Marathon space in Oakland available

2013-07-22 06:12:23 pm

Hello there! I've been watching ya'll hold these community marathons around the world, and thought I should chime in to offer a space in Oakland California for such an event.

We are the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, and we're located in downtown Oakland, near BART. We're dedicated to preserving videogame history, and to teaching the public how games are made. We do this through free programming classes on the weekends, and playable exhibits in our gallery. Our collection was kicked off with a massive donation from GamePro magazine when it was shittered, and includes prototypes, rare consoles, and thousands of games in English and Japanese.

http://www.themade.org

Just about any weekend in 2014, the MADE is available to SDA to run a marathon. We have Internet, old consoles, streaming equipment, and most importantly: space. We are a registered non-profit, so it would be awesome if the SDA folks could contribute some of the stream donations to the MADE during the event, but it is not a requirement. Mostly, I just want our museum to be able to help build and expand your awesome community. I hope to continue checking this forum for replies, but am not entirely sure if I will remember, so you can contact me at alex @ the URL above if you're in a position to accept such an offer.

Thanks, and keep on gaming!

Thread title:

Hello there! I've been watching ya'll hold these community marathons around the world, and thought I should chime in to offer a space in Oakland California for such an event.

We are the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, and we're located in downtown Oakland, near BART. We're dedicated to preserving videogame history, and to teaching the public how games are made. We do this through free programming classes on the weekends, and playable exhibits in our gallery. Our collection was kicked off with a massive donation from GamePro magazine when it was shittered, and includes prototypes, rare consoles, and thousands of games in English and Japanese.

http://www.themade.org

Just about any weekend in 2014, the MADE is available to SDA to run a marathon. We have Internet, old consoles, streaming equipment, and most importantly: space. We are a registered non-profit, so it would be awesome if the SDA folks could contribute some of the stream donations to the MADE during the event, but it is not a requirement. Mostly, I just want our museum to be able to help build and expand your awesome community. I hope to continue checking this forum for replies, but am not entirely sure if I will remember, so you can contact me at alex @ the URL above if you're in a position to accept such an offer.

Thanks, and keep on gaming!

Kiyura

2013-07-22 06:23:04 pm

Wiiaboo

Quote from VonGuard:

and most importantly: space.

This certainly is important, especially so if we were to hold a larger marathon there. Any chance you could clarify this with rooms, square footages, on-site dorms if any, power outlets, room layouts if unusual? And what's the internet speed?

VonGuard

2013-07-22 06:48:27 pm

Quote from Kiyura:

This certainly is important, especially so if we were to hold a larger marathon there. Any chance you could clarify this with rooms, square footages, on-site dorms if any, power outlets, room layouts if unusual? And what's the internet speed?

We have about 1600 sq ft available for this event, with a second 600 sq foot space across the hall for green-room/ refreshments, etc. The main space is our gallery, and the smaller space is our classroom. We are also in a downtown area in Oakland, near a great burrito place that's open late, and lots of food during the day time. Bars nearby too. While no one can live at the space for the duration, hotels are nearby and about $100 a night (Marriott, Washington Hotel), and 24 hour access to the space is available.

Equipment-wise, we have TV's and projectors, computers and monitors. I'd say a checklist of items needed could be assembled and coordinated with us. But we already have over 50 consoles and over 5000 games on-site.... Newer stuff is what we lack: 360/PS3 and beyond is not our strong suit.

What I would need from the SDA community, ideally, would be a local liaison who could start volunteering at the Museum, to get to know the ropes, and could act as the marathon coordinator, and as the person who, during the marathon, controls the space and keeps order. Not that ya'll are a rowdy bunch, but the MADE would be deeply hurt if any historic items walked off, and thus disinclined to hosting again.

The only other thing we'd need from ya'll would be a date. Barring a local liaison,

Some images:

Try wading through my photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vonguard/7951155192/

[quote="Kiyura"]This certainly is important, especially so if we were to hold a larger marathon there. Any chance you could clarify this with rooms, square footages, on-site dorms if any, power outlets, room layouts if unusual? And what's the internet speed?[/quote]

We have about 1600 sq ft available for this event, with a second 600 sq foot space across the hall for green-room/ refreshments, etc. The main space is our gallery, and the smaller space is our classroom. We are also in a downtown area in Oakland, near a great burrito place that's open late, and lots of food during the day time. Bars nearby too. While no one can live at the space for the duration, hotels are nearby and about $100 a night (Marriott, Washington Hotel), and 24 hour access to the space is available.

Equipment-wise, we have TV's and projectors, computers and monitors. I'd say a checklist of items needed could be assembled and coordinated with us. But we already have over 50 consoles and over 5000 games on-site.... Newer stuff is what we lack: 360/PS3 and beyond is not our strong suit.

What I would need from the SDA community, ideally, would be a local liaison who could start volunteering at the Museum, to get to know the ropes, and could act as the marathon coordinator, and as the person who, during the marathon, controls the space and keeps order. Not that ya'll are a rowdy bunch, but the MADE would be deeply hurt if any historic items walked off, and thus disinclined to hosting again.

The only other thing we'd need from ya'll would be a date. Barring a local liaison,

Some images:
[img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/7951174246_cbea63dd72_b.jpg[/img]
[img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8317/7951167146_75a86a25e3_b.jpg[/img]
[img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7951179954_c366b7e18f_b.jpg[/img]

Try wading through my photos on Flickr: [url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/vonguard/7951155192/[/url]

cak

Edit history:

cak: 2013-07-23 01:54:03 pm

2013-07-23 01:53:54 pm

twitch.tv/ccaakk

Sounds promising. If you guys can get something coordinated, I'm there. Smiley

CrimsonxxMana

2013-07-23 04:49:23 pm

This looks pretty amazing. I would love to see this place being used. Unfortunately for me I live in the UK so I wouldn't be able to come to such an event to watch in person but I would enjoy seeing some speedruns at this place virtually. I'm sure the people attending would be thankful for projectors so they can watch the action more comfortably too.

VonGuard

2013-07-24 05:51:36 pm

No one has contacted me yet...

cak

Edit history:

cak: 2013-07-25 07:18:48 am

2013-07-25 07:16:21 am

twitch.tv/ccaakk

It might be awhile before someone from SDA replies, since they are busy with Summer Games Done Quick (which literally started yesterday) and are barely starting to plan Awesome Games Done Quick (which happens in winter and always on the east coast). Just sayin

VonGuard

2013-07-25 09:57:11 am

Quote from cak:

It might be awhile before someone from SDA replies, since they are busy with Summer Games Done Quick (which literally started yesterday) and are barely starting to plan Awesome Games Done Quick (which happens in winter and always on the east coast). Just sayin

Oooooooh! OK, well, I'm here whenever everyone gets back. Thanks!

pogokeen

2013-07-25 11:51:49 pm

Very very cool -- just browsed your website, the museum looks amazing! Smiley

Love the idea and the approach, more people need to be doing what you guys are doing Smiley

Sorry my post isn't really helpful to the main purpose of the thread, but I really like what you're doing and needed to give my kudos Smiley

iDuL

2013-07-29 02:52:02 pm

I'd love to attend this event. I'd definitely support the cause. I live in the Bay area as well in San Francisco.

My Mom knows this place and agrees it is a real nice place to hold a venue. Make it happen and I will go!!

VonGuard

2013-08-01 06:20:41 pm

Quote from iDuL:

My Mom knows this place and agrees it is a real nice place to hold a venue. Make it happen and I will go!!

Come visit us some weekend so you can verify for the community here that we're legit.

moooh

Edit history:

moooh: 2013-08-02 02:17:30 am

2013-08-02 02:17:01 am

Exoray

Community marathons are, as the name suggests, organized completely by the community. I'm not sure why a response from an SDA staff member would be anticipated. If someone wants to make a community marathon or meetup using your venue I'm sure they'd contact you directly rather than go through us.

sinister1

2013-08-02 09:05:56 am

sinister1

so pro u don't even know

Quote from moooh:

Community marathons are, as the name suggests, organized completely by the community. I'm not sure why a response from an SDA staff member would be anticipated. If someone wants to make a community marathon or meetup using your venue I'm sure they'd contact you directly rather than go through us.

This.

If you had a marathon at your place it would likely be a smaller and shorter one, not a GDQ. Your venue is not equipped for that kind of thing with the amount of growth we have experienced recently. But that does not mean you could not host a non-GDQ event. As moooh said, members of the community will need to step up to be organizers and contact you about it.

CrimsonxxMana

2013-08-12 07:53:19 am

Quote from sinister1:

This.

If you had a marathon at your place it would likely be a smaller and shorter one, not a GDQ. Your venue is not equipped for that kind of thing with the amount of growth we have experienced recently. But that does not mean you could not host a non-GDQ event. As moooh said, members of the community will need to step up to be organizers and contact you about it.

Really? This space looks quite big in the pictures he provided. What is the usual size for venues the GDQ marathons use? I'm not very good with sq ft but 1600 seems fairly large.

26pt2

2013-08-13 12:18:28 am

Zelda

Hey VonGuard! Thank you for posting and offering a cool venue! I am from the Bay Area (East Bay) and my friend told me about your place when he competed in the Street Fighter Tournaments. I know the place is legit but I definitely would love to check out the venue myself. The main issue for speedrunners is not being located in the same geographic area. However, a Bay Area (and hopefully SoCal people) speedrun marathon event would be awesome while feasible. My idea for a possible future event would emphasize co-op since that offers something different than other marathons but requires a great deal of planning. If I were to plan such an event (probably geared towards locals), I would first need to find people who are interested in helping with logistics and then runners that are available.

zex

2013-08-13 12:25:52 am

Checking in from the Bay Area, I live in SF but I get all around. I've heard of your venue and have always meant to check it out. I would be very down with a marathon there and would help in anyway I could to set it up and spread the word with local game heads.

mikwuyma

2013-08-13 12:33:27 am

My feelings on The Demon Rush

This location looks legit with lots of great equipment and games, but the problem is what Sinister1 stated. The space is too small for a GDQ. We had 2000 sq ft for roughly 100 people at SGDQ, and it was barely enough for SGDQ. Honestly, for some of the more popular games when the room was packed, the space was probably too small if anything.

I think this venue would be great for a smaller community marathon, or a theme marathon, but for a GDQ we'll need more space.

vonguard

2013-08-13 07:22:47 pm

Well, I understated.... We have more than 2000 sq ft.... We just opened a new 700 sq ft class room across the hall, and the museum itself was already 2107 sq ft. I was kinda saying we had 1600 sq ft of completely open space, after offices, exhibits, storage, shelves....

I've seen your marathons. We have enough space.

vonguard

2013-08-13 07:26:28 pm

Quote from 26pt2:

Hey VonGuard! Thank you for posting and offering a cool venue! I am from the Bay Area (East Bay) and my friend told me about your place when he competed in the Street Fighter Tournaments. I know the place is legit but I definitely would love to check out the venue myself. The main issue for speedrunners is not being located in the same geographic area. However, a Bay Area (and hopefully SoCal people) speedrun marathon event would be awesome while feasible. My idea for a possible future event would emphasize co-op since that offers something different than other marathons but requires a great deal of planning. If I were to plan such an event (probably geared towards locals), I would first need to find people who are interested in helping with logistics and then runners that are available.

Yeah, just got your email. Co-op would be great. We have the equipment needed to play Zelda 4-swords with GBA's, or Crystal Chronicles, GC. We've got a whole slew of games, so the best bet on that front is to make a list, and we can check to see what we have. I believe we have enough stuff to do things like 4-player Donkey Konga, 2-player Taiko Drum Master, 1-on-1 Steel Batallion 2, 1-on-1 Playstation Red Alert.... The possibilities are endless. Think of stuff that required multi-taps, like General Chaos, Genesis. Also, think of weird controller games, because we have a lot of those, as well.

[quote="26pt2"]Hey VonGuard! Thank you for posting and offering a cool venue! I am from the Bay Area (East Bay) and my friend told me about your place when he competed in the Street Fighter Tournaments. I know the place is legit but I definitely would love to check out the venue myself. The main issue for speedrunners is not being located in the same geographic area. However, a Bay Area (and hopefully SoCal people) speedrun marathon event would be awesome while feasible. My idea for a possible future event would emphasize co-op since that offers something different than other marathons but requires a great deal of planning. If I were to plan such an event (probably geared towards locals), I would first need to find people who are interested in helping with logistics and then runners that are available.[/quote]

Yeah, just got your email. Co-op would be great. We have the equipment needed to play Zelda 4-swords with GBA's, or Crystal Chronicles, GC. We've got a whole slew of games, so the best bet on that front is to make a list, and we can check to see what we have. I believe we have enough stuff to do things like 4-player Donkey Konga, 2-player Taiko Drum Master, 1-on-1 Steel Batallion 2, 1-on-1 Playstation Red Alert.... The possibilities are endless. Think of stuff that required multi-taps, like General Chaos, Genesis. Also, think of weird controller games, because we have a lot of those, as well.

VonGuard

2014-12-19 02:47:18 pm

Quote from VonGuard:

Hello there! I've been watching ya'll hold these community marathons around the world, and thought I should chime in to offer a space in Oakland California for such an event.

We are the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, and we're located in downtown Oakland, near BART. We're dedicated to preserving videogame history, and to teaching the public how games are made. We do this through free programming classes on the weekends, and playable exhibits in our gallery. Our collection was kicked off with a massive donation from GamePro magazine when it was shittered, and includes prototypes, rare consoles, and thousands of games in English and Japanese.

http://www.themade.org

Just about any weekend in 2014, the MADE is available to SDA to run a marathon. We have Internet, old consoles, streaming equipment, and most importantly: space. We are a registered non-profit, so it would be awesome if the SDA folks could contribute some of the stream donations to the MADE during the event, but it is not a requirement. Mostly, I just want our museum to be able to help build and expand your awesome community. I hope to continue checking this forum for replies, but am not entirely sure if I will remember, so you can contact me at alex @ the URL above if you're in a position to accept such an offer.

Thanks, and keep on gaming!

Hey folks, just checking in. It's been over a year since we chatted. Want to set anything up in 2015?

[quote="VonGuard"]Hello there! I've been watching ya'll hold these community marathons around the world, and thought I should chime in to offer a space in Oakland California for such an event.

We are the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, and we're located in downtown Oakland, near BART. We're dedicated to preserving videogame history, and to teaching the public how games are made. We do this through free programming classes on the weekends, and playable exhibits in our gallery. Our collection was kicked off with a massive donation from GamePro magazine when it was shittered, and includes prototypes, rare consoles, and thousands of games in English and Japanese.

http://www.themade.org

Just about any weekend in 2014, the MADE is available to SDA to run a marathon. We have Internet, old consoles, streaming equipment, and most importantly: space. We are a registered non-profit, so it would be awesome if the SDA folks could contribute some of the stream donations to the MADE during the event, but it is not a requirement. Mostly, I just want our museum to be able to help build and expand your awesome community. I hope to continue checking this forum for replies, but am not entirely sure if I will remember, so you can contact me at alex @ the URL above if you're in a position to accept such an offer.

Thanks, and keep on gaming![/quote]

Hey folks, just checking in. It's been over a year since we chatted. Want to set anything up in 2015?

bjw

2014-12-31 03:58:34 am

As someone who lives in the bay, it'd be really neat to see a community marathon hosted at a venue like this. Someone capable just needs to step up and start organizing it; too bad this is also the hardest part.

VonGuard

2014-12-31 01:26:00 pm

Why not just start out with a meetup? Make a date, let me know, see who shows up. Do it on a Saturday, spend the day playing games together and hanging out, see where it goes from there. I would be super psyched to see a once-a-month speedrunners meetup at the MADE.