Game Gallery Amusements

May 6-July 16, 2006: Tilt! The Art of Pinball at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. This exhibition is in the main gallery of the Mitchell Museum. In addition to charting the history of pinball through the display of forty to fifty machines from the 1930s until the present, the show will also feature original paintings and drawings by some of today's masters of pinball art, including John Youssi, Brian Rood, and others. The museum will host a preview of the exhibition on 6 May 2006, starting at 6:30 pm. Earlier that same day, at 3:00 pm, collectors, players, and anyone interested in pinball should plan to attend a roundtable discussion about the past, present and future of pinball. That informal conversation will feature such notable panelists as John Youssi, Dennis Nordman, Rich Grant, Rob Craig, and Brian Rood. Admission to both of these events and to all the exhibitions at Cedarhurst is free. If you have any questions, please visit the website, contact Kevin Sharp, director of visual arts at Cedarhurst, or David Gilmore, guest curator, or call 618.242.1236.
June 3-4, 2006: Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Located 30 minutes west of downtown Milwaukee in the Olympia Resort and Conference Center. This show is a combination of pinball, video games, classic gaming (Sega Deamcast, Ninteno 64, Atari, etc.), and computers all rolled into one show. Bring a video game or pinball set on free play and not for sale, and you get free admission. If you spend a night at the resort hotel, they will give you a free admission ticket to the show. They are hoping to run some tournments this year. For more information visit the web site.
June 3, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.
June 9-11, 2006: KC Flipfest at KCI EXPO Center, 1730 North Ambassador Drive in Kansas City, Missouri. This is the 1st Annual Kansas City Flipfest. Located 2 miles from Kansas City International Airport. Show runs from Friday at 5:00 pm to 12:00 midnight, Sat. 9:00 am to 12:00 midnight, and Sun. 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. There will be pinball machines and video games (all free to play), guest speakers, seminars, tournaments awarding trophies (proceeds going to Salvation Army), and an indoor swap meet on Saturday morning. Refreshments and food available all weekend long. Also a live radio broadcast on Saturday. Venders selling parts and supplies. T-shirts available. Admission for adults--weekend pass $30.00 in advance, $35.00 at the door; one day ticket (Friday or Saturday) $15.00; one day ticket (Sunday) $7.00; children (ages 5-12)--weekend pass $20.00 in advance, $25.00 at the door; one day ticket (Friday or Saturday) $10.00; one day ticket Sunday $5.00. For more info call 816.781.8919.July 1, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.
July 8-9, 2006: California Extreme, at the San Jose Convention Center/Parkside Hall in San Jose, California. This will be the tenth year of the show. This is a video game and pinball show. All games on freeplay. Buy/Sell/Swap/Compete. Also, there will be a lineup of speakers and special activities such as the Pinball Rodeo. For more information call (408) 390-PINS (7467), send email, or visit the website.
July 22-23, 2006: The UK Pinball Show at Holte Suite, Villa Park (Aston Villa Football Club) in Birmingham, United Kingdom. This Nokia-sponsored show is returning to Villa Park, Birmingham, UK for the second year running. Pinball machines to play & buy. Competitions, loads of Nokia and pinball prizes. Home games-room equipment, parts, memorabilia, arcades, jukeboxes and more. Daily entrance £7.50, family tickets and weekend passes also available. Call 0870 PINBALL, visit the website, or send email.
July 28-30, 2006: Pinball Fantasy 2006 at the Union Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was moved temporarily to The Pinball Hall of Fame, but is now back on at the Union Plaza Hotel. Over 10,000 square feet of game and booths. There will be dealers from all over the USA. Largest collection of pinballs to play for free all weekend long. 1st ever retro pinball will be introduced at the show along with rare prototype games. Buffet food and drinks on-site. On-site shipping available. Tournaments and prizes as well. For more info visit the website.
August 5, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.August 5, 2006: Classic Pinball Coin Op Swap and Sale, at the Wayne Elks Lodge, 50 Hinchman Ave., Wayne, New Jersey. For more information contact Kevin by email or call (973) 345-3944.
August 17-20, 2006: PAPA 9: World Pinball Championships, in Scott Township, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is the leading competitive pinball event in the world. Players of all skill levels are welcome. There will be several divisions of play and a guaranteed prize package in excess of $33,000. The new World Pinball Champion will receive a cash prize of $10,000. Pre-registration is encouraged. For more information and registration, visit the website or contact Kevin Martin.
September 2, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.
September 29-30, 2006: The Pinball & Arcade Supershow! at Herrin Civic Center, 101 S. 16th St in Herrin, Illinois. Back by popular demand. The 2nd Pinball & Arcade Supershow is in a new location this year - the Herrin Civic Center, and extended to a 2 day event for 2006. Features include - the unique Showdown at Sundown Pinball Tournament, tons of freeplay pinball & video games, games for sale, vendors, T-shirts, door prizes, lots more. For more info visit the website, send email, call 1-618-751-TILT, or write to 6250 Moake School Rd., Marion, IL 62959.
October 7, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.
October 13-14, 2006: White Rose Gameroom Show in York, Pennsylvania. Two days of arcade fun with games set on free play. There will be pinballs, video arcades, jukes, slots, etc. There will be door prizes, an outdoor flea market, pinball and gameroom items on sale, kids and adults pinball tournaments, refreshments, and the chance to win a free pinball machine. $15 adults, $5 children ages 6-12, free for kids 5 and younger. All prices are per person, per day. For more information visit the website.
October 20-22, 2006: PA Home Gameroom Show at Carlisle Expo Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Carlisle Events, the world's largest presenter of collector car shows, has partnered with Jimmy Rosen, organizer of the Hershey Gameroom Expo to host the newest gameroom and coin-op show. Vendors from all over the East Coast and Canada will be selling new and vintage pinball machines, jukeboxes, coke machines, antique slot machines, classic video arcade games, gumball machines, soda fountain memorabilia, gas pumps, '50s decor, neon signs and more. Over 110 booth spaces. For more info visit the website, send email, or call 717-243-7855.
Fall, 2006 (Tentative): Texas Pinball Festival, in Irving, Texas. This is Texas' largest Game Room Show, The 5th Annual Texas Pinball Festival show. Three days of arcade fun featuring over 110 Pinball Machines and Classic Video Games on FREE PLAY. Pinball and Classic Arcade Tournaments all weekend long awarding cash awards and trophies. Vendors on hand selling parts, supplies and game room equipment, informative seminars, door prizes and a pinball machine raffle. For details visit the website.
November 2-5, 2006: Pinball Expo 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. This is the big show every year and this will be the 22nd annual show. This show puts emphasis on the collector and enthusiast and usually includes a factory tour, auction, designer/artist/author autograph session, seminars, parts, machines, and other pinball-related merchandise. This show has major manufacturer support. For more information write Pinball EXPO 2006, 2671 Youngstown Road S.E., Warren, OH 44484, call 1-800-323-FLIP, or visit the web site.
November 4, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.December 2, 2006: Last Man Standing (LMS) Pinball Tournament at SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more info visit the website, or send email.
March 9-10, 2007: Ohio Pinball and Game Room Festival at Thomastown Party Center, 1280 Triplett Blvd in Akron, Ohio. 3rd annual show. Over 100 machines on free play. Games, parts, supplies and rec room accessories. For more info visit the website, send email, or call 330-687-9341.

Women enter the real world of video games
Times of India - IndiaLOS ANGELES: Traditionally, the only women in video games were digital. Think busty, pistol-packing Lara Croft of 'Tomb Raider', or ...

Two Classic Video Games Are Back
MIT Technology Review - Cambridge,MA,USA have made a comeback on the Nintendo handheld player. By Associated Press. Two defining video games from the 1980s are back for the Nintendo DS handheld.

Video games can make strange bedfellows
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA... Winning the mini-games helped cure whatever troubled Winnie's mind. ... Fans of role-playing games will come away deeply satisfied. ...

Women gain prominence in world of video games
Arizona Republic - Phoenix,AZ,USAThe only women in video games were digital. Think busty, pistol-packing Lara Croft of Tomb Raider, or the walking pinups in Grand Theft Auto. ...

By Doug Moore
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
MOUNT VERNON — Only a few seconds after a visitor enters the main gallery at the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, a loud mooing sound bounces off the aubergine walls and parquet floor.A menacing voice belches out some kind of dark warning from another corner.Right away it was clear: This was no ordinary art exhibit.The featured attraction is 42 pinball machines, representing 70 years of an industry that has seen video games take over in arcades, bowling alleys and taverns.
Being quiet in this exhibit is not an option. At any time, three or four of the pinball machines are set on "free play." Reverence be damned. The lights, music and sounds of the machines - including a fairly authentic moo - fill the gallery.The way Kevin Sharp, Cedarhurst's director of visual arts, explains it, pinball machines are a history lesson in pop culture. The backboards and tabletops reflect what was foremost in the minds of the game's chief players - teenage boys - at the time.Buxom women. Space exploration. Buxom women with powers and weapons. Science fiction. More buxom women. More science fiction.The two newest machines in the exhibit were made in 2003 and feature "The Simpsons" and "The Lord of the Rings."The 1950s and '60s represented the heyday of the pinball machine, when boys would head to the arcades with change in their pockets and bet with buddies on who could get the highest score.In the '70s, the interest in pinball began to wane until the film "Tommy" brought renewed interest. As the '80s approached, teens turned their attention to video games such as Pac-Man, Asteroids, Centipede and Space Invaders.Whimsical artOn the surface, pinball machines might seem an odd choice for an exhibit, Sharp said. When the idea was first pitched to him, he admits rolling his eyes.David Gilmore, professor emeritus of photography at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, hatched the plan. He grew up poor, with no money to go to the arcades. But at the age of 54, his wife bought him a pinball machine, mostly so that she would have something to do in the garage while he tinkered with his cars. Eleven years later, he has 16 pinball machines."My hope is that people will see pinball art in a different form," said Gilmore, who is credited as co-organizer of the show with Sharp. "It may be whimsical, but it's gorgeous art."One of the main text blocks in the gallery explains the art in a more heady fashion."Just as the most elaborate Italian Renaissance frescoes and altarpieces of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci started with the barest charcoal sketches, so too does the finished work of pinball artists begin with a few notations on a legal pad, a small drawing or a snapshot."John Youssi is considered the industry's most popular pinball artist, and his work is liberally represented at Cedarhurst. In two instances, the exhibition takes the viewer through the process that Youssi uses.His work begins with sketches and is mapped out in graphite on Mylar. Colored pencils and markers are used later to flesh out the look. Airbrushed acrylic and gouache on illustration board provide the finished product, which sits next to the pinball machine that incorporates the paintings into its design. In these two cases, it's Road Work and Medieval Madness, which, according to Gilmore, is the most popular pinball machine.Pinball art, says Sharp, "couldn't be more goofy. But technically it's fantastic. I can't even imagine saying it out loud, but pinball art is beautiful."An Illinois gamePinball began as, and still remains, an Illinois game. The three makers of the games were Chicago-based - Gottlieb, Bally and Williams. Today, the only company making the machines, Stern Pinball, also is located in Chicago. The machines in the exhibit are on loan from private collectors in Illinois, Missouri and Indiana.The pinball machine was derived from bagatelle, an English and French table game popular in the early 1930s. Players pull on a spring-loaded plunger to strike a ball and hope it bounces off a pin and into a hole to generate points.The game of luck became one of skill in 1947 when flippers were added so that the player could control where the ball goes. The dreaded tilt feature also came along, meaning the ball is immediately taken out of play if the table is hit too hard.The games gradually became more sophisticated and difficult to play. In the '80s, the electric mechanical reels, similar to what was found on old gas pumps, were replaced by solid-state electronics, with digital scoreboards and more lights and noises to keep the player's attention.Attention is what Sharp is hoping to grab with this exhibit, officially titled: "Tilt! The Art of Pinball.""This is a bit of a departure for us," Sharp said. "We remain in the traditional arts. Part of the reason for doing this is to attract a larger, broader audience. We're here for everyone."

Som Patidar - All Headline News Contributor
Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - A recent study conducted by the Beth Israel Medical Center claimed that surgeons who played video games prior to undertaking an operation made fewer mistakes.
According to Reuters, Dr. James Rosser, who led the research over 303 surgeons says the surgeons who warmed up by playing video games for 20 minutes immediately prior to performing surgical drills were faster and made fewer errors than those who did not.
Explaining the science behind the result of their research the researchers explain that playing video games lead to the release of a chemical in the body called dopamine, which develops neural pathways from the brain to the hands.