Friday, August 11, 2006

We woke up at a reasonable time and headed down to Exit 91, our breakfast stop, and ate at cracker barrel. As usual the food was good and there was plenty of it for a reasonable price. I had Eggs in a whole, which are eggs inside a hole in toast. It was good. We browsed the country store a bit and I found a older game reproduction that looked neat so I picked up “jack Straws” before we left.

Parking today was a little bit easier as we knew relatively what we were doing in order to get to the garage. We decided to park at the same one we found yesterday on Meriden street about two block from the convention center. We headed in and hit the Dealer hall doing some more demos. After a while of walking around I decided I would visit my friends at Out of the Box and see what they had new to offer, and to check out a few of their older ones that I was still interested in. I saw that they had made copies of Qwitch, My Word, Blink, and Pepper in some nice metal tins so I will defiantly have to pick those up before we leave. Al, the gentleman who did our Demos did a fantastic job, but it is to be expected with OTB. We started off by playing letter flip. In letter flip its sort of like a battle ship type game where you are trying to guess each other’s words. You guess a letter and ask if they other persons word contains it. If your opponent’s words does contain it you put up a start above that letter and go again, if it does not you flip that letter down so you know that it is not in you word and play passes to your opponent who does the same. Once you have the number of letter in your opponents’ word flipped up you get to guess they word. There are two ways to do this you can either guess what letter is first then second etc, or you can just guess the word. If you are correct you reset your board and your opponent goes to a larger word the first player who can guess 4 words correctly wins. I enjoyed it and can see me playing this a lot on the bus. Next we Demoed Cover up and Mix up. I liked them both, but will only purchase mix up because cover up does not look as eye appealing, and generally it was a better game. Finishing those pretty quickly I moved on to played in Abridged, OTB’s shortened version of the game Bridge. Abridged was enjoyable even though at times I did not know what was going on. It was quick paced and relatively easy to understand. I may pick up a copy later on but its not one of the games that needs to be brought home with me from the convention. After that I saw Matt, my contact at OTB and went to say hello. Something that always amazes me is that he always knows who I am and says hello no matter how long it has been since the last time we saw each other. We talked for a bit and then he Demoed Pepper. Matt does an awesome job at demos and get you playing right away. The game was quick paced and fun. It simulates a four square game with cards. I liked it and will grab a copy. Then we walked around the hall a bit more and looked at things. I stopped by fantasy flight games to look at the Marvel Heroes board game which looks really good, Drakon (new edition), Blue moon city, and Arkham Horror. As usual FFG had some great games and a nice set up to display them on.

We then went to the food court for lunch. I had a Gyro from the greek restaurant it was good all except it was a little bit cold, so I ate about half of it before tossing it.

When lunch was over, I parted ways with my Dad and ketih to go to another seminar. This one was titled “Young People and Gaming” and looked at the effects of gaming on young people both developmentally, and socially. The workshop was great once again and I made some networking connections with a new store owner from Connecticut. David went over the development of people from a young age through about 17 and explained how gaming can be helpful as a person grows up and the different types of things people go through at each age. Along with the things that people are able to do and comprehend at those age ranges. He made sure we knew that each person was different and that these were just generalizations, but over all he was right on the ball. It was nice to be able to talk with the groups of teachers and other community center/library people here at the convention who are doing almost what I do with my Sages group. I was able to pull away a lot of helpful tips, and provide some ideas for others around the country. Also I get to realize I am not the only one doing this amazing work. The seminar ended and I traded cards with some people, and then was on my way back to the exhibit hall. I made some purchases before we went back to the car to make our load a little less at the end of the Conn. Once the purchases were done we headed back to the car to drop off the bags in preparation for the Video Games live concert at the Hilbert Circle theater. Dinner today was t the Hard Rock Café of Indy. The food was good albeit a little expensive, and the atmosphere was nice.

Paying our bill at the hard rock we left and headed down the street a little to the theater. It was about a half hour until doors opened so we hung out in the lobby with the rest of the early arrivals. Promptly at 7pm the doors to the theater opened and we were allowed in for the pre show. I kind of expected more, but it was good all the same. We purchased T-shirts, and overpriced programs and headed to our seats. After that Keith and I returned to the lobby to watch a bit of the Guitar Hero II competition and the Space Invaders competition. These were both interesting and I was happy to see Guitar Hero II , which comes out in Nov, was looking really nice. After a while of that we returned to our seats to await the start of the show. Our seats were in the left center part of the first mezzine which is the 2nd tier of the balcony in this theater. We could see the screen onstage perfect and most of the orchestra the only thing we really could not see was the choir. The show began with an upbeat medley of classic video games including, Joust, Donkey Cong, Gauntlet, Pit Fall, Pong and many others. The great thing about it though was it was not just video and music they also had some synchronized lighting effects which made the show ever better. For instance when we they had pong on the screen and the ball went from side to side there was lights that lit up on each side as it went. Throughout the night these lights would change color pattern and effects to make the experience better. Tommy Talernio then came out and introduced us to what the show as all about and did a blurb about how long it took them to put together and how happy they were to be there. Then he had us watch video message from the composer of the music from Metal Gear Solid. Metal Gear solid footage was on the screen while they played all the music in sync with it and then suddenly you saw someone on the stage sneaking around and then it happened. The Infamous “!” I see you, symbol popped up over the actors head and the crowd went wild. They went on to do music from just about every genera of games you could think off. Kingdom hearts, Sonic, Zelda, Mario, Beyond Good and Evil, Gods of War, Advent Rising, Castlevania, and World of Warcraft to name a few. There was also a section with music fro the metal of honor series. Tommy came out and explained how they decided because of the subject matter of the game and the strength of the music they should not show game footage, but rather use video clips gathered from the time of the game. They played the metal of honor music while showing images of the soldiers, the children and the war. It was really moving and they did a wonderful job. It was a great tribute to what happened in the war and should have been done no other way. After the tribute they introduced a young man who had a video on the Internet of him playing Final Fantasy music with a blindfold on. He was with us and would like to play a self-created medley of Final Fantasy. The gentlemen sat down the light went on him and he began to play. There was a camera focused on him and the piano so you could see him play. His music was amazing and then he started to speed up, and speed up again, and then speed up again. I have never in my life see anyone who was able to play so quickly and so beautifully at the same time. He captured the moods of final fantasy perfectly. There was a 20 min intermission and they we returned for more music. After a while they said it was the end of the night, and I was kind of disappointed because there was no Halo Segment. But then Tommy introduced the composer for the Halo Series and off they went. The music is just as moving and exhilarating live as it is in the game. I have so many fond memories of playing Halo with my friends at home that it was great to see if this way. I snapped a few pictures during the concert in order to be able to better explain what went on. After things were all said and done, there was a Meet and Greet with people in the lobby. Keith and I waited in Line and got our programs signed. We also Had pictures taken with some of the people who were signing. I had my pictures taken with the person from G4, the composer of Halo, and Tommy and Kent (the conductor) Keith had the same minus the g4 guy. Every one in the meet and greet line was awesome and really friendly. They are added to my list of celebrities who actually like meeting ad talking with their fans. Tommy and I chatted a bit about Video Games live in Boston, and how he could not find an orchestra that would so something like it because they all turned their nose up at it. Along with talking about when they do come to Boston discounts for my group from work. (Shamless plug I know) It was a wonderful concert and I would go to see if again if the chance arises.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Seven it is and I am up preparing for our first day at GenCon Indy. We left around 8ish and stopped at a Denny’s on the way in to grab a hearty inexpensive meal. After breakfast we drove into Indy and played ring around the rosy with everyone else trying to find a parking spot within the group of full parking garages. At least our little joy ride was not wasted as we found out where the theater was for tomorrow nights show. After finding a spot we went into the convention and headed for the dealers hall. There was a mass of people as far as the eye could see headed in and the hall was only 15 minutes. We headed in and stopped to drool at everything around us. The hall is amazing. To put it briefly its like tossing an alcoholic into a vat of beer and telling them not to drink. There is so much cool stuff, and some junk floating around that we could not see it all in one sweep. I will however go over the highlights of the first walk through with you here.

Familiar faces are always nice to see, so while walking around I saw the Cheese Weasel Logistics Company, and stopped by to check out their new games. They had two new games. Death by Dice and Pit Fighters. The death by dice game was simple yet really fun. Then Keith and I played in a Demo of Pit Fighters, which was a little math intensive for that early, but really fun all the same. We picked up a copy of both along with a Ninja Weasel and a Death by dice magnet, and a card coffin and were on our way. We will see them alter on too. Then we walked around for a bit. I then saw a cool game by Atlas that was worth a purchase by the name of Pieces of Eight. I picked up a copy of each expansion and some promo chips. Then it was time for me to find my way to the Omni hotel for my Seminar on games in education.

This seminar was really well run and I got a lot of good information and contacts from it. The gentleman who was running has been using game in his classroom for the past 20 years or so and had some really good ideas and anecdotes about gaming in classes. There were a wide variety of people in the workshop from mothers to teachers, librarians, a youth detention officer, and some press. The stories and problems shared by them were the same things I see and feel in my gaming group and what I do. After bringing up my Bus gaming adventures and the parent child Agent X there was much discussion about what other way to keep kids interested in gaming without a computer and how to steer them in the direction of our hobby. I was overall pleased with the workshop and will be attending another by the same person tomorrow on the effects of gaming on young people. He is going to email us all some lists and resources we can use. Also on a side note I met a teacher named Bobby in the hall before the seminar and had some good conversation with him about conventions and what he does in his classroom. I hope to meet up and play a game or two with hi later on in the Conn.

Keith and my Dad were browsing the dealer hall all this time and then I called to meet up with them. Once we met up we grabbed some food form the convention food court and then headed back into the dealer hall to polish off the day. They had found a game or two they though I would be interested in ad Keith wanted to Demo Clout. So we went in they showed me the games. Then we purchased Hex Hex and Hex Hex Next from Smirk and Dagger. Then Keith Demoed Clout, and I went off to demo a Mayfair game I demoed Figaro. Valley of the Pharos was another one that caught my eye, but I am Leary due to the not so fun factor of the companies other games. I will wait till I demo it to buy a copy. Bought a copy of sheer panic. Before we left toe convention for the day we purchased some generic tickets to use for events later on in the convention. As my dad waited in line, Keith and I checked out the Mini hall. There were some really basic set ups and some really elaborate ones. All of them were beautiful to say the least. I may get into painting minis just so I can create something that looks remotely like some of these setups. The hall was big and we walked around it for a little while. After we were done with the convention for the day we headed over to Keystone ID in order to eat at BD’s Mongolian BBQ.

BD’s Mongolian BBQ was a great place to eat, and reminded me a lot of Fire and Ice. The way it works is you go around a buffet type thing and pick out your meat and veggies then put them in a bowl. After that you choose a sauce and spices to add to your dish. Once you have made al of your selections you bring your two bowls up to a big round grill in the middle of the restaurant, and the cooks cook your food using 2 large swords. Once its done they place it in a bowl and you take it back to your tables where you can eat it with rice or tortillas. Then we went back to the RV. Keith and I played a few games of Pieces of Eight before going to be and then we crashed. I am really excited about tomorrows Video Games Live Concert and cant wait for it to come.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

GenCon Wednesday

Wednesday
We arrived around 10 am today, checked into our campsite and called for our car. We received an interesting KIA Rio soon after. My dad went to Enterprise to fill out the paper work and Keith and I walked around the camp ground a bit. After seeing a small general store, some ponies, a little washroom, and scouting out the shower situation we returned to the RV. Once my Dad returned back we left for our first excursion into Indy. Indy is a nice city, what else more can I say. A lot of one-way streets that makes navigation a bit tricky, but other than that it was ok. Clean as a you would expect a city to be and people are generally nice if you are nice to them. Finding the Zoo pretty easy we parked and purchased out tickets for the Zoo and Gardens. I have to say the zoo was pretty impressive, MUCH better than Columbus zoo. The animals were well kept and you were only a few feet sometimes less always from them when you were viewing them. We saw the Dolphin show which was pretty cool and were able to enter a dome underwater so that you could see the dolphins swimming around you. That was really cool to see and I have pictures to prove it. Then we saw your typical zoo fare of bears, birds and elephants. There were also some Lemurs, a zebra, a vulture, a big bald eagle, and some really cute mere cats. Then we went to the Gardens. These were interesting it was amazing how bright in color some of the plants were and the elaborate different gardens from around the world. Different cultures and ways of life all could e seen through the different gardens. The water Garden and the fountains were really impressive. Also included with the Gardens was the Butterfly atrium. This was one of the largest atriums that I have been in, and it was really nice. There were a lot of butterflies that were really people friendly. The photo opts in the zoo and the garden were just to much to pass up, so ask to see the almost 200 pictures from the trip there. ;-) I love Digital!

We then headed into the convention hall to pick up our tickets. The line my Dad had to be in was realllly long and weaved throughout the convention hall. Although it was really long, he was in it only about an hour, which is a credit to the convention staff and volunteers for moving people through so efficiently. I had to pick up our tickets for Fridays concert along with my Badge so I went to a different line for will call. Two minute line, hand your license, and done. We scoped out the hall and the surrounding areas for a little while. This is bigger than Origins without question. I am going to get lost easily with all the rooms and halls and stuff to do. The dealer hall is huge although not open till tomorrow. Also everything you need is connected via an elaborate system of Skywalk pedestrian bridges. These all flow endlessly from hotel to hotel, the convention center, the Mall, and a good amount of restaurants. You never have to go outside or cross a street to get to where you are going.

After our exploring we sat down and ate at the local Steak and Shake and returned home for a good nights rest. 7 am is going to come early, so talk with you all tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

GenCon Tuesday

Tuesday Recap
Getting up at 6am my Dad and I made the last preparations for the trip. One last check of my e-mail , the GenCon site and Boardgame geek then I was ready to pack up. I had to put the Laptop, the 360 and the myriad of chargers in, and then it was just making sure we had everything. After a shower I was pretty sure we had everything so we were on out way. A departure time of 9:00AM on a sunny Tuesday morning. We traveled pretty well and then reached our first rest stop and got something to eat about an hour and a half or so into our trip. I opted for a wrap from fresh city while my dad had the old faithful Mc Donald’s.

We then headed straight through, minus one rest stop to stretch to Cabelas in Hamburg PA. Let me tell you if you are into anything to do with the outdoors you would fall in love with this store its HUGE, and has everything you could think of for outdoor activities. There was also a lot of trophy animals from around the world set up in beautiful scenes around the store. From the giant mountain with the Reindeer Polar bears, deer, and moose, to the Savannah with Lions Gazelle and crocodiles. It was truly a cool thing to see and very well done. After walking around for a little while, and finding turbo straps for my Crocs, we found my Aunt Floss, Kelly, and cousin Keith. We had planned to meet them at the store to snag Keith so he could come with us to GenCon. We chatted for a bit and walked around looking at more of the sights in the store. The decision was made to head out, so we purchased our postcards and turbo strap and headed outside. Aunt Floss drove over and we got al of Keith’s stuff into the RB said our good byes and headed on out way about 5pmish. With 9 hours to go from the store according to Mapquest, we were doing well and could take our time and be in Indy with plenty of time to spare.

A little later our stomachs were starting to growl so we pulled off to find an Old country Buffet that was listed on one of the road signs. After a while of driving we did not find it but saw a place by the name of Red Robins. We decided to give it a try. The service was great and the food was good. Fries were cold, but not cold enough to ruin the meal. Burger was great and different with the bacon and fried egg on it. The seasoning was awesome. The waitress was attentive, friendly, and on top of things. We ate, then stopped at Borders to pick up a much needed iPod to cassette deck adapter. Hitting the raod we traveled on and have been ever since we plan on stopping in about 30 min or so and re fueling along with taking a quick nap. Then driving though the night. Pretty much what Tuesday is about?.

8:12 AM