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3,000 gamers compete in video game festivalEL PASO, Aug 02, 2009 (El Paso Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Video games just aren't what they used to be. "Pac-Man" and "Ms. Pac-Man" lost their throne many years, and new more sophisticated and challenging games have been created, including "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band." Such new games attracted as many as 3,000 gamers to the Battle of the Video Rock Stars: Video Game Festival, which took place Saturday in the automotive center at Western Technical College. Some of gamers, about 640, battled to win a 2012 KIA Soul on "Guitar Hero," a game in which participants play a guitar and are awarded points for each note of a song they hit. The songs included "Cult of Personality," by the funk band Living Colour, and "Bark at the Moon," by Ozzy Osbourne. Cliff Williams, the executive producer, said the gamers deserved to enjoy their lifestyle of playing video games -- sometimes all day. "I wouldn't say I encourage him (son) to play," Dora Veracruz said. "But I definitely think it's good for his mind's agility and there's some good to it because it sharpens his senses. I do try to balance him with going outside and other things he needs outside of video games." Veracruz's son, William, 11, was joined by two of his gaming friends. He was not the only preteen accompanied by a parent -- many adults joined in. "We came with another couple for the Wii games because those are fun for us," said Paige Gunderson. "There's not a lot of stuff like this in El Paso, and I hope they keep it going because there's a bigger crowd nowadays that get into this and it's nice to see everyone get into." A main "Guitar Hero" stage was set up with a big screen TV and PS3 for two players to compete for the highest score. Tables were set for Halo, PC games, Wii skiing, bowling, tennis, UFC, Madden and Mario Kart. Rock bands battled for a $1,000 gift certificate. Ultimate Fighting Championship star Mike Swick joined the UFC arena to sign autographs and photos. "My day went pretty good," said Alex Herrera, 13. "I wasn't expecting to win the car. I was just excited I even made it past the first round. I play about three hours a week, and I think this is a good day to keep kids off the streets." The winner of the KIA Soul was Sherman "Pocket" Tovar, with a score of 433,052 on "Trooper" by Iron Maiden on level Expert. Pink Rivera may be reached at [email protected] or 546-6194. To see more of the El Paso Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.elpasotimes.com. Copyright (c) 2009, El Paso Times, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |