Posts tagged Penny Arcade Expo
Whither art thou, Dickwolf?
Feb 9th
The comic strip that divided a subculture
Something is rotten in the state of videogame discourse.
Now that the dust has largely settled, I think we can begin to assess just what happened since the infamous “The Sixth Slave” strip (pictured above) ran nearly six months ago, and why the controversy surrounding it reached a breaking point two weeks ago.
I felt it’d be negligent of us to let the recent Penny Arcade controversy pass by without offering comment. But before we go any further, let’s just clarify a couple points:
- This controversy deals with some pretty serious and potentially upsetting issues, including slut-shaming, rape and threats of violence. These aren’t topics we would approach lightly, but be aware that this isn’t going to be your typical “I played a game, it was pretty good” article.
- The opinions expressed in this article are mine alone and don’t necessarily reflect those of any of the other editors or contributors here at Silicon Sasquatch. While I think we all share some common ground here, I wouldn’t want to put words in anyone else’s mouth.
Everyone good with that? Great. Let’s move on.
PAX 2010 Debriefed: No, that’s not a Duke Nukem joke
Sep 9th
Sex Bob-Omb (with special guest Roxanne Richter) performing on-stage in Rock Band 3 at PAX 2010. And if that wasn't cool enough, The Clash at Demonhead took the stage immediately afterward.
There were only a few thousand dedicated folks who made the trip to Bellevue, Washington for the first-ever Penny Arcade Expo back in 2004. Maybe it’s because it was the first time I ever took a road trip with some friends since coming of age, or maybe it’s because we planned to go about ten hours before the expo began, but something about that trip was life-changing.
Here were a bunch of gamers congregating in a public space to play some Tetris, take in the handful of new games on display, debate menial details like which Final Fantasy game is best (trust me, they still get off on that argument), listen to some nerdy music and hang out at one crazy, 24-hour party. I think it’s safe to say that there had never been anything like it in the history of time, and so yeah – I take a little pride in knowing I was one of a few thousand people who were there when it all started.
In fact, I’m one of what has to be a pretty small number of people who have attended all seven PAXes in Seattle. I keep coming back because, simply, I think it’s a fantastic event. I love what it stands for, I love how it brings together new and old friends, and I especially love having the opportunity to hang out with people who create, write about, produce, promote, and just generally love games.
But something was wrong this year. Despite its strongest turnout yet, I felt there were some significant problems that surfaced at this year’s PAX.
The PAX ’09 Wrapup Show or: How Not To Record a Podcast
Sep 18th
In this episode, Aaron, Doug, Nick and Tyler discuss the sights, the sounds, and — unfortunately — the smells of the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo.
I’d like to apologize for the long delay between episodes. Ever since losing most of one of our stems on the third show, we’ve become wary of technical difficulties in podcasting. On this latest episode, however, there are a number of problems throughout. My microphone apparently didn’t fare too well in the bring-your-own-computer section at the Penny Arcade Expo this year, resulting in uneven recording levels. As if that wasn’t bad enough, our discussion grew very long-winded and wasn’t exactly up to the standards I set for myself when I set out to produce podcasts for Silicon Sasquatch.
It was only after a great deal of deliberation with the rest of the crew that I decided to post this episode, primarily for two reasons:
- It’s better that we make our mistakes public and acknowledge that we’re learning from them, and
- There’s actually some good discussion to be found within this episode
Thanks for listening, and please check back soon for a new — and much more digestible — episode.
The Backlog: Pre-PAX lovefest
Sep 4th
The funk of 40,000 nerds awaits Nick at this year's Penny Arcade Expo. Expect the show floor to look much like this, a scene from the exhibit hall at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo.
Here we are. The beginning of a three-day holiday weekend, the first day of the Penny Arcade Expo up in Seattle, and time for another week’s worth of gaming recounted in our Backlog. It’s been the calm ahead of the storm here, with Nick preparing for a feast of gaming at PAX, Aaron enjoying some comfort gaming, and Doug preparing to dig into some modern classics.
The Backlog: Of Dark Knights and Dead Consoles
Aug 28th
Marge would be proud
It’s been a bit of a difficult week for the Silicon Sasquatch staff. Nick spent much of the week reformatting and fine-tuning his computer before hauling it up north for the sixth annual Penny Arcade Expo and its thousand-seat LAN — a stressful experience, and one that leaves precious little time for gaming. Doug’s third Xbox 360 fell under the alluring spell of the Red Ring of Death and is currently drifting towards Valhalla. And Aaron? Well…Aaron’s the lucky one who actually got to sit down and play through Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Interview: Dan Teasdale and Heather Wilson of Harmonix Music Systems
May 12th
Editor’s Note: This interview was originally conducted at Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade in Portland, Ore. on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Rock Band 2 lead designer Dan Teasdale and audio producer Heather Wilson brought Rock Band 2 to Ground Kontrol’s Rock Band Tuesdays for one of the game’s first public play sessions.
Sasquatch writer Doug Bonham conducted an in-depth interview with Teasdale and Wilson that sheds light on the creative process at Harmonix, from catering to fans to picking the perfect songs to release as weekly downloadable content. Although originally published on Doug’s blog, he’s graciously offered to repost it here. Despite taking place months ago, there’s still plenty of insight to be found from two of the people responsible for one of the top music game franchises on the market. Enjoy!
Let there be rock – RB2 fires up for the first time at Ground Kontrol. (Photo by Doug Bonham)
Rock Band 2 is almost upon us. The game’s developers, Harmonix, had a large presence on the show floor of the Penny Arcade Expo – the line to play the game was usually at least a half hour. While fans got their hands on the game for the first time at PAX, a lucky group of gamers in Portland, Ore., got a special treat when the sequel was demoed Tuesday, September 2. Ground Kontrol (511 NW Couch St., Portland, Ore.) played host during the regular Rock Band Tuesdays to Harmonix’s Dan Teasdale, lead designer of Rock Band 2, and Heather Wilson, audio producer for the company.
Teasdale and Wilson were kind enough to agree to an interview with myself, Nick Cummings, and one of the lead volunteers in running Rock Band Tuesday, John Leslie.