s Play. They bring video games into hospitals so that they can enrich the lives of the many children being treated there.

If you have any interest in video games or are just looking for a good time, you should definitely have a look below and check out some of the fantastic events lined up for the week.

MONDAY April 23rd
Panel on Games as Art, with representatives of the NEA, Smithsonian and others at CIty Hall, with refreshments beforehand. FREE

Presentation on Spaces for Game Creation and Exhibition, by Sarah Brin of Glitch Lab in Los Angeles, followed by a Panel on Games as part of Artists’ Creative Practice. FREE

TUESDAY April 24th
Games and Gamification for Non-Profits: A day of events specifically focused on how non-profits can use Games and Gamification to achieve their goals. We have some great presenters coming in from all over, including Gabe Zichermann, who’s the leading guy in gamification. $20

Indie Game: The Movie at the Ritz. $15

WEDNESDAY April 27th
IGDA will be holding a showcase event presenting the work of local developers.

FRIDAY April 27th
Unity Lunch Party. A bunch of local developers will be demonstrating Unity, the small team game developers’ software of choice, on multiple workstations at WHYY. FREE

Collision of Music and Games: Dain Saint of Cipher Prime and Youngmoo Kim of Drexel, will be presenting their ideas on music as a part of gameplay.  FREE

SATURDAY April 28th and SUNDAY April 29th
Talks will be held at Leavitt Hall in the Gershman Y, at Broad and Pine for a number of developer-focused events.
Saturday: FREE, Sunday:  FREE

Remember to RSVP so you can reserve your place.

This week we talked with Koreen Olbrish, the founder of Tandem Learning.

Koreen started Tandem Learning in 2008 to address an unmet need in the learning space using technology with an emphasis on performance improvement and behavioral change. Koreen has strong ties to education and Philadelphia, having received her MS in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State University and helping start Freire Charter School in Philadelphia in 1999.

Recently, Koreen’s experience has been in the development of learning solutions, with particular expertise in simulations, serious games, mobile learning, augmented reality and the application of virtual worlds for learning.  That means she’s a serious gamer, readers!

Tell me about Learning in Tandem.

Koreen:  Learning in Tandem was the blog that I started when I started my company, Tandem Learning, four years ago. I thought when I started that I would be writing about being a female entrepreneur and all of the challenges of founding a tech services start up. Over the years it evolved into a journal of sorts, and I write about all kinds of things, but I try to always tie it back to learning, design or other business-related topics.

When my company was acquired by Ayogo Games last fall, I realized how varied the topics I write about are. I started writing for myself, assuming no one would ever read it, but its amazing how many times I’ll meet someone and they’ll bring up a specific blog post or say, “oh, I read about that on your blog!”

Realizing I wasn’t just talking to myself has made me try to bring meaning to my personal experiences and make my lessons learned (hopefully!) relevant for other people. Only very rarely do I talk about my adorable children or hilarious anecdotes!

You’re a self-proclaimed gamer, tell me about your favorite games.

Koreen:  Ugh, I am a gamer that doesn’t play nearly enough games! I think that’s probably fairly common with game designers. I was having a conversation recently about my gaming “style”…basically I play a new game for an hour or so and figure out if there is anything new that I could incorporate into one of my designs. If there is, then I’ll play more to figure out how it works. If not, it gets shelved. I was told that I’m a deconstructionist. I interpreted that as a shade of gamer snob…but I’m ok with that.

That said, I have some favorites that really expanded my own game design and what I teach my grad students. Scribblenauts… brilliant in its design and potential for learning. Heavy Rain is an amazing example of decision-making impacting storyline. Portal 2 is maybe the best puzzle-based game I’ve seen. I do tend to prefer the more immersive storyline driven experiences; Myst is still the only game I’ve ever finished. I have SkyRim waiting for me to play…I’ve “gamified” finishing my book, Immersive Learning, so I’m not allowed to play until I submit all of my chapters, which thankfully is any second now. My guilty pleasure game is Endless Ocean.

I’m also playing a lot of mobile games, since they tend to be shorter and I can play easily when I travel. Lately its Jetpack Joyride and Zwonks, which was recently released by Rude Boy Games, a division of my new company. I’m not sure they know how much I’ve been playing and I have hesitated to bring it up in any of our meetings. I guess they know now

Any other geeky interests?

Koreen:  I’m trying to think of what interests I have that aren’t geeky…I’m a huge comic book fan and try to make it to as many ComicCons as I can every year. My favorite comics in the last year have been Kill Shakespeare (I used to be an English teacher, so its the perfect intersection of my geekiness), Chew, and iZombie. Zombies in general are kind of a big deal. Bacon. I’ve recently taken up photography with my iPhone, so I have more pictures and photo apps than I know what to do with.

I could tell you more than you’d ever want to know about virtual worlds. I spend most of my time investigating new technologies and how they can be leveraged for learning, so anything tech-related is exciting. The coolest stuff I’ve been playing with lately is augmented reality and how to use it in alternate reality games. I don’t watch much TV but I’m counting down until Season 2 of Game of Thrones. I’m also holding my breath for The Avengers; I hope that the movie lives up to the trailer. And football! (but that’s not geeky, is it?) I’m originally from Michigan, so I’m still a Lions fan.

What are some of your favorite places in Philly?

Koreen:  I’m dying to go to Barcade! I can’t believe I haven’t been there yet…sigh.

I don’t get into the city nearly as much as I’d like to, but when I do, I tend towards places like Amada for cava and cheese or Village Whiskey for burgers and duck fat fries and, of course, whiskey. I love food and trying new places, Zahav and Vetri are amazing but there are so many smaller BYOs in Philly that are opening up all the time, I don’t usually go back to the same places twice. I’ve historically been a hardcore wine drinker, but in the last couple years I’ve acquired a taste for beer. This is actually making me sad that I don’t get out more…

What’s going on next for you?

Koreen:  My book! Yay! The title is Immersive Learning, the tentative publication date is August this year and I’m so excited to have it done and out there. I’m always running around doing speaking gigs on leveraging games for learning, so I’ll be traveling throughout the year…you can always find out where I’ll be next by following my on Twitter @koreenolbrish. Yes, I tweet a lot. I think I’m teaching a graduate class on learning game design this fall again at Harrisburg University. And I’m hoping to actually go on vacation this year. I hear that’s what people do?

To learn more about Koreen, follow her on Twitter and scope out her blog! 

The chip tune impresarios are back again this month with a fantastic line up of artists to soothe your aching digital auditory inputs. Last month was 8 static’s pulse pounding debut at their new venue and now they’ve decided to dial it back a notch or two on the old hacked and soldered sound board.

Trash80 will be exhibiting his very own brand of melodic and decidedly danceable auditory delights. You’ll have your feet moving to some of the most jazzy chip tunes you’ll find. Occasionally eschewing a purely 8-bit auditory aesthetic, Trash80 really knows how to seamlessly bring together the 8-bit and analog world.

Shawnphase will mix up the mood with an ensemble of ambient electro-metal band goodness. Adding some traditional instruments to the usual menagerie of 8-bit hardware really provides some extra depth to the music.

Disassembler is going to be there to delight you with some Nanoloop grooves. If you’ve been in attendance before, you’ll know that he’s been to a few of the open mics and knows how to keep people moving on the dance floor.

Visualicious will also be there to lull your eyes into a trance with some gorgeous visuals. As always, there will be a fascinating workshop going on before the show. This month, Dino Lionetti from Cheap Dinosaurs will be talking about odd time signatures and how to craft a song using them.

All of you budding chip tune artists out there better listen up! You can sign up for the open mic, but slots fill up quickly and it is best to register as soon as you can!

This month is a show that will probably be talked about for a long time to come, so it would be best to experience it first hand rather than have someone describe all of the music to you in words. It just isn’t the same as hearing it with your own auditory receptors. For more information, visit 8static’s official website.

8static
Saturday, April 14th, 2012, 7pm
$7-10

PhilaMOCA
531 North 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123

When it was announced that The Guild’s creator and driving force, Felicia Day, would be writing and starring in a new web series that would tie into the release of Dragon Age II from BioWare, I think all geeks squealed in glee just a little bit. The result is Dragon Age: Redemption, which premiered online in October 2011 and is now on DVD packed with bonus features.

In Dragon Age: Redemption, Day is Tallis, an elf assassin who is tasked by her Qunari masters to find a renegade mage who wants to destroy the world. Along the way we meet other denizens of the world of Dragon Age who, despite their differences, help her find her quarry and try to stop his plan of destruction.

Now don’t worry if that makes no sense to you. Each episode features a quick “Dragon Age for Dummies” intro that makes the series easy to follow even if you have never played either game. But after watching this series, you will definitely want to.

Dragon Age: Redemption is a fun, time-honored fantasy story that any fan of Dragon Age, Dungeons & Dragons or Lord of the Rings will find a lot to like in. Every classic fantasy character is there along with some incredible make-up and special effects. The Qunari in particular look great and any geek with a crush on Felicia Day (and who among us doesn’t?) will love how she looks with elf ears.

But why buy a DVD of a series you can watch online for free? Well, the disc includes over 40 minutes of bonus features which include interviews with Day, audio commentary by the producers and director, trailers, making of features and more.

All in all Dragon Age: Redemption is a great DVD that packs a lot of content. And lucky for you New Video has given us not one, but two copies to give away to a couple of lucky Geekadelphia readers!

Just leave a comment about which fantasy race is your favorite and we’ll pick a random winner at the end of next week. Please make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment and books can only be sent to addresses in the United States and Canada.

While I’ve been a longtime fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, the reveal trailer for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed III exponentially upped the ante and excitement factor beyond any of the previous installments. It’s set during the Revolutionary War here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Most of the game will take place on the Frontier between Boston and New York, and places like Lexington and Concord.

Ubisoft has also promised an overhauled game engine that can handle more than 1,000 on-screen characters, which means interacting with epically bloody ground battles at places like Valley Forge. IGN has posted some early details of settings and characters, and the list includes George Washington, Charles Lee, and yes, Benjamin Franklin.

That means there’s a good chance we will be seeing a lot of Colonial Philly in AC3, as the town was occupied by the Brits and was the scene of the last skirmish before Washington’s army retreated north for the winter.

What locations will be featured in Philly, and who will be the specific targets are now the focus of widespread speculation among the gaming community. Well, I’ve got a few ideas and suggestions for Ubisoft.

The Liberty Bell: Since the game is based around time travel, I haven’t decided what period we should visit the bell. Sure, it would be interesting to see the bell during the war period, because of the symbolic weight it carries for the birth of our country, but it would be even more fun to shake down fanny pack-wearing tourists in 1992.

Patrick’s Pub: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Season 4 was unquestionably the greatest in the whole series. The episode where they go back in time to 1776 is a classic, and the bar is called Patrick’s Pub. Mac and Dennis dress up as foppish Brits and get tarred and feathered, and Charlie and Frank are thieves who fail at robbing a fur trader. Sounds like it would be a nice side mission.

Hooker’s Row at 15th and Locust: When I moved to Philly in the mid-90′s the Locust Rendezvous was known as the 1415, and there was always a crap ton of prostitutes across the street. Once they built the Kimmel Center all of the pros seemed to move away, and ruined the whole scene. We’re sure that Hooker’s Row existed back during the Revolution, so Ubisoft should feel free to add this one in. The sweet young lady who gave Ben Franklin syphilis could be a character in the game, too.

Betsy Ross’ House: Sure, she’s an important part of history for her hard work during the dawn of freedom, but imagine how badass our flag could have been be if we ended her life before she put needle to fabric? The stars and stripes are nice. But, a middle finger emblazoned over the Union Jack is even nicer.

The Walnut Street Theatre: The oldest theatre in the US opened in 1809, which means the idea for the place was probably floated about ten years before. Imagine how much of your life you could get back if this place never opened? Field trips in grade school to see “South Pacific” and being Mom’s date on her birthday to take in the latest update to “A Christmas Carol” wouldn’t have happened, and you’d be that much less cultured. Sweet.

Citizens Bank Park: Yes yes, it’s not part of the historic timeline. But I think October 7, 2011 is the right move here. Chris Carpenter is the target. Doesn’t need to be quick, quiet, or clean.

Well the ball is rolling here, and I would love to know what everyone else thinks would be a great addition to the Philadelphia part of the Assassin’s Creed III. Leave a note in the comments section for who and what you would like to see in the game, which comes out on October 30 of this year.

Here’s the thing, Internet. I get sent a lot of swag. And the Geekadelphia crew, we can’t review everything. So, I’m going to start giving it away on here. Because I’d rather give it back to you guys, then hock it on Amazon or at CeX on South Street.

Today’s item? Crush3D for the Nintendo 3DS.

Crush3D hit Gamestops nationwide last week on March 9th. Note that I said Gamestops and not stores. Crush3D is a Gamestop exclusive, so you’ll only be able to pick up this Sega title there. Here’s the description of the PSP port, straight from Sega.

In Crush3D, players take on the role of Danny as they navigate across the surreal platforms of his mind by ‘crushing’ their way from a 2-dimensional to a 3-dimensional world and back again whenever they need to. Discover how ‘crushing’ takes you to impossible heights, over insurmountable obstacles, and even disposes of dangerous enemies.

So. Want this game? Just leave a comment about your favorite puzzle game after the jump. I’ll select one of you at random at the end of the week. Note, this contest is only open to folks in the US and Canada. Good luck!