MAGFest
Encyclopedia
MAGFest is an annual convention held in Virginia
that celebrates video games and video game music, as well as their surrounding culture
. MAGFest's primary features are a large open video gaming room, a hall of arcade cabinets, concerts by chiptune
artists and video game cover bands, and a Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) LAN Party. MAGFest 2011 took place at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA from January 13 to 16.
s to contemporary Japanese candy cabinets. Additionally, the console room houses dozens of televisions and attached game consoles, where guests are invited to play at will and each station's game is periodically swapped with a different one from a game library.
The concert area hosts several nightly performances of video game music and related works. Many luminaries of video game music fan culture have performed at MAGFest. Previous bands include Minibosses
, Powerglove
, the NESkimos
, the Advantage
and Chromelodeon
.
Other major attractions include guest panels from the video game industry such as Sid Meier
and Jon St. John
, and from video game fan sites such as OverClocked ReMix
. Filmmakers such as X-Strike Studios, Main Moon Productions, PBC Productions, That Guy With The Glasses
, and There Will Be Brawl, have also appeared at the event. MAGFest has also included intellectually-driven panels such as "Game Studies 101" where attendees were given a basic introduction to the manner in which scholars study video games.
Additionally, MAGFest features an open mic stage, a large LAN party
environment, a film screening room, a tabletop gaming room, vendors, contests like "name-that-tune," and a video game "challenge booth" where players can "try to tackle insanely difficult gaming feats for prizes of all sorts."
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
that celebrates video games and video game music, as well as their surrounding culture
Video game music culture
Video game music, with the help of the internet, has developed into its own culture with many extensions beyond existence as a body of musical work....
. MAGFest's primary features are a large open video gaming room, a hall of arcade cabinets, concerts by chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
artists and video game cover bands, and a Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) LAN Party. MAGFest 2011 took place at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA from January 13 to 16.
Attractions
MAGFest's arcade hall and console room are open 24 hours a day. The hallway contains dozens of cabinets, ranging from vintage shoot 'em upShoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
s to contemporary Japanese candy cabinets. Additionally, the console room houses dozens of televisions and attached game consoles, where guests are invited to play at will and each station's game is periodically swapped with a different one from a game library.
The concert area hosts several nightly performances of video game music and related works. Many luminaries of video game music fan culture have performed at MAGFest. Previous bands include Minibosses
Minibosses
Minibosses is an independent progressive rock/progressive metal band originally from Northampton, Massachusetts and currently located in Phoenix, Arizona. They are known for their video game music covers, which are instrumental rock variations of the theme music from classic Nintendo video games...
, Powerglove
Powerglove (band)
Powerglove is an American power metal band. They are known to play metal versions of classic video game themes. The band is named after the Power Glove, a NES controller accessory.-Early years, Total Pwnage and Metal Kombat :...
, the NESkimos
The NESkimos
The NESkimos are an independent American video game music cover band from St. Augustine, Florida. They are known for their songs based on video game music, as well as covers of songs from popular television shows and movies...
, the Advantage
The Advantage
The Advantage is an American rock band from Sacramento, California that formed in 1998 and specializes in doing covers of music from old NES games...
and Chromelodeon
Chromelodeon
Chromelodeon are an 8-piece indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are known for their live shows as well as their unique instrumental sound. Their music is achieved by utilizing a combination of synthesizers and traditional instruments from guitars to accordions...
.
Other major attractions include guest panels from the video game industry such as Sid Meier
Sid Meier
Sidney K. "Sid" Meier is a Canadian programmer and designer of several popular computer strategy games, most notably Civilization. He has won accolades for his contributions to the computer games industry...
and Jon St. John
Jon St. John
Jon St. John is an American voice actor and singer. He started his career in voice work in 1975, when he was a Top 40 radio DJ in North Carolina. Because of his vocal talent and technical skills, he was hired as a production director for several US radio stations in cities including: Norfolk, New...
, and from video game fan sites such as OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
. Filmmakers such as X-Strike Studios, Main Moon Productions, PBC Productions, That Guy With The Glasses
That Guy with the Glasses
That Guy with the Glasses is a website that mostly showcases satirical reviews of movies and video games. It primarily stars Chicago native Douglas Darien "Doug" Walker as "That Guy with the Glasses". The founder and administrator of the site is Michael Michaud, CEO of the parent company Channel...
, and There Will Be Brawl, have also appeared at the event. MAGFest has also included intellectually-driven panels such as "Game Studies 101" where attendees were given a basic introduction to the manner in which scholars study video games.
Additionally, MAGFest features an open mic stage, a large LAN party
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...
environment, a film screening room, a tabletop gaming room, vendors, contests like "name-that-tune," and a video game "challenge booth" where players can "try to tackle insanely difficult gaming feats for prizes of all sorts."
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