California Extreme Speaker Schedule
California Extreme
to announce the speaker schedule for the show.
4:00 PM & 7:00 PM Saturday, 12:00 Noon Sunday "How to Play Pinball" -
Clinic with pinball champs Bowen Kerins and Jim Belsito. Learn the
tricks and techniques - straight from the wizards themselves! Note,
these seminars will be held in the lobby!
Throughout the show, the Wild West Pinball Rodeo. Dann Frank and the
Pinball Rodeo will once again make an appearance at California Extreme.
Try out some of the zany, modified machines to see how you do! Can
you flip your flippers with your feet? Can you do Tag Team Pinball?
There's only one way to find out!
Noon Saturday
The Making of Robotron - Eugene Jarvis
Eugene Jarvis is well-known to classic video arcade gamers as part of
the "Vid Kidz" team who developed some of the most popular arcade games
of all time, including ever-popular favorites such as Defender,
Robotron, and the Cruis'n driving series. He has also had a hand in
software and sound development for such classic pinballs as High Speed,
F-14 Tomcat, and Firepower. Eugene continues to be very active in the
arcade field creating many modern games including Target Terror and The
Fast and the Furious as part of his own studio, Raw Thrills, Inc.
We will be treated to the inside story of The Making of Robotron, tales
from the video game industry from its fledgling beginnings to the
present.
1:00 PM Saturday
Atari Panel - Al Alcorn, Eugene Jarvis, Steve Ritchie, Ed Rotberg, Owen
Rubin
Legends of the pinball and video game industry meet up in what is sure
to be a lively discussion. These are the people who have created the
games we all love - hear them discuss the stories behind the creation
of those games.
2:30 PM Saturday
The return of Video Game Expert Panel!
Join a panel of classic video game experts as they offer a variety of
tips, tricks, and strategies on some of your favorite video games.
These guys have been playing the classics and honing their skills for
over 2 decades now. Several classics will be discussed including
Tempest, Centipede, Frogger, Moon Patrol, Pengo, Indiana Jones, and
even some not as well-known (but still fun) classics such Tutankham and
The Glob. What secrets might they reveal to help you improve your
scores? Join them to find out!
4:00 PM Saturday
Artists Group - Jean Baudin, Ed Cassell, Dan Fontes, and Kevin Tiell
Arcades, their environment, and the games they contain have been a big
influence on popular culture. See and hear how these artists have
taken that influence and turned it into expression of their own.
Jean Baudin has created bass guitars with arcade inspired looks, and
developed a distinctive style of playing to express melodies from the
arcade as well as original music. You won't believe what Jean can make
the bass do!
Ed Cassell and Dan Fontes have created murals for
Playland-Not-at-the-Beach and other public places - not to mention the
amazing pinball floor at the former For Amusement Only in Berkeley.
Hear about the process of creating a mural that meets the needs of the
location and how the artist expresses that need.
Kevin Tiell has developed a series of pinball-eye-view photographs that
show a side of the game you may have never considered. He will be
discussing his approach to making these beautiful photographs.
5:00 PM Saturday
"Playland-Not-at-the-Beach" - Richard Tuck
Several decades ago California had a bevy of seaside amusement parks
stretching from San Diego to San Francisco. Today only the Santa Cruz
Beach Boardwalk exists. The most beloved park in Northern California
was Whitney's Playland at the Beach which lasted from 1928 to 1972.
This year a non-profit family fun center / museum is opening in the Bay
Area commemorating all the bygone amusement centers of the past.
Titled Playland-Not-at-the-Beach, the museum features memorabilia and
attractions from Playland as well as Sutro's Baths and the Cliff House
(which were also owned by the Whitney family). Highlights of this
family fun center / museum are Circus World (featuring the West Coast's
largest hand-carved miniature circus), Santa's Village (commemorating
another defunct Northern California park), Dark Mystery (celebrating
spooky dark rides), a Penny Arcade, a large pinball arcade with classic
and modern machines, the Carousel Carnival (win a stuffed animal!), and
two Laughing Sals, two 2-headed babies and the world's only 4000-year
old farting mummy! Admission to this amazing place will be free, and
all the games are set on free play. In this presentation the Master of
Fun Richard Tuck will give us a behind-the-scenes tour of what's to
come.
6:00 PM Saturday
"The Future of Pinball" Documentary: Meet the Director Greg Maletic and
Greg Dunlap
In 1998 pinball was dying, thanks to a saturated market and shrinking
player base. Williams, the world's largest pinball manufacturer, was
considering abandoning the game in favor of the more lucrative video
slot machine business. "The Future of Pinball" is a documentary that
tells the story of "Pinball 2000," a clever attempt at resuscitating
pinball that failed just at the moment a lot of people thought it might
succeed. A "Soul of a New Machine" for the pinball world, "The Future
of Pinball" is a compendium of interviews with legends of the pinball
industry, photos, and films of the best games the industry has
produced.
It's a story about personality and passion, of bold success dizzyingly
followed by stunning failure.
Come meet the Director of "The Future of Pinball", Greg Maletic, where
he'll show clips, discuss the making of the film and the release of the
upcoming DVD. Former Williams employee and pinball software designer
Greg Dunlap is expected to also be on-hand to tell his story of the
demise of pinball at Williams.
9:00 PM Saturday
"Mechanical Monsters" - Ken and TJ
Get a peek at the guts of some of the odd mechanical machines at the
show to see what makes 'em tick, click, buzz, bang, sing, and clang.
If you have a machine you would like to open up and discuss, let us
know and we'll be happy to include your knowledge in the presentation.
Meet up in the lobby to join this group.
2:30 PM Sunday
"Atari Film Festival" - Scott Evans.
The Atari Film Festival returns with fresh footage unearthed from the
archives featuring some great commercials, game test footage, and the
height of fashion sensibilities!
For more information, please see our website at www.caextreme.org. This
schedule is subject to change without notice.
The Extreme Team
The opinions and views expressed by the speakers are solely those of
the speakers and are not necessarily the opinions of California
Extreme.
California Extreme expressly disclaims any knowledge of the opinions
expressed in the presentations.