Virtual Fools

A number of VF related videos have recently been sending shockwaves across the internet (no, really…). First, the links to the “Video Game Improv” from MAGFest mentioned before. Of course, something is always lost in filming improv–the energy of the crowd, the zeitgeist–but these videos give an approximation of the first half of the event (props to teknoboy for the videos): “Flag”: “Party Quirks” (I am a Space Invader); “Slideshow” (I can no longer do a handstand); “Return Department”;“Scene Replay/Half Life” (i.e. Bobby hates Gamestop?); “The same, in reverse”; “Debate”.  Sadly, no full video of the long-form RPG game, which wound up being “The Quest for the MacGuffin Device” has appeared on the ‘netosphere yet.

Out buddies from PBC Productions did a video for a chap called Madhatter’s song “Overheat.” The event was partially filmed at MAGFest (boy, we got a lot of content out of this year’s con!!) and contains a very brief cameo by Bobby. I missed filming because I was sleeping. Oh well…

Finally, a “thanks” to MAGFest from the combined might of X-Strike Studios, PBC, and VF. I hate to re-iterate what is already well-known, but this WAS the best time I’ve had at the con, and as the video shows, I’ve been going for a while.

One last announcement. I have decided to revivify my old personal blog, now called (Visual) Notes on Culture. I will be posting “found” images a few times a week, as well as the odd bit of personal news. Add it to your feed-readin’ device!

Virtual Fools was at MAGFest 7 last weekend in lovely Alexandria, Virginia. Now, we’ve been attending these things for five years and I can honestly say it’s gotten seriously better each year. I thought that last year was going to be hard to top, but everyone managed to pull it off. And when I say everyone, I do mean everyone. Major thanks go to Brendan Becker and the hardcore MAGFest staff. Thanks also go to all the awesome people we hung out with like X-Strike Studios, PBC Productions, the Gamers club from UVA, Robert V Aldrich, the guys that ran Fusion GC and now just peddle merch, Ryan Soloby and the guys from Chromolodeon, A_Rival, the VGMix and OCRemix people we hung with, and the countless other people we either met for the first time or saw again from past years. 

X-Strike Studios records a podcast

Excitebike

Virtual Fools had its most active year in terms of events. Let me just describe some of these days to you. On Thursday we just hung out, saw some concerts, and prepared for the rest of the weekend. On Friday we woke up and hosted a panel at 11 on video games and the city which had our best turnout yet. Then we ran the video game edition of the Match Game, which featured X-Strike Studios as our panelists and four contestants we owe a debt of gratitude to for participating (Black Chad, Mary Jo, Steph, and Brittany). Following that, we went to the showing of X-Strike’s final cut of Resident Horror and stayed around for their Q&A podcast session. Then we rushed to the grocery store and dinner to get back in time for concert and party action. And that was just Friday! 

Saturday was basically as hectic. We woke up, I was an extra in PBC’s music video, had lunch, recorded the podcast that’s linked at the end of this entry, then prepped for the Video Game Improv show featuring X-Strike and PBC. We were all a bit nervous–Kevin hadn’t done improv in a few months, I hadn’t done it in five years, and the others guys hadn’t done it in a while either. Video game themed improv was something we had talked about in years past, but weren’t sure how well it would turn on. At the end of the 2-hour session, I must say I was really pleased. The videos are available online! We kicked it off with six improv games: vulture, party quirks, slideshow, return department, scene replay (and rewind), and debate. Then we did a longform scene based around the adventures of an RPG party (video will be linked when available).

Look at us "improving"

Right after improv we rolled to the events room to “judge” the fifth Name That Tune contest hosted by Tim Ekkebus and Zeiram. THEN we co-hosted a panel with Ryan Soloby on the future of gaming and convergence media. THEN Kevin was gracious enough to volunteer to take Rich of X-Strike out to get more cards printed for his social-game playtest session. And of course there was the usual concerts and partying, plus the playtesting sessions and a late-night trivia contest in which your last year champions Virtual Fools brought in a ringer from the UVA Gamers club to tear things up. JESUS THAT DAY WAS INSANE.

Robert V Aldrich coordinates zombie defense

Sunday was the typical solemn packing/cleaning as we looked at our hotel room and wondered what the hell had happened. I, for one, was wicked hangover (or still drunk) from gin and Bawls (thank you, Katie). We had to ditch out during the always-hilarious auction, but not before Kevin sold our Superbowl XXXVII Party Pack to Joecam and purchased a Sidekicks poster signed by Chuck Norris to someone also named Kevin. That alone would have been enough to make it a great weekend! 

Seriously, though. This was the best MAGFest yet on so many levels and post-con depression is still going strong on the Virtual Fools front. If the description of our insane schedule isn’t enough to make you want to pre-register for next year’s MAGFest perhaps you need to leave the Internet.

Virtual Fools has changed its focus many times over the last six years. One of those phases was the game studies movement, in which this blog was the only place that I wrote about video games. Clearly that is no longer the case. This is mostly because I spend my time writing about games for school. But I do write about games on the GameCulture Journal Blog, and I would be remiss if I didn’t occasionally post about those over here.

I wrote a blog entry for one of my classes which ended up on GCJ, so I decided to spread the love. It’s about the use of the Metro(rail) space in Fallout 3. Check it out, won’t you?