[Event] Super Sellout Arcade - Next Level Bar!
Hi everyone!
I'm checking in with some pretty major news from the Super Friendship Arcade; announcing our latest side-project as well as an event that should be of interest to Gauteng friends.
Bottom line:
We're flying to Johannesburg for a free punk game arcade, happening on Smit Street in Braamfontein on Thursday night. Yes, I said "free"!
What is the Super Sellout Arcade? If you want the abridged version, check out this article on Between 10and5. Otherwise, here's some info on what we're up to.
For the above linked article, I answered some questions about SSA and what we're doing in Joburg this week. Understandably, very little of my responses landed up in the article. I'm planning to share the whole thing on No Magic Just Magic, but as my best effort explaining why we set up SSA here's a bit from that interview;
"Tell us a bit about Super Sellout Arcade and how it’s different from Super Friendship Arcade.
It’s a spin-off. As SFA, we’re collectively working towards a pretty damn ambitious list of goals. These include such fun things as; exposing experimental, unconventional interactive experiences, helping to grow more diverse game-playing and game-making communities, bringing people together (and pretty much saving The World) through the power of video games!
While our goals are numerous, they’ve never included making money. If Super Friendship Arcade were to have a motto (after “Be excellent to each other”) it could well be “Passion over profit”. All earnings have gone back into the SFA, buying hardware and electronic components for us to build more things. Our community has collectively spent hundreds of hours making games and building hardware, and always done this only for the joy found in creating, and in instilling joy in other people. It’s been beautiful to see such powerful enthusiasm in action. We really feel that creating things fueled entirely by passion leads to the most honest, adventurous and sincere works of art.
Coming from such a fiercely DIY background, it came as quite a surprise to find brands and agencies very eager to work with us. Over the last half of this year we received some very exciting offers to work with other people. While we were flattered by all the attention, and excited by the potential of having some real resources to work with, it created quite a bit of confusion. What would become of our punk rock baby if it were suddenly involved in helping to sell breakfast cereal and sneakers?
The result of this dilemma was the birth of Super Sellout Arcade. Recognizing the great potential for pushing SFA’s own agenda by collaborating with external entities, we set up SSA as a distinct body. We’re incredibly excited about creating new experiences on a far grander scale than we could manage alone. Additionally, we’re also really stoked on the idea of creators getting paid to spend their time making weird, experimental games and controllers – as in the past, there was no way of earning any money by making psychedelic, competitive cat petting simulators. Lastly, we also plan to filter some profits from SSA events back into SFA, empowering us to realise our own dreams on a scale beyond what we could typically achieve.
That’s pretty much it! SFA and SSA are the same people, wanting to blow your mind. The one is 100% independent and DIY, while the other has some extra friends helping us make magic happen!"
If anyone's keen on reading a million more words by me on the subject, I'll have the blog post up soon!
For now, I just wanted to share the good news, encourage you to plan for an awesome night on Thursday, and ask that you please spread the gospel and help bring some new Superfriends into the fold! See you soon Joburg pals!
I'm checking in with some pretty major news from the Super Friendship Arcade; announcing our latest side-project as well as an event that should be of interest to Gauteng friends.
Bottom line:
We're flying to Johannesburg for a free punk game arcade, happening on Smit Street in Braamfontein on Thursday night. Yes, I said "free"!
What is the Super Sellout Arcade? If you want the abridged version, check out this article on Between 10and5. Otherwise, here's some info on what we're up to.
For the above linked article, I answered some questions about SSA and what we're doing in Joburg this week. Understandably, very little of my responses landed up in the article. I'm planning to share the whole thing on No Magic Just Magic, but as my best effort explaining why we set up SSA here's a bit from that interview;
"Tell us a bit about Super Sellout Arcade and how it’s different from Super Friendship Arcade.
It’s a spin-off. As SFA, we’re collectively working towards a pretty damn ambitious list of goals. These include such fun things as; exposing experimental, unconventional interactive experiences, helping to grow more diverse game-playing and game-making communities, bringing people together (and pretty much saving The World) through the power of video games!
While our goals are numerous, they’ve never included making money. If Super Friendship Arcade were to have a motto (after “Be excellent to each other”) it could well be “Passion over profit”. All earnings have gone back into the SFA, buying hardware and electronic components for us to build more things. Our community has collectively spent hundreds of hours making games and building hardware, and always done this only for the joy found in creating, and in instilling joy in other people. It’s been beautiful to see such powerful enthusiasm in action. We really feel that creating things fueled entirely by passion leads to the most honest, adventurous and sincere works of art.
Coming from such a fiercely DIY background, it came as quite a surprise to find brands and agencies very eager to work with us. Over the last half of this year we received some very exciting offers to work with other people. While we were flattered by all the attention, and excited by the potential of having some real resources to work with, it created quite a bit of confusion. What would become of our punk rock baby if it were suddenly involved in helping to sell breakfast cereal and sneakers?
The result of this dilemma was the birth of Super Sellout Arcade. Recognizing the great potential for pushing SFA’s own agenda by collaborating with external entities, we set up SSA as a distinct body. We’re incredibly excited about creating new experiences on a far grander scale than we could manage alone. Additionally, we’re also really stoked on the idea of creators getting paid to spend their time making weird, experimental games and controllers – as in the past, there was no way of earning any money by making psychedelic, competitive cat petting simulators. Lastly, we also plan to filter some profits from SSA events back into SFA, empowering us to realise our own dreams on a scale beyond what we could typically achieve.
That’s pretty much it! SFA and SSA are the same people, wanting to blow your mind. The one is 100% independent and DIY, while the other has some extra friends helping us make magic happen!"
If anyone's keen on reading a million more words by me on the subject, I'll have the blog post up soon!
For now, I just wanted to share the good news, encourage you to plan for an awesome night on Thursday, and ask that you please spread the gospel and help bring some new Superfriends into the fold! See you soon Joburg pals!
Comments
@Mexicanopiumdog - lat night press launch was awesome. Will report back on the main event tonight after it happens!
In the build up to the event, 10and5 published the full interview with me! You can read it here!
Hoping to see as many MGSA faces as possible at The Arcade tonight!