Info: TooManyGames.com, BlipFestival.org
Who says the West Coast has all the fun? Sure, they might have PAX Prime and E3, but we’re not exactly lacking. If anything, the East Coast is thriving with video game/nerd culture events. We have PAX East in Boston, the New York Comic Con and a number of smaller shows, such as MAGFest, Blip Festival and, the most recent, TooManyGames in Oaks, Pa., near Philadelphia.
If I had to name my favorite part of the TooManyGames event, which took place from May 6-8, I’d have to say it was the marketplace. Even if I hadn’t bought anything, it was the experience of walking through that space, seeing the mass of classic, rare and truly obscure gaming hardware available for purchase that I relished most of all. They had things I hadn’t seen in decades, things I’d only ever read about and things I didn’t even know existed. Even weeks later, it’s all I think about. I wanted everything I saw there.
Beyond that, there were tables and booths set up for artists, musicians, developers and more to show off their wares. A man who makes poster prints out of world maps and levels from NES/SNES games, another who makes sculptures from broken controllers and other gaming hardware, people doing all kinds of crafts and creating artwork based on video games with references to some of the most beloved characters and franchises of all time. The things people are doing and creating based on the culture of video games is absolutely mind-blowing, and it all gets celebrated here at this event.
I also had a chance to meet with a number of developers making video games for various platforms, from PC to iOS, and even obsolete platforms, such as the NES and Atari 2600. Indeed, in the hands of these creative minds, no system is ever truly dead.
Past the marketplace was a massive LAN that had been set up for PC gamers, a row of tables for classic console gamers and even a modern console area. Further back was the bar, where bands and musicians were setting up to perform their work. Video game music remixers, chiptune producers and “nerdcore” hip-hop artists performed all day long. I met with many talented individuals, many of whom reside in the Philadelphia region.
TooManyGames isn’t exactly the Penny Arcade Expo, and the number of attendees is also much smaller, but the close-knit community makes a big difference. It’s much easier to mingle and meet new people with the same interests as you. I saw a lot of old friends who I’ve met at other events, and it’s always a blast to hang out, play some games and listen to great music with other people who appreciate these things.
Even if you missed TooManyGames this year, there are plenty of other events going on, like Blip Festival, which takes place in New York City May 19-21. Blip Festival takes the science of hacking hardware to produce new visuals and music and turns it into performance art. If you love remixed video game music and the sounds of old gaming hardware mixed in with modern beats and styles, you should definitely be there.
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