Hacker Arcade

The result of too much time on your hands and piles of old hardware

The hacker arcade is entering its fifth year, and we want this to be the best year so far. The arcade was originally intended to be a high-tech version of Chuck-E-Cheese. The basic idea is that people would build custom arcade games that spit out crypto tokens onto USB dongles based on how good the player did at the game.

While we still have the crypto code, and some folks still build crypto-enabled games, the arcade has sort of morphed into a "make a cool game that's never been made before, drag it to DC, and show it off to 1500 people." So this year we'd like to encourage creativity as much as the crypto tokens. And based on advanced intel, it seems like some very creative games are going to be making it to ShmooCon 2010

The games in years past have been pretty impressive. In no particular order, we've had:

This year, we're looking for even better games. There's still rumor of some phantom wii-controlled physical projectiles making an appearance. If you're interested and have a game idea, start building now while you still have time and contact arcade@shmoocon.org for info on the ticket generation code (and so we can make arrangements for your game).

NOTE: This is a charitable endeavor. In years past folks have used coin slots as the primary means of getting money to start the game. It turns out, quarters are a lousy way to make money for charities. If you're making a game, please try to include ways to take bills... or to forcibly steal the player's wallet.

The Security:

We care about your stuff, no we really do. Some of our own stuff is there too, so staff will be on hand to keep an eye on everything. But we know there's gonna be devices with lots of cables/controllers hanging around. We suggest either a) staple the controllers to the box or b) be prepared to write off any losses.

The Proceeds:

We're not in this to make a profit, so all proceeds from arcade machines will go to a charitable cause.

Prizes for the Players:

Based on how many tickets you can rack up, you can get some pretty bitchin' prizes. In years past we've had some pretty nice schwag to give away. I'm sure we'll have something similar this year.

Prizes for the Entrants:

The entry deemed "most 31337" will get an awesome prize tbd.

The Judging:

At the end of the con, we'll judge the arcade entries and decide which was the best. The judging is completely fair and unbiased (read: bribes go a long way). So get those checkbooks out and look for gdead and l0l0 at the con. Seriously, the judging is pretty simple: The cooler the game, the better your chances. And while you don't have to implement our USB crypto code, it sure helps your chances of winning if you do.

Don't worry, there are some bonus points to be had:

There may be other prizes for other entries. There may be spankings for those that just bring in an Xbox and a TV. So if that's your thing... well your course of action is clear.

Questions?

Anyone interested in entering a machine (or two or three) into the hacker arcade, there are bound to be questions (including transportation, setup, tear down, etc...) should email us at arcade@shmoocon.org.