Other SC3 Attractions
Guitar Hero and Rock Band
The second "C" in SC3 may stand for "Classic," but that doesn't mean that modern games have no place at our events. And if ever there were any modern games tailor-made for us, it would have to be the instant-classics Guitar Hero and Rock Band. These games don't need an introduction; you know them, you've played them, you know they're great. And you know they're even better when played with fellow rockers. And on a 65" HDTV, or projected at larger-than-life sizes. And with custom instruments and hardware. And with hundreds of tracks available.
In past meetings, we've had drum kits with real bass pedals. We've had multiple music games running simultaneously, each one available at the flick of a switch. We've had deluxe Peak guitars and swag, wireless mics, and Singstar: Queen -- six months before the U.S. release! We've had literally hundreds of playable tracks preloaded and ready to rock. Trust us, you haven't played Rock Band until you've played Rock Band at SC3. And there's never a shortage of potential bandmates!
Game Trading
The third "C" in SC3 stands for "Collectors," which is what we really are, at heart. A bunch of folks who collect videogames -- some arcade, some home consoles, mostly classics -- and who are always on the lookout for something new to add to our collections. It's the reason SC3 was organized in the first place: to give fellow collectors a place to come together, play games, and swap carts. That spirit is still alive and well at SC3 over 10 years later.
Every meeting, we strongly encourage all collectors to bring their duplicates and extras and put them up for sale or trade. As a result, at every meeting we have an eclectic mix of stuff on the block. Atari 2600 and NES carts, arcade marquees, Pac-Man TV trays, Pong machines, '80s board games based on coin-ops... we've seen just about everything. You never know what's going to turn up next! If you're interested in trading items at SC3, please read our list of Tips for Traders.
Uncle Steve's Ghetto Drive-In™
While at an SC3 meeting, you can play vintage coin-ops, all manner of classic console games, and enough rock guitar games to make your fingers fall off. But what do you do while chowing down on pizza and other snacks? Watch movies at Uncle Steve's Ghetto Drive-In™ of course! That's our affectionate name for the 9-foot-fall screen custom-built by Geoff, the handiest (and loudest) SC3 organizer. Once the sun goes down, the screen comes alive with the best videogame-related videos ever produced in the 1980s... and sometimes beyond!
Past "drive-in" features have included Tron (aka the greatest movie of all time), the classic nuclear devastation film WarGames, oddball Japanese gaming videos, and even the occasional 9-foot-tall game of MAME. But the go-to drive-in experience is SC3-TV, our very own videogame-video extravaganza!
You Are Watching SC3-TV
Sure, SC3 is well-known for its arcade parties, but would you believe that in the early 1980s, SC3 ran its own weak-signal UHF television station?? What, you wouldn't believe that? OK, we didn't. But we did put together this 2-hour video, featuring tons of clips that could have come out of a 1980s television broadcast. (In fact, many of them did!) SC3-TV is jam-packed, with dozens of original TV commercials for systems like the Atari 2600 and Intellivision, clips from documentaries about the early days of videogaming, trailers for classic films like Tron and Joysticks, and even complete episodes of TV shows like Starcade and the Pac-Man cartoon. Plenty of obscure clips are included too. Where else can you see a Pong tournament advertising Coca-cola, the unholy marriage of Lunchables and the Sega Genesis, Pac-Man Vitamins, and footage from the Tron ice show all in the same place?
