Here is a little more information on the speakers. All sessions are planned for Saturday July 17, but times have not been set as the complete lineup is not yet settled.
• Doug Macrae – "Ms. Pac-Man and the maternity suits" and other inspired genius at the General Computer Corp.
Doug Macrae began his career in arcade games in 1978 when he began operating a Pioneer pinball machine on the MIT campus. Over the next two years, his operations grew to twenty machines including old favorites such as Paragon, Playboy, Fire One, Star Castle, and three Missile Commands. In March 1981, he brought together four other MIT students to begin developing videogames. The first project (in lieu of his thesis) was an enhancement kit to Missile Command entitled Super Missile Attack followed by another enhancement kit, this time to Pac-Man, called Crazy Otto. After being shown Crazy Otto, Bally / Midway licensed the game from Doug’s company, General Computer, and the two companies decided that it should become the sequel to Pac-Man. In late 1981, Crazy Otto became Ms. Pac-Man, which went on to become the greatest selling North American arcade game of all time.
• Paul Mandeltort - “LED’s for Your Pinball Machine: Almost Everything You Need to Know”
Recently, LEDs have become cheap enough to make sense in installing in pinball machines. However, despite higher brightness, better efficiency, and longer life, LEDs are not without their problems in the pinball environment. Paul Mandeltort, the product manager for Marco Specialties Inc, will cover the basics of playfield LEDs, the difference from traditional incandescent lamps, and important things to know when converting a machine for operation with LEDs. This session will be targeted at the technically inclined hobbyist, but won't go into excruciating engineering detail.
• California Extreme presents: Joysticks
Screening and Q&A
with
Cult, Exploitation, Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Action Film Director Greydon Clark
and
Actor Jim Greenleaf ("Jonathan Andrew McDorfus")
"Joysticks" is a perfect cinematic time capsule of the point in the early '80s when Porky's rip-offs ruled the theaters and there was nothing more awesome to do than spend a couple hours at a video arcade with a game of Pac Man.
Rated R for "Radical"... and mature themes.
"Joysticks" trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUuL1vOuxasJeri Ellsworth has something planned - play your part as Dorfus - or be King Vidiot!
• Matt Walsh – “I Was a Teenage Pinball Designer – Trials and Triumphs of a Would-be Williams Pinball Designer”
1989. Another pinball slump. In just 9 years Williams will make its last traditional pinball machine. And yet a would-be pinball designer's obsession and an internet relationship with a legend lead him to the front door of 3401 N. California Ave. Can he turn a summer internship into a pinball design career? Will he live to see his creation roll off an assembly line? Can he survive the aggressive atmosphere and draw what he needs from the masters?
Come to Matt Walsh's talk and find out as he recounts his days in the inner sanctum of Williams Electronics.
• Steve Ritchie "Pinball Adventures"
• Steve Russell - “Spacewar! - The First Videogame?”
Well, it was 1962 at MIT (maybe not so far away). Steve Russell will be here to tell the story of the creation of Spacewar!, the grand-daddy of video games.
• Mark Alpiger, Hector Rodriguez, and Mark Robichek – “Video Tips and Tricks”
The famous video game "Tips and Tricks" panel is back. Learn some of the techniques and skills to beat the classic games (or at least last a little longer)! These guys really know their stuff. Panelists will include Mark Alpiger (Marble Madness, Crystal Castles, Food Fight record holder, also of King of Kong fame), Hector Rodriguez (world record holder, Track and Field), Mark Robichek (record holder Pengo, Frogger), and more!
• Keith Elwin, Bowen Kerins, and Andrei Massenkoff – “How to Play Pinball”
Holy cow can these guys play! And they teach as well as they play, too! Learn basic and advanced techniques and how to develop a strategy so you too can best the game!
• Richard Tuck – Screening of the documentary “Remembering Playland”
San Francisco’s now-extinct Playland at the Beach, an amusement park located next to Ocean Beach, was established in the 1880s as a collection of amusement rides and concessions all separately owned by various concessionaires. In 1923, The Whitney's opened their first concession, soon followed by additional concessions. They eventually purchased the 10-acres of land on which Playland sat, and the land adjacent to Playland, including the Cliff House. After George Whitney's death in 1958, and years of decline, the land was purchased in 1971, and Playland was dismantled in 1972 for condominium development.
More than three decades later, Tom Wyrsch has resurrected the city’s lost treasure in his new documentary, the first and only documentary ever made about Playland at the Beach. For those who enjoyed Playland as a child, Laffing Sal, the Fun House, the Carousel, the Big Dipper, the Diving Bell, Dark Mystery, Limbo, and Fun-tier Town will bring back fond childhood memories. For those who have only heard stories about Playland, the documentary will help bring it to life.
With 12 interviews, almost 20 minutes of archival footage, 187 photographs and original music.
• The Arcade Trivia Contest has evolved into "Game Show Game Show” to test your knowledge of both pinball and videos!
It's the Game Show Game Show! Watch and play along with favorite game shows from the past and present. Laugh along with our celebrity panelists! Fabulous prizes will be awarded! (Warning: fabulousness may vary.) We're sure you'll have fun and you could WIN!
For more information on this look at
http://www.caextreme.org/forum/index.php?topic=236.0• Bill Ung - New Attack from Mars Expansion Kit from UFO Pinball
Bill Ung discusses features from his new AFM add-on modification, which expands on the original Attack from Mars Mini-Saucer LED Kit.
• Marcin Wichary - Behind the scenes of Google Pac-Man
Google launched a popular playable Pac-Man doodle to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the game. Come and learn about how it came to be, what’s the technology behind it, how it differs from the original (and how it doesn’t), and what kind of feedback it received – straight from the person who programmed it.
