OK, springtime is approaching, and you're probably getting antsy: your wrists itching to grasp an arcade joystick, your index finger jabbing out a constant fire-button-pressing motion. Easy there, pal.

Normally this is about the time we'd be making our next show announcement, but unfortunately a Spring 2012 SC3 arcade party is not in the cards. It's that old "Real Life" thing coming up again, and the demands of family, jobs and home life are making the prospect of hauling around 34 arcade machines look less appealing than usual. So we've decided not to throw a Spring arcade show. We do have tentative plans for a show later in the year, but the date is not yet final. The idea of hosting a smaller console-themed event has also been floated, but as of now there's nothing definite. We'll update this site as soon as any plans are made.

Thanks for your patience and we hope to see you again sometime in 2012!

SC3's latest show took place at Alhambra's Nucleus Gallery on October 1, 2011, as over 200 attendees, 33 vintage coin-ops, 17 classic home consoles and one 1982 Tron VFD tabletop crowded the floor for 12 hours of nonstop gaming. This was the second time SC3 had brought its brand of retro-tinged video game revelry to Nucleus, and the first time that we (mostly) knew what we were doing there. We daresay things felt more organized this time. Several pieces of videogame-inspired artwork were on display, courtesy of a talented cadre of local artists. Artistry of the musical variety, featuring 8 Bit Weapon, ComputeHer and virt, was on display during the latter part of the show. Yes, plenty of artistic flair was visible at our latest event; we even had T-shirts. Read all about it in our October 1 Show Recap. Thanks to all our attendees, friends and volunteers for making the latest SC3 show a success!

As is usually the case right after a show, the exact date of the next SC3 event is to be announced. We aim for one show roughly every six months, but nothing is set in stone yet. Please keep an eye on the Future Meeting Page and SC3 Forums for announcements as they are made.

In all the years we've been hosting SC3 gaming events, the most frequent request we've heard (other than holding our events more often) is for SC3 T-shirts. Every time, we keep hearing the refrain: "Why don't you have T-shirts?!? I want a T-shirt!" Seriously, it's like you have a fear of empty closet space or something. Well, we are finally answering your heartfelt pleas. Announcing the first-ever SC3 T-shirt:

Featuring the great work of our design master Geoff, and inspired by the arcade classic Zoo Keeper, this elegant apparel is guaranteed to cover your torso in style! The theme of this tee is "Breakin' Out of the Backyard," a reference to earlier SC3 events when we crammed way too many people and game machines into an unfortunate backyard in Claremont. With Nucleus Gallery's help, we've grown beyond that. The T-shirt is a way to commemorate this achievement, which all of our friends have made possible.

T-shirts are available in S/M/L/XL/XXL. The cost is $20 apiece. You may order them online through the Nucleus Store or buy them on the show floor on October 1. Quantities are limited!

It took us a long time to get there, but SC3 finally arrived at the Nucleus gallery in Alhambra, CA, on March 5 – loaded with over 30 arcade machines, 18 home consoles and monitors, and about a dozen '80s electronic tabletop games. This event was SC3's first gathering since April 24 of 2010. We realize that nearly a year is an awfully long time to go without arcading, but we needed the time to prepare for SC3's first-ever event at a public venue. We believe it was worth the wait! At 12 hours, this event was double the length of previous SC3 meetings and featured an expanded selection of retro games, live chiptune music, 60 square feet of Robotron, and a live quiz-show-style contest. Read all about it in our March 5 Event Recap.

The SC3 organizers always wish to thank all the friends, family, performers and benefactors who help make our shows a reality. This time the list is almost too long. Thanks to i-Mockery, "Glassware" quizmaster Dave and lighting tech Jeff, all the Nucleus staff, GameGavel, Jason, Rik, Robert, Van, the chiptune artists, Chris and Katia, and anybody else who helped. We couldn't do it without you!

As you might imagine, we're pretty worn out after putting the Nucleus show together. We learned a lot of things too – and not just from playing Professor Pac-Man. We need time to recover and process everything before announcing the next event. As always, keep an eye on the Future Meeting Page and SC3 Forums for announcements as they become available.