Biggest screenburn ever, with a big “indie zone”. Upsilon Circuit. A reality TV gameshow arranged around an action RPG. The “stars” play 8 at a time, and when they die they’re permanently eliminated. The real game is what the audience do to intervene in the game. It’s a bit like crowdsourced D&D. I could see something like this becoming a TV show. It has its own Max Headroom style presenter who resembles Doonesbury’s Ron Headrest.
As usual, I went to the free SXSW Interactive Gaming Expo this year, and here’s my report. I should warn up front that (a) I don’t really play FPS games except for Team Fortress 2, and (b) I don’t do Microsoft, so if you’re a hardcore Windows gamer, this is probably not the report you are looking for. Nintendo had teamed up with the Video Game Museum for a small exhibit on the history of (mostly Nintendo) video games.
I started my afternoon by shuffling to the bus stop at the end of our street, to get the bus downtown. It wasn’t long before a SXSW attendee turned up, badge in hand. The bus was on time, and quickly filled up with mothers and children who were traveling to the capitol building to protest the planned cuts in education. I chatted and expressed my support, but it wasn’t my destination.