Search results

Title: Interview with Todd Friedman: photos
Creator: Rao, Xi, Houlihan, Jodi
Date: 2015, 2015

Title: Interview with Jessica Kent: photos
Creator: Wojtowicz, Daniel, Vadakumchery, Tony, Polk, Tamia, Toppel, Dennis
Date: 2015-10-01, 2015-10-01
Description: Before video games were invented, people initially played coin-op games like skeeball. The most prominent coin-op game was pinball, and its...
Show moreBefore video games were invented, people initially played coin-op games like skeeball. The most prominent coin-op game was pinball, and its appeal endures to this day. However, the arcade and coin-op scene, including pinball, has a relative lack of women players. This is why Jessica Kent, one of the founders of Down to Flip, has such an interesting story. Her push for diversity and encouragement for female players is making significant changes to the pinball and coin-op community, and her work will continue to make these changes. Jessica Kent is the creator of the Down to Flip pinball group, an all women pinball group. Down to Flip started as a Facebook page but has now grown into a group with over 100 members, and over twenty-five active pinball players. Her inspiration for the group came from observing women groups like LA Bell and Chimes in Los Angeles. From a young age, she was involved in the arcade scene, and she rediscovered her love for arcade gaming during college. Jessica has been an avid gamer for most of her life; before rediscovering her love of arcade games and coin-op games, she was a big at-home gamer. She started playing pinball regularly about two-and-a-half years ago, initially on a laundry room pinball table. She prefers the feel of real life tables over digital ones due to her love of other hands-on arcade games like skeeball. Currently, Jessica plays pinball one night a week, but she travels extensively checking out different arcades and other places with coin-op games. Jessica has done a substantial amount of research on pinball and arcade games. Currently, her favorite pinball table is Attack from Mars. Her favorite arcade is Logan Arcade, and her Down to Flip meetings take place there. Jessica’s favorite parts of pinball is that she can track her progress regularly, the randomness of the game, competing against her personal best scores, and the level of hand-eye coordination required. Additionally, Jessica gets a sense of nostalgia from playing pinball and other arcade games. One of Jessica’s goals for Down To Flip is to promote pinball and arcade games to the younger generation and others who aren’t big gamers themselves. She also feels that Down to Flip as a group promotes pinball and coin-op games to people of all backgrounds, especially women, and wishes to use the reach of the group and her own interests to promote causes she believes in to others. Down to Flip and pinball ties into coin-op and video gaming as a whole since it shows a revival in the coin-op and arcade scene that is especially prominent amongst young adult in their twenties and thirties. Recently, numerous arcades and bars such as Galloping Ghost, Logan Arcade, Headquarters, and Level 257 have opened up and are thriving. Coin-op and arcade gaming can be considered to be the true beginning of the gaming community, and these sort of games have been around since the 1930s. However, in the subculture, there has been a relatively lack in diversity; female players were not very prominent, for instance. Jessica Kent’s group Down to Flip encourages greater player diversity by promoting pinball and arcade gaming for women and attempts to encourage younger children of all sexes and demographics to play pinball and other arcade games, thus promoting a more diverse and varied pinball and gaming community. During the interview, Jessica mentions one interaction in the pinball community where she was competing and one of the male pinball players ridiculed female pinball players. According to Jessica, upon getting a very good high score, the person ridiculing her stopped his actions. Groups and people like this break the stereotypes of gamers, and allow females and minorities as a whole to gain equal respect and opportunity.
Show less

Title: Interview with Chaz Evans: Photos
Creator: Deanda, Michael
Date: 2014-11-14, 2014-11-14
Description: Chaz Evans is the curator of the Video Game Art Gallery (VGA Gallery), a traveling exhibit established in 2013 that displays pieces of art...
Show moreChaz Evans is the curator of the Video Game Art Gallery (VGA Gallery), a traveling exhibit established in 2013 that displays pieces of art from video games. VGA Gallery’s co-directors, Jonathan Kinkley and Chaz Evans, have a deep passion for sharing these artifacts that provide audiences an invitation to enter into discourse surrounding video games through the presentation of art from or inspired by the game. Evans works closely with the designers of the video games featured in the exhibit to ensure that the art pieces they include reflect the designers’ vision of the game. In the time that they have been displaying their exhibit at different events in Chicago, such as Bit Bash, ACTIVATE, Multiples Art Fair, and INTERPLAY Chicago, Evans says that their gallery has been met with much admiration and curiosity from both gamers and non-gamers. Through the process of curating games, he argues that archives and exhibits not only tell a history of video games, but also contribute to the current and ongoing story of video games and provide instances for further discourse and analysis in understanding the video games media. He describes his future aspiration for VGA Gallery to include installations in interactive spaces that contain playable demos of the games alongside the artwork that together provide a threshold for people to experience and appreciate the game.
Show less

Title: Interview with Thomas Glenn: photos
Creator: Thai, Christopher, Zhong, Franklin
Date: 2015, 2015

Title: Experimental Design and Analysis data files
Date: 2018-07-11
Description: Data files for use with the Experimental Design and Analysis textbook.

Title: Interview with Jim Zespy: Photos
Creator: Barker, Thomas, Mei, Wei Shao, Elgin, Tobias, Mayorga, Ariana, Moy, Brian
Date: 2014-11-21, 2014-11-21
Description: Logan Arcade is a new arcade-bar that opened just February 2014. It features over twenty-five pinball machines and forty-five vintage arcade...
Show moreLogan Arcade is a new arcade-bar that opened just February 2014. It features over twenty-five pinball machines and forty-five vintage arcade-games. Owner Jim Zespy collects and restores arcade games, including those in the arcade. His collection started in 2009; he seeks out games from the mid-1970s through the present. He often buys broken arcade machines and fixes them. Any machine that couldn't be fixed is as spare parts to maintenance other arcade machines. Zespy chooses games to be placed in the arcade based on the games’ popularity with the general public. He first balanced all different eras, and placed different kinds of games to try to have a balance. Afterward he watched to see which games people gravitated to, then took out the games people didn't like and placed more popular games. Zespy’s daily concern is the maintenance of the arcade machines. Logan Arcade has its own Local Pinball League, for which the game changes every week. While the league has scoring, and there is some competition, it's meant to encourage participants to play different games, get to know them, and get to know other people. Some players have made major records in the Logan Arcade. These records are on games including Nibbler, Tron Ice Score, and Tetris.
Show less

Title: Interview with Daniel Bishop: photos
Creator: Armas, Cesar, Parnell, Tesoro, Nguyen, Minh, Scroggins, Colt
Date: 2015, 2015
Description: Mr. David L. Bishop is the Vice President of Namco USA, and works at Level 257 in Schaumberg, Illinois. Growing up working in an arcade as a...
Show moreMr. David L. Bishop is the Vice President of Namco USA, and works at Level 257 in Schaumberg, Illinois. Growing up working in an arcade as a teen, he instantly fell in love with video games. Defender was the game that sparked his interest in the industry and from that point on the rest of his life would be intertwined with the coin-op industry. In college he studied as an electrical engineer, and was later hired by Atari. He then moved to Namco USA and worked his way up the ranks to Vice President. His role at Namco is exploring how to expand beyond home entertainment in the future, in order to create social and meaningful experiences between people and games. He strives to make playing games more accessible, not necessarily a “pay for play” anymore. This would change the term “coin-op” as the future holds a different form of payment. He believes that using gaming as an “element” in unison with other elements can create a much more meaningful and satisfying experience. Studio 257 is a modern style restaurant that encompasses his idea of using games as an element. It includes a full hall of games, but it also features HD televisions, open bars, bowling lanes, and family style sit downs. Games are not the center of attention here at Level 257. Instead, they serve as a compliment to the overall experience. In this way, Bishop paves the way for those who haven’t played video games in years to be able to enjoy them again. They do not feel like they’re forced, rather the games are there, and since the option presents itself, they are more likely inclined to add that to their experience. Mr. Bishop offers some very valuable insight into the coin-op industry and its change in culture, technology, and audience. In terms of culture, the past seemed to have demonstrated video games as poison to the youth. At one point in his life, Mr. Bishop was representing the coin-op chains of America. He, himself often felt like a “poster-child” growing up, since there were many active protest and lawsuits against violent video games. He notes that regardless of the bad publicity, it drove sales. Video game popularity skyrockets when it generates controversy. This is present in modern day games as well but not to such a large extent. Games gave gravitated towards more violence; however the response has never been more accepting. He stresses how games are an art form, and how they can be, and should be appreciated. They are an integral part of his life, and he hopes that they remain an integral part of everyone’s life moving forward.
Show less

Title: Interview with Jason Cambers: Archive
Creator: Ochwat, Jacob, Kupiec, Lukasz, Hernandez, Yasmeen, Zasadzki, Weronika, Castaneda, Luis
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-16
Description: At a young age, Jason Camberis was always intrigued by Video games. He would go to his local corner store just to play on the arcade that the...
Show moreAt a young age, Jason Camberis was always intrigued by Video games. He would go to his local corner store just to play on the arcade that the store provided. One thing that he remembered from that childhood experience was that the cabinet was rather large for his small stature. Using that as a form of motivation, years later he pursues a project that would later win him a Guinness World Record for the largest Arcade machine cabinet ever created. Gaming was a big part of his life growing up and he found this hobby rather addicting. He described himself as a hands-on type of guy who would teach himself rather than have someone else teach him. One game that he described as his favorite was the sea devil submarine game that was in his local 7- Eleven. He described himself at the time very short and having to reach for the joystick to even can play the game. At an astounding 14 feet tall and 6 feet wide, the Largest Arcade Machine Produced, or what Jason just likes to call LAMP, can play a variety of games ranging from classic arcade games, Xbox games, PlayStation games, and even PC Games. The LAMP took approximately 2 years for him to complete. His motivation for building the biggest arcade ever came from seeing the previous record and believing that he could do better. His mindset was always an optimistic and innovative. He believes that there is always a best way to do something and that even better ways will come. Jason’s hobby fortunately for him turned into his career. Jason’s goal for designing the largest arcade machine was to make everyone feel like a kid again and be in equal terms. For everyone to remember when they were younger and they had to reach to be able to move the joy stick and press the buttons on the cabinet. He also wanted people to come together and play. With all the negative news that he had been seeing in the passing years he wanted to make something that would make the people smile again. Currently Jason is creating home arcade systems while also enjoying other jobs such as working on houses, working on cars, working on computers. He also works with security systems and cameras. All around well rounded in anything technology related.
Show less

Title: Interview with Sheri Rubin: Archive
Creator: Dammeier, Cole, Riley, Chris, Aynessazian, Jacob, Zaveri, Raj, Ludwig, Wes
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-21
Description: Sheri Rubin was a quality assurance tester for Intelligent Technologies. As a tester, she would play the games for hours searching for odd...
Show moreSheri Rubin was a quality assurance tester for Intelligent Technologies. As a tester, she would play the games for hours searching for odd glitches and such. She played a major role in the development of some of the biggest games from the company, such as Big Buck Hunter and Golden Tee series. She got into the industry through volunteering at a card game company. Using this experience, she became interested in her friend’s work at Incredible Technologies. After finding a few flaws, her friend started asking her to try specific things. After a time, she was hired by the company as a quality assurance tester. She was eventually promoted to product support administrator, which included running the online tournament and managing the quality assurance testers. She later worked for High Voltage Software, where she helped develop and design games. She then started her own company, Design Direct Deliver. The company helps people with job searching and personal branding. She is still very active in the video game industry, spending time helping other game developers and volunteering for many organizations. She has been a member of the International Game Designer Association since 1999. She has been secretary in the past and was a board member from 2012 to 2014. She uses her status in the industry to support women in the field by leading special interest groups, or SIGs, such as Women in Games. She has spoken many times at Girls Who Code, a group that introduces women to computer coding. Additionally, she has volunteered for the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts. Sheri Rubin hopes that in the future, game developers learn to respect the coin-op industry, and learn from the mistakes she made. She feels that, too often, developers make the same mistakes others have made in the past. She also wants to inspire a new generation of game developers who continue making games. She wants to see more diversity in the video game industry, and works hard to make women accepted in the industry.
Show less

Title: Interview with George Spanos: Photos
Creator: Farrell, Taylor, Glavan, Thomas, Grzenia, Stephen, Wira, Phil, Zhang, Shuyu
Date: 2014-12-09, 2014-12-09
Description: George Spanos is a game technician living in Schaumburg, Illinois. He works freelance around the Chicago suburbs at arcades and warehouses...
Show moreGeorge Spanos is a game technician living in Schaumburg, Illinois. He works freelance around the Chicago suburbs at arcades and warehouses fixing whatever machines and cabinets are sent his way. Spanos’s first memories of arcade machines are from playing Qbert at the age of four in his grandparents’ grocery store. Years later, the entire grocery store was converted to a game room. It was during this time that George learned to repair the various games his grandparents had acquired. After going to college, he returned to help run the establishment, and eventually moved from an operator to the freelance work he does today. In this interview, Spanos speaks about his personal background, the specifics of his work, and his thoughts of the future of the coin op industry. The interview starts with him discussing his early childhood involvement with coin-op and how he was raised in this environment. This went onto his early adulthood working for his grandparents at their own game room and the eventual transition into freelance work. Spanos believes that a number of arcades are currently setting a positive trend for the industry to grow as a whole.
Show less

Title: Interview with Terry Minnich and Jeff Lee: Photos
Creator: Mynes, Jordan, Torres, Fulgencio, Nunez, Sylvia, Badasyan, Zhanna, Wohn, Jared
Date: 2015-10-13, 2015-10-13
Description: For our oral history project, we interviewed Jeff Lee, and Terry Minnich who is also known as Trickman Terry. Jeff Lee was an artist that...
Show moreFor our oral history project, we interviewed Jeff Lee, and Terry Minnich who is also known as Trickman Terry. Jeff Lee was an artist that made artwork for QBert, Exterminator, and as well as other freelancing work. Terry Minnich was an editor for a magazine called Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine where he was an editor for the Tips and Tricks section where he would review tricks submitted from fans and publish them in EGM. Terry had a fairly large collection of arcade games in his basement which is where the interview took place. Both of these men were passionate about their job and were very knowledgeable in the video game industry. Terry Minnich worked many years as an editor for EGM, specifically the Tricks and Tips section. He would receive letters from fans, receive information overseas from Japan, or play the games himself with his team to try to obtain tricks, cheats, glitches or bugs, and other information needed to make the games more enjoyable. Terry was also an avid collector who obtained and maintained a collection of arcade machines in his basement and was well informed in the hardware aspect of the history. Jeff Lee, the second person interviewed, was an artist who was a fan of video games, specifically at the bar scene where he would enjoy a few drinks along with playing Pinball or Armour Attack before he got into the game industry in a more serious manner. He coincidently began working at Gottlieb and Co.as an artist where he made the artwork for Qbert1, 2, and 3. Then him and a fellow partner from Qbertwere contracted to do some artistry work on a few games like Exterminator. After he finished his artwork for QBert, he did some freelancing, and did some art and design work for the games Double GsandLotto Fun as well as another piece for the companyCredible Technologies. Terry Minnich, as part of his job as an editor, knew a lot about the Konami Code, which is a special combination of buttons the player can hit which will enable special abilities or extra lives. He mentioned the Konami Code as one of the first major cheat codes as it was used in many games such as Gradius, Contra, Dance Dance Revolution,and other games. The Konami code was interesting to look at because it is something about the history that you can not find by looking at the game itself; you have to talk to the players and fans of the games to learn about. Jeff Lee was a major designer of Q*bert,a puzzle game where players had to make each color of a block on a pyramid the same color. This game was hugely popular and is considered to be a classic from its time period. Lee had significant contributions on the project including character design, using the pyramid shape as a game, and the “@!#?@!” that the playable character would say in speech bubble. Minnich and Lee both had major impacts in the first generation of video games however from different positions. Lee was a creator and was part of the first hand industry while Minnich was part of the second hand industry that helped publicize the games and create the community of gamers that is around today. It is interesting to look at the multiple levels of the video game industry as there are many aspects to it like designing, manufacturing, retailing, the media scene, and the competition aspect.
Show less

Title: 2008 Chicago Regional Bridge Building Contest
Date: 2010-08-09T14:57:28Z, 2008

repository.iit

Search the repository

Pages

Pages