Demoparty
Encyclopedia
A demoparty is an event that gathers demoscene
rs
and other computer enthusiasts to compete in competitions
. A typical demoparty is a non-stop event lasting over a weekend, providing the visitors a lot of time to socialize. The competing works, at least those in the most important competitions, are usually shown at night, using a video projector
and big loudspeaker
s. The most important competition is usually the demo
compo
.
connected to the Internet. In this respect, many demo parties resemble LAN parties
and many of the largest events also gather gamers and other computer enthusiasts in addition to demosceners. A major difference between a real demoparty and a LAN party is that demosceners typically spend more time socializing (often outside the actual party hall) than in front of their computers.
Large parties have often tried to come up with alternative terms to describe the concept to the general public. While the events have always been known as "demoparties", "copyparties" or just "parties" by the subculture itself, they are often referred to as "computer conferences", "computer fairs", "computer festivals", "computer art festivals", "youngsters' computer events" or even "geek gatherings" or "nerd festivals" by the mass media and the general public.
Demoscene events are most frequent in continental Europe
, with around fifty parties every year. In comparison, there has only been a dozen or so demoparties in the United States
in total. Most events are local, gathering demomakers mostly from a single country, while the largest international parties (such as Breakpoint and Assembly) attract visitors from all over the globe.
Most demoparties are relatively small in size, with the number of visitors varying from dozens to a few hundred. The largest events typically gather thousands of visitors however, although most of them have little or no connection to the demoscene. In that aspect, the scene separates "pure" parties (which abandons non-scene related activities and promotion) from "crossover" parties.
Demoparties started to appear in the 1980s in the form of copyparties where software pirates and demomakers gathered to meet each other and share their software. Competitions did not become a major aspect of the events until the early 1990s.
Copyparties mainly pertained to the Amiga and C64
scene. As the PC compatibles
started to take over the market, the difficulties in easily making nice demos and intros increased. Along with increased police
crackdowns on copying of pirated software, the "underground" copyparties were gradually replaced by slightly higher-profile events which came to be known as demoparties. However, some of the "old school" demosceners still prefer to use the word "copyparty" even for today's demoparties.
During the 1990s, the focus of the events shifted away from illegal activities into demomaking and competitions. The copying of copyrighted material was often explicitly prohibited by the organizers, and many events also forbade the consumption of alcohol. However, illegal copying and "boozing" still continued to take place, although in a less public form.
Three well-known and appreciated large-scale demoparties were established in the early 1990s: The Party
in Denmark
, Assembly
in Finland
and The Gathering
in Norway
. Taking place every year and gathering thousands of visitors, these parties used to be the leading demoscene events in this period. Assembly still retains this status today. The Gathering continues to be organized yearly as a generic "computer party", but most of the demosceners now prefer Breakpoint
in Germany
which takes place at the same time.
The emergence of high-profile demoparties gave rise to phenomena which were not always well welcomed by the scene. The events started to attract unaffiliated computer enthusiasts who were often generally referred to as "lamers" by the original attendants. A particularly visible group in the large gatherings since the mid-1990s have been the LAN gamers, who often have very little interest in the demoscene and mainly use the party facilities for playing multi-player computer games. However, many of today's demosceners received their first interest for demos and demomaking from a visit to a large demoparty.
Parties usually last from 2 to 4 days in length, most often Friday to Sunday to ensure that sceners who work or study are also able to attend. Small parties (under 100 attendants) usually take place in cultural centres or schools, whereas larger parties (over 400-500 people) typically take place in sports halls.
Entrance fees are usually between €10 and €40 given the size and location of the party. It is still a common practice in many countries to allow females to enter the party for free (mostly due to the low concentration of female attendees, which is usually under 20%), albeit most parties enforce an "only vote with ticket" rule, which means that an attendee who got in free can only vote with a paid ticket.
Attendees are allowed to bring their desktop computer along, but this is by no means a necessity, and is usually omitted by most sceners, especially who travel long distance. Those who have computer-related jobs may even regard a demoparty as a well-deserved break from sitting in front of a computer. For those who do bring a computer, it is becoming increasingly common to bring a laptop or some sort of handheld device rather than a complete desktop PC.
Partygoers often bring various senseless gadgets to parties to make their desk space look unique; this can be anything from a disco ball or a plasma lamp to a large LED display panel complete with a scrolling message about how "elite" its owner is. Many visitors also bring large loudspeakers for playing music. This kind of activity is particularly common among new partygoers, while the more experienced attendees tend to prefer a more quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
Those who need housing during the party are often offered a separate "sleeping room", usually an isolated empty room with some sort of carpet or mats, where the attendees are able to sleep, separated from the noise. Most sceners prefer bringing sleeping bag
s for this, as well as inflatable mattresses or polyfoam
rolls. Parties who don't offer a sleeping room generally allow sceners to sleep under the tables.
Partyplaces often become decorated by visitors with flyers and banners. These all serve promotional reasons, in most cases to advertise a certain group, but sometimes to create promotion for a given demoscene product, such as a demo or a diskmag, possibly to be released later at the party.
A major portion of the events at a demoparty often take place outdoors. Demosceners usually spend considerable time outside to have a beer and talk, or engage into some sort of open-air activity such as barbecue
ing or sport, such as hardware throwing or soccer. It is also a common tradition to gather around a bonfire
during the night, usually after the compos.
In recent years, many parties were available for spectators through the Internet: This traditional was first started by the live team of demoscene.tv, who broadcasted from the event live or created footage for a postmortem video-report. This was ostensibly replaced now by the SceneSat radio crew who provide live streaming radio shows from parties, and larger parties now offer their own dedicated streaming video solution.
Demoscene
The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
rs
and other computer enthusiasts to compete in competitions
Compo
Compo may refer to:*A slang word in the demoscene for "competition".*A character from the British TV series Last of the Summer Wine named Compo Simmonite, played by Bill Owen.*British army field rations....
. A typical demoparty is a non-stop event lasting over a weekend, providing the visitors a lot of time to socialize. The competing works, at least those in the most important competitions, are usually shown at night, using a video projector
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
and big loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s. The most important competition is usually the demo
Demo (computer programming)
A demo is a non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer subculture known as the demoscene. Demogroups create demos to demonstrate their abilities in programming, music, drawing, and 3D modeling...
compo
Compo
Compo may refer to:*A slang word in the demoscene for "competition".*A character from the British TV series Last of the Summer Wine named Compo Simmonite, played by Bill Owen.*British army field rations....
.
Concept
The visitors of a demoparty often bring their own computers to compete and show off their works. To this end, most parties provide a large hall with tables, electricity and usually a local area networkLocal area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
connected to the Internet. In this respect, many demo parties resemble LAN parties
LAN party
A LAN party is a temporary, sometimes spontaneous, gathering of people with computers, between which they establish a local area network , primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer computer games. The size of these networks may vary from the very small to very large installations...
and many of the largest events also gather gamers and other computer enthusiasts in addition to demosceners. A major difference between a real demoparty and a LAN party is that demosceners typically spend more time socializing (often outside the actual party hall) than in front of their computers.
Large parties have often tried to come up with alternative terms to describe the concept to the general public. While the events have always been known as "demoparties", "copyparties" or just "parties" by the subculture itself, they are often referred to as "computer conferences", "computer fairs", "computer festivals", "computer art festivals", "youngsters' computer events" or even "geek gatherings" or "nerd festivals" by the mass media and the general public.
Demoscene events are most frequent in continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with around fifty parties every year. In comparison, there has only been a dozen or so demoparties in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in total. Most events are local, gathering demomakers mostly from a single country, while the largest international parties (such as Breakpoint and Assembly) attract visitors from all over the globe.
Most demoparties are relatively small in size, with the number of visitors varying from dozens to a few hundred. The largest events typically gather thousands of visitors however, although most of them have little or no connection to the demoscene. In that aspect, the scene separates "pure" parties (which abandons non-scene related activities and promotion) from "crossover" parties.
History
Copyparties mainly pertained to the Amiga and C64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
scene. As the PC compatibles
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
started to take over the market, the difficulties in easily making nice demos and intros increased. Along with increased police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
crackdowns on copying of pirated software, the "underground" copyparties were gradually replaced by slightly higher-profile events which came to be known as demoparties. However, some of the "old school" demosceners still prefer to use the word "copyparty" even for today's demoparties.
During the 1990s, the focus of the events shifted away from illegal activities into demomaking and competitions. The copying of copyrighted material was often explicitly prohibited by the organizers, and many events also forbade the consumption of alcohol. However, illegal copying and "boozing" still continued to take place, although in a less public form.
Three well-known and appreciated large-scale demoparties were established in the early 1990s: The Party
The Party (demo party)
The Party was an annual demoscene event held from 1991 to 2002 in Denmark. It was one of the first events of its kind and set the trend for many other demoscene parties in Europe.-The early years:...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Assembly
Assembly (demo party)
The Assembly demo party is a demoscene and gaming event in Finland. The main organizers of the event are Pekka Aakko and Jussi Laakkonen . The event takes place every year between late July and early August, and lasts three to four days...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and The Gathering
The Gathering (demo party)
The Gathering is the largest computer party in the world . It is held annually in Vikingskipet Olympic Arena in Hamar, Norway, and lasts for five consecutive days...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Taking place every year and gathering thousands of visitors, these parties used to be the leading demoscene events in this period. Assembly still retains this status today. The Gathering continues to be organized yearly as a generic "computer party", but most of the demosceners now prefer Breakpoint
Breakpoint (demo party)
Breakpoint was a German demoscene party. From 2003 to 2010, it took place annually at Easter in Bingen.Breakpoint was the successor to the legendary Mekka & Symposium. With over 1000 visitors, it was the world's biggest pure demoscene-party, attracting demosceners from not only Germany, but also...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
which takes place at the same time.
The emergence of high-profile demoparties gave rise to phenomena which were not always well welcomed by the scene. The events started to attract unaffiliated computer enthusiasts who were often generally referred to as "lamers" by the original attendants. A particularly visible group in the large gatherings since the mid-1990s have been the LAN gamers, who often have very little interest in the demoscene and mainly use the party facilities for playing multi-player computer games. However, many of today's demosceners received their first interest for demos and demomaking from a visit to a large demoparty.
Common properties
Entrance fees are usually between €10 and €40 given the size and location of the party. It is still a common practice in many countries to allow females to enter the party for free (mostly due to the low concentration of female attendees, which is usually under 20%), albeit most parties enforce an "only vote with ticket" rule, which means that an attendee who got in free can only vote with a paid ticket.
Attendees are allowed to bring their desktop computer along, but this is by no means a necessity, and is usually omitted by most sceners, especially who travel long distance. Those who have computer-related jobs may even regard a demoparty as a well-deserved break from sitting in front of a computer. For those who do bring a computer, it is becoming increasingly common to bring a laptop or some sort of handheld device rather than a complete desktop PC.
Partygoers often bring various senseless gadgets to parties to make their desk space look unique; this can be anything from a disco ball or a plasma lamp to a large LED display panel complete with a scrolling message about how "elite" its owner is. Many visitors also bring large loudspeakers for playing music. This kind of activity is particularly common among new partygoers, while the more experienced attendees tend to prefer a more quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
Those who need housing during the party are often offered a separate "sleeping room", usually an isolated empty room with some sort of carpet or mats, where the attendees are able to sleep, separated from the noise. Most sceners prefer bringing sleeping bag
Sleeping bag
A sleeping bag is a protective "bag" for a person to sleep in, essentially a blanket that can be closed with a zipper or similar means, and functions as a bed in situations where a bed is unavailable . Its primary purpose is to provide warmth and thermal insulation...
s for this, as well as inflatable mattresses or polyfoam
Memory foam
Memory foam is polyurethane with additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as "visco-elastic" polyurethane foam, or low-resilience polyurethane foam . Higher-density memory foam softens in reaction to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm body in a few...
rolls. Parties who don't offer a sleeping room generally allow sceners to sleep under the tables.
Partyplaces often become decorated by visitors with flyers and banners. These all serve promotional reasons, in most cases to advertise a certain group, but sometimes to create promotion for a given demoscene product, such as a demo or a diskmag, possibly to be released later at the party.
A major portion of the events at a demoparty often take place outdoors. Demosceners usually spend considerable time outside to have a beer and talk, or engage into some sort of open-air activity such as barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
ing or sport, such as hardware throwing or soccer. It is also a common tradition to gather around a bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
during the night, usually after the compos.
In recent years, many parties were available for spectators through the Internet: This traditional was first started by the live team of demoscene.tv, who broadcasted from the event live or created footage for a postmortem video-report. This was ostensibly replaced now by the SceneSat radio crew who provide live streaming radio shows from parties, and larger parties now offer their own dedicated streaming video solution.
External links
- Demoparty.net - collective demoscene party database
- Slengpung - Demoscene party pictures, videos and party reports.
- Assembly07 TV report
- breakpoint05 report on German TV(English subtitle)
- faq about demoscene
- a book!