Atari Party 2015

May 2nd, 2015 — 12pm-5pm — Yolo County Public Library, Mary L Stephens Davis branch — Davis, CA

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Prizes

Thanks to our many sponsors, we will be holding a free prize drawing again this year! Attendees will be given raffle tickets (they're free!), and will have the chance to win prizes.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, items are used and pre-owned. (But hey, they're free!)

When
4:00pm
How It Works
Since we have a number of prizes that are meant for specific platforms (e.g., "Space Harrier" cartridge for Atari 8-bit and RGB-to-Component video converter for Atari ST), attendees will be able to pick which kind of prize they'd like a chance at winning (so they don't go home with something they can't use).

Attendees will each receive two raffle tickets (for free!), and can choose which category/ies of prize(s) they want a chance at winning. (e.g., if you really want an Atari 8-bit item, you could put both tickets in the "A8" category, to double your chance at winning one).

Attendees break each of their two tickets in half, retaining one half of each, and placing the other halves in receptacles for the category of prize(s) they want a chance at winning.

During the drawing, ticket halves will be drawn from the receptacles, and their numbers will be called. Attendees with the matching ticket half win. In situations where more than one prize is available in a category, the first winner in that category gets first pick, the second winner gets to choose from what's left, etc.
Rules
The prize drawing is free. Attendees receive raffle tickets upon entry, up until the time of the drawing. You must be present during the drawing to claim your prize — if no one claims a prize, another ticket will be drawn.

Category A8

Prizes suitable for owners of Atari 8-bit series of computers (400, 800, XL, XE).

Space Harrier game on AtariMax MaxFlash cartridge for Atari 8-bit
Space Harrier title screenSpace Harrier game screenAtariMax Maxflash 1MB Flash Cartridge

Paul Westphal, of Eight Bit Fix, has donated a copy of Space Harrier, an amazing conversion of the 1980s Sega arcade game to the Atari XL/XE line of 8-bit home computers. It's installed on an AtariMax Maxflash programmable cartridge. New!

Category A16

Prizes suitable for owners of Atari 16/32-bit series of computers (ST, TT, Falcon).

Atari ST RGB-to-Component Video Converter

Sal, of the Northwest Retro Computing and Video Game Club in northern Oregon/southern Washington, has created a device that converts Atari ST's RGB video output into modern component video, which will be sold by Video 61 & Atari Sales.

It works on all Atari ST, STe, TT (with 13pin Adapter), and Falcon (with 13pin Adapter) Systems, and no RF modulator is required. New!

Atari SLM804 Laser Printer

Bob Conner, friend of Atari Party, donated an Atari SLM804 laser printer, along with an SLMC804 controller (for connecting to later STs' ASCI ports), and a toner cartridge.

Category E

Prizes most anyone would want; no classic computer necessary.

Retro Link Atari to PC USB Cable

Rob McMullen, of the Player/Missile Podcast (dedicated to video games for, and the history of, the Atari 8-bit line of home computers) has donated some USB cables that allow Atari-style joysticks to connect to PCs via USB. New!

Raspberry Pi Model B computer

Rob McMullen, host of the Player/Missile Podcast, is also donating the Raspberry Pi Model B that he's bringing to Atari Party, as a prize give-away!

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It is a capable little computer which can be used in electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games — including emulating Atari systems, like the 2600 (via Stella), the 5200 and 8-bit computers (via Atari800), and more! (The Model B is the higher-spec variant of the Raspberry Pi, with 512MB of RAM, two USB ports and a 100Mb Ethernet port.)

Photo: CC SA 3.0, Tors @ WikiMedia Commons

Atari VCS/2600 & games

John Reed and Bob Conner, friends of Atari Party, kindly bestowed a pair of Atari VCS/2600 game systems to Bill Kendrick, party coordinator. The working parts have been assembled into this mega prize package, which includes:

Advanced Gravis Switch Joystick

Zach Johnson, friend of Atari Party, is donating an Advanced Gravis Switch Joystick, for use with systems compatible with Atari joysticks (Atari 2600 & 7800, Atari 8-bit and 16/32-bit home computers, Commodore 64 and Amiga, Sega Master System & Genesis, etc.) or with modern computers using Atari-to-USB solutions like Stelladapter!

Terrible Nerd

Terrible Nerd is tech journalist-turned-Web publisher Kevin Savetz' biography of personal computing, gaming, and online adventures as a child in the 80s, and follows the author as an Internet pioneer in the early 90s and into his present-day Web success. New!

The Art of Video Games, plus autographed book plate

David Maddox, friend of Atari Party, has donated a copy of The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect, a beautiful, 216 page, 10"x10" hardcover book. Full of images of, and information about, four decades of video games, it was conceived by the curator of the Art of Video Games exhibit held in 2012 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

Chris Melissinos, author of The Art of Video Games has kindly offered to send a signed book plate to the winner of the book, too!

JavaScript for Kids

No Starch Press, publishers of fine computing books, has donated a copy of JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming, a lighthearted introduction that teaches programming essentials through patient, step-by-step examples paired with funny illustrations, all using JavaScript, the programming language of the Internet — the secret sauce that makes the Web awesome, your favorite sites interactive, and online games fun. New!

Super Scratch Programming Adventure!

No Starch Press, publishers of fine computing books, has also donated a copy of Super Scratch Programming Adventure!: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games, a full-color comic book that teaches kids programming fundamentals as they make their very own playable video games. This book uses Scratch, a free programming environment designed by the MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group, and designed especially for ages 8 to 16. New!

Digital Game Museum t-shirt

The Digital Game Museum, headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, preserves, presents, and studies the history and evolution of digital games and explores the impact of games on individuals, communities, and society. Show off your interest in video game history by wearing a DGM t-shirt! (And don't forget to become a supporter of the Digital Game Museum!) New!

Atari Goodies

Philip Louie is bringing some Atari goodies (swag), which will most likely be given away as individual items. It includes:

PixelBlocks

PixelBlocks were small plastic blocks that are representative of pixels. They can be linked together to form both 2D and 3D shapes.

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"Atari" is a registered trademark of Atari, Inc. All other trademarks or service marks are the property of their respective owners. This event is not sponsored or endorsed by the Yolo County public library.