The biggest name to come to the California
- Extreme Event -
From the 1980's "Vid Kidz" production team,
Eugene Jarvis
Update: Here is a video Eugene Jarvis and making of Defender: Link
Hours to be open for free pinball and video game play:
July 8, 2006 Saturday 11 AM - Midnight
July 9, 2006 Sunday 11 AM - 9 PM
Those who pre-register get in at 10:30 AM
All pre-registration tickets will be picked
up at the registration counter
California Extreme is celebrating
their 10th Year of celebrating Classic
pinball and video games
The World Famous Pinball Rodeo has been brought back as well!
Billy Mitchell has had a poster created for this California Extreme Event Link
Eugene Jarvis - Lead Speaker
Eugene Jarvis - Creator of Defender
Some really big names are coming to California Extreme in San Jose to speak
including Eugene Jarvis born in 1955, was a UC Berkeley graduate and good
FORTRAN programmer in the mid 1970's. Jarvis got his first big break from
Nolan Bushnell at Atari in 1977, signing on as a pinball game programmer.
He began to program video games in assembly language and worked his way up
to a legendary programmer from the original "Vid Kidz" design firm and production
team, which created the giant classic games from the Golden Era of video games
in the 1980's. Some of these games he helped design and create were Defender
- the first horizontally scrolling game, which was such a big hit that
Defender sold over 60,000 arcade games. Other achievements of Eugene Jarvis are
Robotron, NARC, Smash TV and the Cruis'n driving series. Midway's Games
(Cruis'n USA" and the sequel, "Cruis'n World."). If it wasn't for his interest
in mastering "Space War" in the basement of his classroom laboratory, he may
never had gone into the business of programming video games for Atari.
"Robotron" was programmed in three days. The game was inspired by the immortal
arcade robot game "Berzerk".
That's not all, he also worked on pins as well. His most popular hand in software
was in the sound development for the classic pinball High Speed, as well as
F-14 Tomcat, and Firepower. Steve Ritchie of Williams Pinball, was perhaps the
greatest pinball designer of all time and Eugene Jarvis always tried to live up
to those high standards.
Even in the modern era Eugene Jarvis is producing huge amounts of quality work
with the recent creation of the popular modern coin-operated video game
"Target Terror", and "The Fast and the Furious" with his own studio, Raw Thrills, Inc.
Get the inside scoop as Eugene Jarvis spills some secrets from the 80's and
he has a lot to tell including the information on the development of
his famous Robotron game and others from his long line of creations in the 1980's.
He will also tell you what he thinks the outlook is like in the field of video games
and what his future plans will be in this industry.
We'll take a walk down memory lane as he will spin the true tale of what it was
like to be the first to do almost everything in the fledging new industry of the
early 1980's called the coin-operated video game industry.
Eugene Jarvis receeived the Lifetime achievement award at the Game Developers'
Conference in 2005.
Other events will be that of the Video Game Tips and Tricks Panel which
will tell you how to master those old classic games.
The pinball Tournament will be going on strong with Masters Points for those
who need to up their world ranking with a few more points.
Will the mystery man show up to Compete at Califorina Extreme 2006?
The Prodigy Player - Mystery Man
He has been showing up at different locations around the country and decimating
the competition. We'll just have to wait and see if he will show up.
California Extreme Pacmania/Spy Hunter High Score Contest
Pacmania & Spy Hunter High Score Contest
The New Paul Dean Spy Hunter/Pacmania Video Game High Score Tournament on
Spy Hunter and Pacmania with (8) cash prizes for those who are in the highest
four places on each game.
Who is Paul Dean? Paul Dean was published in the 1986 Guinness Book of World Records
for the World Record of Spy Hunter and has recently played a 41 hour game of
Frenzy, at the Legends of the Golden Age Tournament in December of 2005 at Humble, Tx.,
putting him in the small group of people who have marathoned a video game for
over 40 hours and having a world record stand for over 20 years as well as having
the largest deviation of scores between first and second place, that being 90%
higher than the second place score on spy hunter.
Link Walter Day and Dwayne Richard have verified Paul Dean's World Record
scores
and have witnessed Paul Dean play in person at Humble, Texas.
Why Play the Paul Dean Spy Hunter/Pacmania California Extreme Event on July 8, 2006?
To take some cold hard cash from Paul Dean, and to win have fun competing!
Win Paul Dean's Money - Spy Hunter & Pacmania High Score Competition
Cash Prizes
There are Eight Cash Prizes for this event. First Place through Fourth
place on both Spy Hunter and Pacmania are in the money!
Spy Hunter/Pacmania High Score Competition Cash Prizes:
Spy Hunter High Scores: Pacmania High Scores:
1st Place Winner will receive $50.00 1st Place Winner will receive $50.00
2nd Place Winner will receive $25.00 2nd Place Winner will receive $25.00
3rd Place Winner will receive $15.00 3rd Place Winner will receive $15.00
4th Place Winner will receive $10.00 4th Place Winner will receive $10.00
Lots and lots of new speakers as well as old standby speakers will be there
on Saturday and Sunday July 8, 2006 - July 9, 2006 as well as over
400 pinball/video games.
There will also be the "How to Play Pinball" presentation by the world top players such
as Bowen Kerins and Jim Belsito.
To many great things are going on, so you do not want to miss the Califorinia Extreme
event which is from July 8, 2006 - July 9, 2006. There are many world record holders
milling about in which you could probably watch and get a strategy or two from them.
The California Extreme Schedule for July 8-9, 2006
California Extreme, is holding their big 10th Anniversary Show this July 8-9, 2006
and are pleased to announce the following speaker schedule for this event:
4:00 PM & 7:00 PM Saturday, 12:00 Noon Sunday "How to Play Pinball" - Clinic with
pinball champs Bowen Kerins and Jim Belsito. Learn the tricks and techniques -
straight from the wizards themselves! Note, these seminars will be held in the
lobby! These two players are Ranked as World Master Players and are both in the
top 10 for World Masters Points.
Throughout the show, the Wild West Pinball Rodeo. Dann Frank and the Pinball Rodeo
will once again make an appearance at California Extreme. Try out some of the zany,
modified machines to see how you do! Some flippers are designed to be used with
your feet only. There is also Tag Team Pinball and many other unique type of
pinball modifications on this equipment. You have to think about pinball differently
when you play these games.
12:00 PM Noon Saturday
The Making of Robotron - Eugene Jarvis
Eugene Jarvis is well-known to classic video arcade gamers as part of the
"Vid Kidz" team who developed some of the most popular arcade games of all
time, including ever-popular favorites such as Defender, Robotron, and the
Cruis'n driving series. He has also had a hand in software and sound development
for such classic pinballs as High Speed, F-14 Tomcat, and Firepower. Eugene
continues to be very active in the arcade field creating many very successful
modern coin-operated Blockbuster video games including Target Terror and
The Fast and the Furious as part of his own studio, Raw Thrills, Inc.
He will give the inside story of the making of Robotron, giving tales from
the video game industry from its small beginnings with just a few programmers,
to its huge corporate business it is today.
1:00 PM Saturday
Atari Panel - Al Alcorn, Eugene Jarvis, Steve Ritchie, Ed Rotberg, Owen Rubin
Legends of the pinball and video game industry meet up in what is sure to be
another lively discussion. These are the people who have created the games we
all love - hear them discuss the stories behind the creation of those games.
They are a returning venue that always pack the house!
2:30 PM Saturday
The return of Video Game Expert Panel!
Join a panel of classic coin-operated video game experts as they offer a variety
of tips, tricks, and strategies on some of your favorite video games. These
guys have been playing the classics and honing their skills for over 2 decades
now. Several classics will be discussed including Tempest, Centipede, Frogger,
Moon Patrol, Pengo, Indiana Jones, and even some not as well-known classics
such Tutankham and The Glob. These tips, tricks and secrets may open up a
new high score for those who were at first stumbling with some of these
big titles. Sometimes its just one thing that prevents you from a breakthrough,
and now the secret is out!
4:00 PM Saturday
Artists Group - Jean Baudin, Ed Cassell, Dan Fontes, and Kevin Tiell
Arcades, their environment, and the games they contain have been a big influence
on popular culture. See and hear how these artists have taken that influence
and turned it into expression of their own.
Blue-collar times
Anyone who remembers Playland is wistful, or maybe just nostalgic, for the gritty,
blue-collar San Francisco. "It wasn't just toys for the rich. It was toys for everyone,"
said Dan Fontes, a muralist working in El Cerrito on a large rendering of Playland and
the surrounding area. Playland Article Link
Jean Baudin has created nine string bass guitars with arcade inspired looks,
and developed a distinctive style of playing to express melodies from the
arcade as well as original music. You won't believe what Jean can make the bass do!
Ed Cassell and Dan Fontes have created murals for Playland-Not-at-the-Beach and
other public places - not to mention the amazing pinball floor at the former For
Amusement Only in Berkeley. Hear about the process of creating a mural that meets
the needs of the location and how the artist expresses that need.
Kevin Tiell has developed a series of pinball-eye-view photographs using a
macro lense, that show a side of the pinball game you may have never considered.
He will be discussing his approach to making these beautiful photographs that
you can practically walk into.
5:00 PM Saturday
"Playland-Not-at-the-Beach" - Richard Tuck
Several decades ago California had a bevy of seaside amusement parks stretching
from San Diego to San Francisco. Today only the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk exists.
The most beloved park in Northern California was Whitney's Playland at the Beach
which lasted from 1928 to 1972.
This year a non-profit family fun center / museum is opening in the Bay Area
commemorating all the bygone amusement centers of the past.
Laffing Sal
Photo Link
Titled Playland-Not-at-the-Beach, the museum features memorabilia and attractions
from Playland as well as Sutro's Baths and the Cliff House (which were also owned
by the Whitney family). Highlights of this family fun center / museum are Circus
World (featuring the West Coast's largest hand-carved miniature circus),
Santa's Village (commemorating another defunct Northern California park),
Dark Mystery (celebrating spooky dark rides), a Penny Arcade, a large pinball
arcade with classic and modern machines, the Carousel Carnival (win a stuffed
animal!), and two Laughing Sals, two 2-headed babies and the world's only 4000-year
old farting mummy! Admission to this amazing place will be free, and all the games
are set on free play. In this presentation the Master of Fun Richard Tuck will
give us a behind-the-scenes tour of what's to come. All of the wonders were originally
very close to the San Francisco Sutro Baths with large interiors, and Cliff House.
6:00 PM Saturday
"The Future of Pinball" Documentary: Meet the Director Greg Maletic and Greg Dunlap
In 1998 pinball was dying, thanks to a saturated market and shrinking player base.
Williams, the world's largest pinball manufacturer, was considering abandoning the
game in favor of the more lucrative video slot machine business. "The Future of Pinball"
is a documentary that tells the story of "Pinball 2000," a clever attempt at
resuscitating pinball that failed just at the moment a lot of people thought it
might succeed. A "Soul of a New Machine" for the pinball world, "The Future of
Pinball" is a compendium of interviews with legends of the pinball industry, photos,
and films of the best games the industry has produced.
It's a story about personality and passion, of bold success dizzyingly followed
by stunning failure.
Come meet the Director of "The Future of Pinball", Greg Maletic, where he'll show
clips, discuss the making of the film and the release of the upcoming DVD. Former
Williams employee and pinball software designer Greg Dunlap is expected to also
be on-hand to tell his story of the demise of pinball at Williams.
9:00 PM Saturday
"Mechanical Monsters" - Ken and TJ
Get a peek at the guts of some of the odd mechanical machines at the show to see
what makes 'em tick, click, buzz, bang, sing, and clang. If you have a machine
you would like to open up and discuss, let us know and we'll be happy to include
your knowledge in the presentation. Meet up in the lobby to join this group.
2:30 PM Sunday
“Atari Film Festival” – Scott Evans.
The Atari Film Festival returns with fresh footage unearthed from the archives
featuring some great commercials, game test footage, and the height of fashion
sensibilities!
For more information, please see our website at www.caextreme.org. This schedule
is subject to change without notice.
The Extreme Team
The opinions and views expressed by the speakers are solely those of the speakers
and are not necessarily the opinions of California Extreme.
California Extreme expressly disclaims any knowledge of the opinions expressed
in the presentations.
Thank you,
Paul Dean, Spy Hunter Champion, June 28, 1985
The Fender Museum
365 North Main Street
Corona, CA 92880
951.735.2440
