The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on September 21, 2013.
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A couple weeks back, we combined forces with Fangamer to throw a little shindig in Seattle, and once again, here are the highlights! All pictures are courtesy of Amanda Flagg, btw.
Our attempt at a second art/indie game/music fest was in some ways easier to put together, but for the most part trickier. The smash success of Fangamer VERSUS Attract Mode seemed to indicate that my partner Jon Kay and myself knew what we doing, but then came the desire to be bigger, bolder, and just better.
Now we had expectations to meet, and both us of knew damn well that Fangamer X Attract Mode had to be shatter them. Adding to the pressure was the fact that everyone behind the scenes was spread super thin all summer long, and various out of left field complications made matters even worse.
Thank God we had an extra hand, in the form of Kaitlin Stewart. She took care a lot of the heavy lifting that Jon and I would not have been able to handle. Even still, everything came super down to the wire; here’s the space we were at, same as last year…
And the line of people, which not only began forming earlier that last time, but was way longer too. Was told throughout the evening that it often wrapped around the block and that the wait was on average an hour…
The main reason early on was how we weren’t 100% when doors were supposed to open. For VERSUS, we had almost three days to set up, but for X, it was just a little over 24 hours. Granted, we were familiar with the space this time and had done lots of pre-prep, but still…
Though once the final game was installed and tested, the doors were finally open. IDs were checked, wristbands were given to those eligible to drink (both of which was administered by our super charming door guy whom everyone fell in love with)…
… and once the cost of entry was handed over, every attendee got a pin, which served as everyone’s “ticket”…
It took absolutely no time flat for the entire place to get jam packed, even faster and more so than last year. Was kinda ridiculous actually…
Thankfully, and as hoped, the handiwork of all the incredible artists who graced us with our talents, which graced the walls, were a huge hit…
I’m especially happy that some of the artists themselves were present. Here we have Zac, who spent much of the evening signing his Mega Man X piece…
Oh, and here’s Nicole Gustafsson admiring Camille Young‘s gorgeous Animal Crossing sculpture. You simply had to see it in person; pictures do it zero justice…
Like last time, we had games for everyone to play and they were a massive hit. Re: 17-Bit’s Galak-Z; it was one thing to be able to say that we had a PS4 game on-hand, but for it to be the primary reason why many are getting Sony’s new console was amazing x100.
Then you had CAPY’s Synchroma, which as stated numerous timed already, made its debut for the public at large that evening, and which also was simply a legit honor. Here we have Tara and Zac from Revision3 giving it a go…
Both brought their crew, and here we have Tara plus Max giving the lowdown on both titles:
Maybe it doesn’t hurt to mention that Synchroma made their best of PAX 2013 rundown. Rather impressive, given that it wasn’t even at the convention proper!
Speaking of the press, we were also quite pleased with all the coverage leading up. Here I am bro-ing it up with Michael McWhertor (just like last time) of Polygon fame, the very first outlet to write about X…
Because my plate was full that evening, I ended up handing off the role of MC to someone good and proper. And that person ended up being internet superstar Jesse Cox…
Time to finally address the third and final X factor: music. In addition to Super Soul Bros, who performed improvised jazz/funk/soul renditions of game music standards to kick the evening off proper, Danimal Cannon made a triumphant return to the stage and blew the roof off, even cleaner than last time…
The third and final musical guest of the evening was none other than Jake Kaufman. Was a real treat; Virt and I used to go way back, when he was part of the old school, NYC chip scene. Get this: he wasn’t planning on doing the Moon Theme from Ducktales until I asked him…
I also can’t believe that footage of his performance hasn’t showed up on YouTube yet; there were numerous people recording it, after all. If you have a link, please pass it along! Anyhow, what’s a party without celebs? Well, the video game kind, at least; Mega 64 enjoyed last year’s soiree and brought all their friends this time…
The aforementioned line of folks waiting to get in was far longer than anyone could have anticipated. Even three hours in, the wait was still pretty considerable, to the point that we had to basically had to stop people from coming in, due to fire codes and the like.
Making matters worse was there was a second, long ass line inside, for the booze; I believe the bartender above is making a whole slew of drinks that Mitch Hutts created just for us that night. An homage to Assassin’s Creed (the “Buried Treasure”) in this case…
And for anyone wondering: did we sell much artwork that night? Oh, you could say that we did…
Eventually it was time for the big surprise of the night. Well, the second of two; literally less than an hour before showtime, I made the big reveal via Instagram that none other than Kenji Inafune himself was one of the artists in the show. Couldn’t say anything beforehand, since the artwork was from his upcoming game Mighty No. 9, which was only unveiled immediately beforehand.
It was also touch and go about being able to say that he’d be in attendance. Aside from the fact that doing so might spoil his big surprise, which was understandable, there was also the possibility that he simply wouldn’t be able to swing by. Inafune’s schedule was totally nuts and therefore didn’t want to false advertise. In the end, it really was for the best that nothing was said, otherwise the overcapacity issue would have been twenty times worse.
As a result, Inafune was able to slip in the back, relatively unnoticed…
Slowly but surely, the room became abuzz once everyone realized that that guy responsible for so many happy childhood memories was present. For some, he was also one of the inspirations for becoming actively involved in video games, like Nicolas ‘Qiqo’ Stephan here, one of the co-creators of Synchroma…
And Matt Repetski, his CAPY cohort…
Soon, Inafune himself hit the stage, along with Ben Judd. The who guy wears many hats; most know him as the English voice of Phoenix Wright, though his day job is as talent agent for the Japanese game industry. He’s also one of the main reasons why Mighty No. 9 is even happening in the first place, plus was Inafune’s translator for the weekend…
Inafune said a few words, mostly thanking everyone for all their support, and basically fired the crowd up, including Fangamer’s grand poobah himself, Reid Young…
Inafune also signed his print on stage, and revealed that it would be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to charity…
I’m hopeful that Inafune’s visit will make it in the behind the scenes documentary series for No. 9, which is being handled by 2 Player Productions. There were many highlights that evening, but the biggest thrill had to be watching the man who made Mega Man‘s reaction to all the artwork that was paying tribute to the creation he’s most known for. Especially towards Asif Siddiky‘s piece, especially since it was Asif himself who shot the footage!
So yeah, Fangamer X Attract Mode was indeed a night to remember. Everyone from both camps would love to extend our sincerest gratitude towards every single artist, game maker, and musician who made it all happen. Though the biggest thanks goes to those who stood in line all night long and then gave us their hard earned money. As well as those who helped spread the word beforehand and contributed to all the buzz on the street. X would not have been what it was without such folk, period.
Guess the next question is, when will all the artwork be available for purchase online, for those who couldn’t make it. Very soon! Though the other big question is if there will be a third Fangamer/Attract Mode event. We mostly definitely hope so! But we’re not ignorant to the fact that round 2 far from perfect; not everyone was pleased with the super long lines, and for that we humbly apologize. Given the increase of pure bodies on the floor, from VERSUS to X, we want to make sure we’re fully prepared for round 3.
Which also means, yes, very preliminary planning as already begun…
