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Creator: Mcnamar, Sydney, Hernandez, Christopher, Nguyen, Michael, Takiddeen, Yasser, Garcia, Jonathan

Title: Interview with Chris Dammacco: 1_Audio Transcription
Creator: Mcnamar, Sydney, Hernandez, Christopher, Nguyen, Michael, Takiddeen, Yasser, Garcia, Jonathan
Date: 2015-10-02, 2015-10-02
Description: Chris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the...
Show moreChris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the poor treatment of his customers; the owner’s response was “If you don’t like the way I do things, then why don’t you start your own shop”, and that’s exactly what he did. Dammacco founded Windy Gaming officially in January of 2015, but first invested in the idea in September of 2012. Windy Gaming specializes in import games, specifically from Japan. He mostly runs the business by himself; the only help he gets is a mechanical engineer that comes in once a week to repair games and two unpaid college students who assist him during convention weekends. The majority of his inventory is games from the late 80s and early 90s because this is the era that Dammacco finds most intriguing. Windy Gaming attends several gaming conventions a year, the favorite being the Midwestern Gaming Convention. At Windy Gaming’s first year at this convention, they only had two eight-foot tables; this past year they had grown so much as to be able to purchase a private room. Dammacco was able to meet many famous internet personalities and players through these conventions some of which included James Rolfe and the hosts of the “Sat Guys” YouTube channel. These two to three day conventions can bring in as much as five figures according to Dammacco and make up a majority of his sales. Dammacco’s friendly treatment of the buyers has created a league of loyal customers that will follow go so far as to follow to him to conventions. Each product he sends out comes with a hand written, personalized note from Dammacco expressing gratitude for their purchase. Dammacco will facetime, skype, email, tweet, Facebook message, call, and the like if the customer wants a deeper understanding of the product or inventory as a whole. The most unique thing about Windy Gaming is that despite sales being entirely online, Dammacco strives to make himself known so the customer is aware that it is a man they are making deals with, not a soulless computer screen. He also makes an effort to keep prices as low as possible in order to cater to the player so they can enjoy the experience of the game without the guilt of overpriced items. Dammacco feels the poor treatment of the players and customers in this industry will be its eventual downfall because the overpriced, never to be played games that certain vendors are selling are not true to the real meaning of a video games. Games are a hobby meant to be enjoyed by those who love to play. His efforts at creating a standard for pricing and customer interaction are making an impact on the gaming industry. The amount of growth that Windy Gaming has produced in such a short time is truly amazing and serves as a commentary on the success of the modern video industry. Prospects are high for Chris Dammacco’s Windy Gaming as well as the gaming industry as a whole.
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Title: Interview with Chris Dammacco
Creator: Mcnamar, Sydney, Hernandez, Christopher, Nguyen, Michael, Takiddeen, Yasser, Garcia, Jonathan
Date: 2015-10-02, 2015-10-02
Description: Chris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the...
Show moreChris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the poor treatment of his customers; the owner’s response was “If you don’t like the way I do things, then why don’t you start your own shop”, and that’s exactly what he did. Dammacco founded Windy Gaming officially in January of 2015, but first invested in the idea in September of 2012. Windy Gaming specializes in import games, specifically from Japan. He mostly runs the business by himself; the only help he gets is a mechanical engineer that comes in once a week to repair games and two unpaid college students who assist him during convention weekends. The majority of his inventory is games from the late 80s and early 90s because this is the era that Dammacco finds most intriguing. Windy Gaming attends several gaming conventions a year, the favorite being the Midwestern Gaming Convention. At Windy Gaming’s first year at this convention, they only had two eight-foot tables; this past year they had grown so much as to be able to purchase a private room. Dammacco was able to meet many famous internet personalities and players through these conventions some of which included James Rolfe and the hosts of the “Sat Guys” YouTube channel. These two to three day conventions can bring in as much as five figures according to Dammacco and make up a majority of his sales. Dammacco’s friendly treatment of the buyers has created a league of loyal customers that will follow go so far as to follow to him to conventions. Each product he sends out comes with a hand written, personalized note from Dammacco expressing gratitude for their purchase. Dammacco will facetime, skype, email, tweet, Facebook message, call, and the like if the customer wants a deeper understanding of the product or inventory as a whole. The most unique thing about Windy Gaming is that despite sales being entirely online, Dammacco strives to make himself known so the customer is aware that it is a man they are making deals with, not a soulless computer screen. He also makes an effort to keep prices as low as possible in order to cater to the player so they can enjoy the experience of the game without the guilt of overpriced items. Dammacco feels the poor treatment of the players and customers in this industry will be its eventual downfall because the overpriced, never to be played games that certain vendors are selling are not true to the real meaning of a video games. Games are a hobby meant to be enjoyed by those who love to play. His efforts at creating a standard for pricing and customer interaction are making an impact on the gaming industry. The amount of growth that Windy Gaming has produced in such a short time is truly amazing and serves as a commentary on the success of the modern video industry. Prospects are high for Chris Dammacco’s Windy Gaming as well as the gaming industry as a whole.
Show less

Title: Interview with Chris Dammacco: Audio Transcription
Creator: Mcnamar, Sydney, Hernandez, Christopher, Nguyen, Michael, Takiddeen, Yasser, Garcia, Jonathan
Date: 2015-10-02, 2015-10-02
Description: Chris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the...
Show moreChris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the poor treatment of his customers; the owner’s response was “If you don’t like the way I do things, then why don’t you start your own shop”, and that’s exactly what he did. Dammacco founded Windy Gaming officially in January of 2015, but first invested in the idea in September of 2012. Windy Gaming specializes in import games, specifically from Japan. He mostly runs the business by himself; the only help he gets is a mechanical engineer that comes in once a week to repair games and two unpaid college students who assist him during convention weekends. The majority of his inventory is games from the late 80s and early 90s because this is the era that Dammacco finds most intriguing. Windy Gaming attends several gaming conventions a year, the favorite being the Midwestern Gaming Convention. At Windy Gaming’s first year at this convention, they only had two eight-foot tables; this past year they had grown so much as to be able to purchase a private room. Dammacco was able to meet many famous internet personalities and players through these conventions some of which included James Rolfe and the hosts of the “Sat Guys” YouTube channel. These two to three day conventions can bring in as much as five figures according to Dammacco and make up a majority of his sales. Dammacco’s friendly treatment of the buyers has created a league of loyal customers that will follow go so far as to follow to him to conventions. Each product he sends out comes with a hand written, personalized note from Dammacco expressing gratitude for their purchase. Dammacco will facetime, skype, email, tweet, Facebook message, call, and the like if the customer wants a deeper understanding of the product or inventory as a whole. The most unique thing about Windy Gaming is that despite sales being entirely online, Dammacco strives to make himself known so the customer is aware that it is a man they are making deals with, not a soulless computer screen. He also makes an effort to keep prices as low as possible in order to cater to the player so they can enjoy the experience of the game without the guilt of overpriced items. Dammacco feels the poor treatment of the players and customers in this industry will be its eventual downfall because the overpriced, never to be played games that certain vendors are selling are not true to the real meaning of a video games. Games are a hobby meant to be enjoyed by those who love to play. His efforts at creating a standard for pricing and customer interaction are making an impact on the gaming industry. The amount of growth that Windy Gaming has produced in such a short time is truly amazing and serves as a commentary on the success of the modern video industry. Prospects are high for Chris Dammacco’s Windy Gaming as well as the gaming industry as a whole.
Show less

Title: Interview with Chris Dammacco: Raw Audio Recording
Creator: Mcnamar, Sydney, Hernandez, Christopher, Nguyen, Michael, Takiddeen, Yasser, Garcia, Jonathan
Date: 2015-10-02, 2015-10-02
Description: Chris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the...
Show moreChris Dammacco began as a cheese broker for the majority of Midwestern states until one day he confronted a video game shop owner about the poor treatment of his customers; the owner’s response was “If you don’t like the way I do things, then why don’t you start your own shop”, and that’s exactly what he did. Dammacco founded Windy Gaming officially in January of 2015, but first invested in the idea in September of 2012. Windy Gaming specializes in import games, specifically from Japan. He mostly runs the business by himself; the only help he gets is a mechanical engineer that comes in once a week to repair games and two unpaid college students who assist him during convention weekends. The majority of his inventory is games from the late 80s and early 90s because this is the era that Dammacco finds most intriguing. Windy Gaming attends several gaming conventions a year, the favorite being the Midwestern Gaming Convention. At Windy Gaming’s first year at this convention, they only had two eight-foot tables; this past year they had grown so much as to be able to purchase a private room. Dammacco was able to meet many famous internet personalities and players through these conventions some of which included James Rolfe and the hosts of the “Sat Guys” YouTube channel. These two to three day conventions can bring in as much as five figures according to Dammacco and make up a majority of his sales. Dammacco’s friendly treatment of the buyers has created a league of loyal customers that will follow go so far as to follow to him to conventions. Each product he sends out comes with a hand written, personalized note from Dammacco expressing gratitude for their purchase. Dammacco will facetime, skype, email, tweet, Facebook message, call, and the like if the customer wants a deeper understanding of the product or inventory as a whole. The most unique thing about Windy Gaming is that despite sales being entirely online, Dammacco strives to make himself known so the customer is aware that it is a man they are making deals with, not a soulless computer screen. He also makes an effort to keep prices as low as possible in order to cater to the player so they can enjoy the experience of the game without the guilt of overpriced items. Dammacco feels the poor treatment of the players and customers in this industry will be its eventual downfall because the overpriced, never to be played games that certain vendors are selling are not true to the real meaning of a video games. Games are a hobby meant to be enjoyed by those who love to play. His efforts at creating a standard for pricing and customer interaction are making an impact on the gaming industry. The amount of growth that Windy Gaming has produced in such a short time is truly amazing and serves as a commentary on the success of the modern video industry. Prospects are high for Chris Dammacco’s Windy Gaming as well as the gaming industry as a whole.
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 Chaz Evans
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 Chaz Evans: R05_0005
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

Creator: Bahena, Analy, Maciano Ii, Peter, Sense, Braden, Huff, Le Jalen, Oluduro, Olumide

Title: Interview with Doc Mack
Creator: Bahena, Analy, Maciano Ii, Peter, Sense, Braden, Huff, Le Jalen, Oluduro, Olumide
Date: 2014-12-08, 2014-12-08
Description: Asked about what he thinks of competition in the video game industry, Doc Mack says, “It's never a competition. It's video games. It should...
Show moreAsked about what he thinks of competition in the video game industry, Doc Mack says, “It's never a competition. It's video games. It should all be fun.” Doc Mack is the owner of Galloping Ghost, which currently holds the title of the largest arcade in the world, housing more than 435 games. Mack Continues to grow the arcade’s collection. From a young age, Mack knew he belonged in the video game industry, and commenced Galloping Ghost initially with only a few of his personal games. He gradually, but continuously increased his collection. Now, he spends about two hours daily in search for new releases, high demand games, or just something new he thinks gamers would enjoy. Galloping Ghost consists of two joined buildings, three big rooms, with plans to integrate a second floor addition. Galloping Ghost Productions (Doc Mack’s arcade crew) will release their first original arcade game early 2015. The arcade operates as a successful free-play, coinless business. People travel around the world to play in his arcade. Mack’s greatest interest is maintaining all games in his possession in working condition -- in part because he knows any game in his collection could be someone’s favorite. Doc Mack’s mission is to share his data with other arcades to help the industry continue expanding and flourishing.
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 George Spanos
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 Doc Mack: Interview_Clean
Creator: Bahena, Analy, Maciano Ii, Peter, Sense, Braden, Huff, Le Jalen, Oluduro, Olumide
Date: 2014-12-08, 2014-12-08
Description: Asked about what he thinks of competition in the video game industry, Doc Mack says, “It's never a competition. It's video games. It should...
Show moreAsked about what he thinks of competition in the video game industry, Doc Mack says, “It's never a competition. It's video games. It should all be fun.” Doc Mack is the owner of Galloping Ghost, which currently holds the title of the largest arcade in the world, housing more than 435 games. Mack Continues to grow the arcade’s collection. From a young age, Mack knew he belonged in the video game industry, and commenced Galloping Ghost initially with only a few of his personal games. He gradually, but continuously increased his collection. Now, he spends about two hours daily in search for new releases, high demand games, or just something new he thinks gamers would enjoy. Galloping Ghost consists of two joined buildings, three big rooms, with plans to integrate a second floor addition. Galloping Ghost Productions (Doc Mack’s arcade crew) will release their first original arcade game early 2015. The arcade operates as a successful free-play, coinless business. People travel around the world to play in his arcade. Mack’s greatest interest is maintaining all games in his possession in working condition -- in part because he knows any game in his collection could be someone’s favorite. Doc Mack’s mission is to share his data with other arcades to help the industry continue expanding and flourishing.
Show less

Creator: Bahena, Analy, Maciano Ii, Peter, Sense, Braden, Huff, Le Jalen, Oluduro, Olumide

Title: Interview with Chaz Evans: R05_0004
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 Whitney Roberts: Interview
Creator: Best, Elizabeth, Czibor, Ryne, Shavers, Jeremiah, Wall, Alex, Daniel, Wente
Date: 2014-11-21, 2014-11-21
Description: The history of the video game industry is filled with many people and events that helped develop and design how video games are currently...
Show moreThe history of the video game industry is filled with many people and events that helped develop and design how video games are currently accessed and perceived. As with all things however, this history tends to be swept away through time, and the pillars that helped forge this industry slowly fade into nothingness. While the general populace is content to let this natural erosion occur, a passionate few dare to resist the degradation of what they love. They do this, not for fame or glory, but to preserve what they can of the phenomena that not only touched, but defined the lives of so many of us today. One such guardian of the history of video games is Whitney Roberts. Whitney Roberts a prime guardian with multiple ties to the coin-op industry, even in Chicago. Whitney hails from Louisville, Kentucky, and he collects, plays, and runs his own podcast. Whitney collects all sorts of coin-operated games, even some rare games such as the Red Donkey Kong. He does this partially out of his love for these machines, but also to help preserve these games as well as the arcade experience for future generations to enjoy. Whitney is an advocate for arcades and thinks everyone should experience the atmosphere of an arcade. One of his favorite arcades is the Logan Arcade. In addition to collecting, Whitney Roberts runs BrokenToken, a podcast that he does as a hobby. The podcast is Whitney’s way of informing people of the important work he is undertaking, yet still trying to keep an audience by putting a southern spin on the coin-op industry.
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Title: Interview with George Spanos: Interview Part 2
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