If you happen to live near the ACMI (pro tip: It’s in Melbourne) and have a keen interest in the history of art in games, then you should contemplate paying the institution a visit. Ramocki will be in attendance to field questions, so it’s definitely worth the effort.

DJ Trip will also be at the premiere. Trip has a love of 8-bit music, which is why he’ll be back at the ACMI on May 4 for Game-O-Rama.

Read on to see a special document designed to inform one of the specifics of this event. A press release, in other words.

8 BIT: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ART AND VIDEOGAMES (USA) – Australian premiere screening 24 April, at ACMI

Q & A by director Marcin Ramocki (New York) / 8 Bit live performance by DJ Trip (AUS): http://www.acmi.net.au/gameon_8bit.aspx

8 Bit is the new feature from New York-based director Marcin Ramocki, chronicling the relatively recent history of video game-based art. The film had its world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art and voted by ArtForum as one of the year’s ten best films.

What is “8 Bit”?
Best known as music form – 8 Bit artists use vintage videogame technology such as the Commodore 64 and the Atari 2600 to create the music. The 8 Bit genre has a long history dating back to the early ’80s, with bands such as Kraftwek who included videogame blips and beeps in their famous song “Computer world”. These days, 8 Bit has a world wide dedicated following – not only are there several websites dedicated to this artform, but 8 Bit events attract substantial crowds, particularly in Europe where over 5000 people might attend an live 8 Bit performance or festival.This current interest in 8 Bit music is not surprising given that many of the people making music now are in their ’20s & 30s and grew up playing games and have a huge nostalgic fondness for them, plus working versions of old videogames, computers and consoles have serious collectable cache these days given their rarity and enormous retro value.

Marcin will be in Melbourne for the premiere and will be conducted an audience Q & A after the event.

The screening of 8 Bit on April 24 will also feature a special set from DJ Trip, one of Australia’s best known exponents of ‘8 Bit’ music (both as composer and DJ). DJ Trip is shortly launching his new EP ‘Sid Vicious’, featuring a stack of tunes created with the good old Commodore, the Amiga and the Nintendo Game Boy.

DJ Trip returns to Melbourne in May:
• On Sun 4 May for Game-O-Rama (ACMI) on May, a day-long event for videogame collectors (organised to coincide with Game On), where he will perform and also be one of the guest speakers (see http://www.acmi.net.au/gameon_gameorama.aspx )
• On Thurs 8 May at The Corner, supporting John Foxx (ex-Ultravox, UK)

[Thanks, king_e_dawg]

We are proud to announce our upcoming documentary, E.T.’s March. Over the course of a week this March, we will go on a road trip from Auburn, AL, to El Paso, TX. From there, we will take the actual path those fourteen trucks took that fateful day, into the heart of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Along the way, we will take in the video game culture of our great country. The documentary will be released for free via the internet this summer.

Good luck guys! Hopefully this doesn’t turn out to be another Al Capone’s Vault.

E.T.’s March Official Site

Discovery’s Rise of the Videogame Web Page [Discovery Channel]

The Sci Fi Channel’s special on Bioware’s Mass Effect is airing tonight, giving fence-sitters an extra-half hour’s worth of information—and, no doubt, glowing praise—on the space epic. The special is definitely airing at 11 PM in both the EST and PST time zones, but folks in every region should check their local listings for specific times. The reason? It’s airing in some regions at 8. The first act is available for preview above.

Cave Story in the Making [TIGSource]

As opposed to a standard “History Of” documentary, the series takes a look at how the social and political climate shaped games and game designers in the 70s through present day. The first episode will premiere on Wednesday, November 21 at 8 PM (ET/PT) with new episodes to follow every Wednesday night through December 19th. If you want more details on each episode, you can read the press release after the jump.

Discovery Channel Examines the History and Impact of Videogames in New Special RISE OF THE VIDEOGAME

Put down the joystick in favour of the remote control and join Discovery Channel for a pixel-by-pixel exploration of the history of videogames in the new, five-part special RISE OF THE VIDEOGAME premiering Wednesday, November 21 at 8 PM (ET/PT).

RISE OF THE VIDEOGAME captures the (r)evolution of videogames from the early 1970s and the days when Atari ruled through today, examining how the videogame industry has changed and how videogame entertainment is created, produced, marketed and distributed.

Level One
U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, November 21 at 8 PM (ET/PT)

The videogame started not with a bang but with a ping. Unlike other forms of entertainment, videogames turn the viewer into a player who actively shapes the outcome of their experience. At first video games and the creators were as misunderstood by the public as rock & roll in its infancy. But those closest to the videogame business persevered and never lost sight of the ability videogames had to become a dominant form of entertainment.

Level Two
U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, November 28 at 8 PM (ET/PT)

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, instead of controlling spaceships and tennis rackets, videogame technology allowed players to command recognisable characters with real faces and back stories. This paralleled the importance of the hero’s journey that was popular in movies of the time like “Rocky” and “Star Wars,” as well as mirrored the rise of individualism and conservative meritocracy, where one man can make a difference. Game creators were liberated to create more complex videogames with heroic journeys, and Japanese creators like Shigeru Miyamoto rose to prominence with star characters Super Mario, Luigi and Zelda.

Level Three
U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, December 5 at 8 PM (ET/PT)

It was a foreign concept to early game designers but with games like “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” and “DOOM”, video games grew from their primitive 2-D roots into richly detailed 3-D worlds. These groundbreaking 3-D games led the industry down new paths both thrilling and troubling. Critics questioned if these games were getting too real, too violent and too addictive. For the first time game designers had to grapple with tough questions.

Level Four
U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, December 12 at 8 PM (ET/PT)

Since the invention of the computer man has feared “the machine” and its ability to think. But a computer’s unique computational power has also led to the development of seminal games that are unpredictable, intelligent and malleable. “God games” like SimCity and Civilization simulate entire worlds and let players experiment with cause and effect. Other designers have used artificial intelligence to create lifelike characters and worlds that shape themselves to each player. And some games are so technologically advanced that they have become tools for learning, or better yet, creative expression.

Level Five
U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, December 19 at 8 PM (ET/PT)

Can a computer game make you cry? With the introduction of PlayStation 2’s “emotion engine” in 1999 game developers had the technology to enable deep, moving stories that tugged at gamers’ heartstrings. The rise of online virtual world games added another emotional dimension, letting players make real connections (including marriages) through a virtual game and helping them escape a world rife with violence and terror.
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