[Re-Cap] LvL-UP EXP0

"Man, this place is out of it. What do they do for kicks around here, play checkers?" -Dally

"Sign 'o' the Times"

Over the weekend Aberrant Press attended / took part-in the LvL-UP EXPO in historic downtown Henderson. Practically mainly the event revolved around video games and techno-geek culture, though looking at the vendor(s) list one wouldn't really notice -somehow we slipped in there and brought our brand of free-wheeling fun into the mix. Had a great time over the course of two-days helping to man our table and exploring "old town" Henderson, taking in all its charm and history. Though it was a gathering for video game enthusiasts it had something for everybody.. EVIL DEAD: The Musical was in attendance and put on an Evil Dead panel, they had a variety of arcade games (mostly fighting games) which were all set for free-play -even had a Street Fighter Pinball machine, though it broke down on the 2nd day- to much fun I guess for one machine to endure. I played the shit out of it and the Neo•Geo system(s) had fun playing Metal Slug 3 and Puzzle Bobble, also got my ass handed to me but couldn't resist playing Super Smash Bros. a couple times on the last day. It was brought-up and noted that the event seemed pretty "front-loaded" as the first day had a hustle and bustle the 2nd day didn't match. Suppose the location out in the sticks might of had something to do with the overall attendance (which wasn't all that bad) but at the same time what the hells there to do out in Henderson anyways?

If our experiences in Arizona taught us anything its that "Fan Art" rules the day at these smaller conventions.. and why not, theres no such thing as original ideas anymore, right? Having to re-tool much of how we approach conventions/expos like this; seems people don't much care for adventurous ideas and they seem more happy to just consume the same stuff (familiar characters, plot lines, jokes, music.. ect ect) just regurgitated over and over again -guess its a wonder we ever have any original ideas. I don't know if it qualifies as a "disturbing trend" but the proliferation of internet meme(s) makes my hackles rise. Here I thought my friends and I were bad with all our inside-jokes and pop-culture references, using metaphor and eluding to things only remembered in a haze of adolescent fervor. On the last day of LvL-Up I sat there at our table and watched as nearly half the room dropping EVERYTHING and proceeded to enact a "Flash Mob" in the middle of the spot. I had to turn to my friend Jay and ask, "What the hell are they doing?" The concept of a flash mob had to be explained to me, thats pretty funny* ..guess I'm so disconnected from today's pop-culture and I don't give a damn. Still theres that desire to contribute to the global conscious -get your stuff out there in peoples hands and minds- change the world, yeh? Finding your ideas propagating like a viral infection with no known cure but forgetfulness brought on by society's short attention span. Is being the "flavor of the week" really all that bad? I don't know, perhaps only the GEICO Cavemen could answer that question.