Cebus Capucinis Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I posted this earlier but we've started the event and I thought I'd show some pics for the folks on the site to see what we're doing. It's pretty cool! One of my Old Navy stores is doing a donation drive for care packages for America's troops overseas from July 1-4 (today through Monday). Each day we are hosting an Atari 2600 tournament and we have consoles set up for free play for everyone. The store is decked out in red white and blue and all supplies go directly to the troops with all monies made going to local VA groups, VFWs, and other assorted military groups. It's a very cool event and it's even cooler that one of my Old Navy stores was embracing Atari and was willing to put up a table to generate interest! (I am the Service and Training Co-Ordinator for the Old Navy stores in Albuquerque, and part of my job is to set up cool events to partner with the community to help raise money and give back to those who support our company!) AtariAge is an official sponsor of the tournament and Albert provided not only some very cool prizes to add to my daily prize packs (each winner every day will get an Atari 2600 setup with all hookups, 2 joysticks, 12 games) -- from AtariAge the winners will get their choice of 1 of 4 homebrews, an AA t-shirt, and a fridge magnet from a 2600 cart. Very cool overall package! So far we have had around 50 entries for the Snoopy vs. the Red Baron contest today, and interest is really ramping up. Kids are absolutely LOVING this table and the parents are reminiscing with me about their Atari memories. I've handed out TONS of AtariAge flyers, free buttons and pins and all sorts of cool stuff! Even better, each family I've talked to has donated at least 2-3 care items to the troops overseas and several direct monetary donations to the local VA have been made as well! Here's the setup at the front of our store (it hasn't been completed yet, actually, I took these pics right as we opened at 10 o' clock and our visual merchandising team was still putting up decorations!) complete with a table for kids to write letters to the troops and get some free red white & blue candy to celebrate! We've had flyers out for a week or so to help generate interest in the tournament: Here's the actual Atari booth set up in the center of the store! We're starting with 3 TVs and systems in combo but we have more if the interest really ramps up (and it already has!). These were also taken right at 10:00 AM when the doors opened and I wasn't completely set up, but you can get a great idea for the booth itself. (Me in the first picture with my Pac Man hat on, proudly representing AA!) Because we're out in the general public and not necessarily in an Atari-aware location, I placed a couple signs to remind people that you have to push reset to start the game, LOL! Systems are on for free play all day, but for a $5 donation entry fee you can enter the 'tournament' to get your score recorded for a chance to win a prize. We've already had 50 or so entries for today's contest and people are having a blast! If you're in the Albuquerque area this weekend for whatever reason, stop on by the Old Navy in the Cottonwood Mall on the northwest side of town and say hi! I'm at the booth all day helping out alongside a couple of this store's great sales associates. Who knows, you might even want to enter for the tournament! Sorry I don't have pics of people playing, I was going to take them but unfortunately without a signed waiver I can't post any of them in public. But rest assured, the booths are full! I hope I'm representing AtariAge in a great way and we see some increase in interest for our little ol' system! Many thanks go out to Albert and others in this community who have helped me with last-minute requests and supplies to put together such a great charity event for the public. LEGALESE: AtariAge as an entity does not necessarily endorse nor support Old Navy as a commercial entity, and this event should not be construed as an official endorsement. Although this event is taking place in a commercial venue, it is an entirely not-for-profit venture to raise money for charity within my location -- no money will be made from this event for either myself, AtariAge, nor Old Navy or Gap Inc. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 From one fellow wine snob to another...great job!!! It's great that you are taking an opportunity to do so much all at once. You are introducing the Atari to a new audience, re-kindiling the flame for the OG's and raising money for a great cause! +1,000,000,000 rep points on that one good sir...well played! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 You've done a fantastic job of organizing this, and everything looks great! Hope it's a big success! I moved this into the Atari 2600 forum so it receives more attention. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariTexas Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Very cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 You've done a fantastic job of organizing this, and everything looks great! Hope it's a big success! I moved this into the Atari 2600 forum so it receives more attention. ..Al I'm glad you approve. I didn't want to unfurl those nice, fancy AtariAge banners and then have an event that wasn't worthy of a somewhat "legitimate" AtariAge representation. I managed to sneak out a little early because the customers are all at dinner and usually evenings in that store are very slow. The Operations Manager for the building is closing the store and he is stationed at the booth (management was using it as a "command center" for our events today so it was always myself and 1 other manager in the booth constantly) and assures me nothing will happen. We had around 200-250 total people playing with maybe 100 tournament entries today. It's been a very fun experience so far -- interacting with the general public when it comes to Atari is quite a different world from what us collectors know! It was pretty hilarious to see kids being almost reverent in the games. I was really concerned starting out that the systems, TVs, and booth would get trashed without my constant attendance, but all the associates in the store were loving it and were helping people non-stop, and management was having a blast. The store manager and ops manager are both old enough to have had the VCS when they were kids, so they're familiar with it and know the ins and outs. It was a little disappointing to see the "modern gaming kids" come in and get bored with Snoopy vs. the Red Baron (A game I honestly absolutely LOVE for the VCS) very quickly. A lot of the younger kids would play for a few minutes, ask "does anything else happen?" then get bored. But about 1 out of 5 of the kids were having an absolute BLAST playing and asked me if I had any other games! I let the kids who asked if I had more games enter into a special drawing at the last minute for a separate system I'll provide. They were all really excited to put their names and phone #s down and put the slips in the box for the drawing! So I think there's definitely at least a small group of kids who will become Atari fans instantly. Very cool! Most adults just kind of looked at it, went "Oh, I remember that! We had one in 198X!" and that was about it. A couple people told me some cool stories about buying the VCS on release the first Christmas, which was a lot of fun. Parents played with their kids, of course, helping them shoot down Manfred. Overall today was a great success. We drove a lot of donations and since the station is in the center of the store the management can talk not just about the program for donations but point to the Atari setups and talk up AtariAge if anyone is interested. There are AA ad flyers on the tables and I think we went through around 100 or so of those today. I think it's a pretty cool testament to the lasting nature of the VCS that even in a venue where the average public doesn't generally express interest, people stop and look and talk and play. Lots of friendly competition, some great friendships made, and some cool little kids that maybe a few years from now will program homebrews of their own! I'm thinking tomorrow I'll pull out the prize homebrews Al provided and show people the homebrew scene. That should get some cool looks! "You mean people still make GAMES for this thing? " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss 2600 Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Nice! I like Atari AND Old Navy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyx_Fail Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Wish I lived anywhere near New Mexico. I'd be there. I did a thing like this here in Tennessee for tornado victims. A rousing success! Hope yours goes just as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Did Chris ++ show up? Last I knew he lived out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranthulfr Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 If I walked into our local Old Navy store and saw that booth with the AtariAge banners I would probably faint. And when I woke up I wouldn't leave til they started turning the lights off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Were people freaked out by the pentagram on the floor and the guy with no head that was standing next to it? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 Were people freaked out by the pentagram on the floor and the guy with no head that was standing next to it? Umm, yeah, that was this location's store manager's "contribution". Was a little concerned about that myself, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 ...the guy with no head that was standing next to it? Umm, yeah, that was this location's store manager's "contribution". Was a little concerned about that myself, actually. I figured it WAS the manager, running around like a chicken with it's head cut off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 ...the guy with no head that was standing next to it? Umm, yeah, that was this location's store manager's "contribution". Was a little concerned about that myself, actually. I figured it WAS the manager, running around like a chicken with it's head cut off... Nope! Actually if it were anybody it would probably be me on this day. I was going nuts until the doors opened! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 You set it up nicely! Where did you get those awesome AtariAge banners? Those are excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 That is awesome and that sign is funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 You did a great job there! And Snoopy vs. The Red Baron is a great choice for a tournament! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Excellent work! Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleman jack Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 That is awesome. I wish I lived nearby and could pop in. Great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 wonderful! Worth a trip to Albuquerque! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 Day two begins! We are playing Berzerk today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I wish I lived closer so I could take part in this! What a wonderful thing you guys are doing for the troops! Hats off to everyone involved! Please record some video and post it on youtube... I'd love to see some footage if possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 Day Two is completed! Today I chose Berzerk as a great title to play to show off the system. I should have been a smart cookie and got Berzerk VE to showcase homebrews, but alas, I wasn't that smart in planning phases! We had 3200 total traffic in our store today, and at least 500-750 people played a quick game of Atari. I'd say around half that number stayed, talked to me for a bit, and were loving it! Lots of kids playing again throughout the day and a couple great moments where 3-4 year olds had parents helping them again. Very cool! But the crowning achievement in the Day Two of our donation drive and AtariAge booth was when my associate (who is a veteran of the USMC) came in to DJ for us behind the booth! He had a cool setup and did a mixture of all sorts of trance, techno, dance beats and to top it all off, a good selection of VIDEO GAME REMIXES and songs that featured Atari sounds! It was absolutely AMAZING. The crowd gathered around the booth to play some Berzerk to some thumping techno beats and people were dancing, having a great time, and absolutely laughing and making friends! He actually had a remix of a song that featured the Berzerk voices and I wish I could have gotten a video of it, it was SO awesome seeing the older people's jaws open in amazement with the music matching up with the game. Hilarious and a ton of fun -- we had little kids doing "the robot" that I took pics of for the scrapbook for the troops! Image quality is a bit meh, sorry about that, could only use my iPhone today for pics, need to upgrade to that 4! Also, EEK, did not realize I took pics before I had re-straightened that AtariAge banner. The velcro strip pulled a little right before taking the pics (we unpeeled it to get to the power strip as he was setting up and had just started and didn't put it back completely tight)and it sagged, and I replaced it as soon as I noticed. Not many people yet in the photos, but that's because he had just got done setting up and I didn't want to get pics with a huge crowd so I couldn't see the actual DJ booth and the "full view" of the consoles with Berzerk playing with a techno DJ in the background! TONS of AtariAge flyers handed out today and lots of inquiries about the site. Lot of people asking how much an Atari would cost these days as they wanted one for their home! I told them to sign up and pop on the marketplace and we'd try to take care of them! Maybe some good interest from this and some 'new blood' into the hobby! Later on in the evening was a really great blast as we played some of the less "kiddie" music for the 20s-early 30s couples that make up our Saturday night crowd. We played some stuff that probably would get us in trouble with the company, but the customers we had all were absolutely enjoying it and having a huge blast! Got some great photos of some competition between a group of guys and some dating couples, very great stuff that sadly I cannot post. Wish I would have had a video camera. After just two days I can say this event has been a PHENOMENAL success. We have already raised over $2,000 in donations for the local military support groups and at least 1,000-1,500 basic care items for care packages for troops, and that's just Saturday! I haven't tabulated the Friday results but they should be about half that. Every customer was starting out very curious as to what was going on and then would donate as soon as we told them what it was for. tremolo: Wish I could post video, but unfortunately just like the pics here, if I take anything with a full-view of a customer or anyone that isn't an employee, I have to get their express permission to use it and post it online. That's assuming the company will let me do it as it is, which I don't think they'd care, but I'd have to get a waiver from the company again as well. Just not possible to be able to post on non-Gap Inc. websites! Again, I can't say this enough: A million, billion thanks go out to three very special members of this site who supported this from the start and were willing to help not just me but the community as a whole and help spread the joy of Atari to the general public once again.... Albert, of course, for providing prizes, banners, and everything miscellaneous I needed to get things going, the.golden.ax for supplying me with LAST-MINUTE systems and setups for both playing and for prizes, and bennybingo for providing carts for free (we are playing his River Raid carts tomorrow and played the Combats he donated yesterday alongside Snoopy)! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballyalley Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I wish I'd known about this event BEFORE, or at least WHILE, it was happening. Ah, well. I guess that Chris didn't know about it either, because he and I hung out on Tuesday and played Atari 8-bit games (via emulation, using a 2600 controller with the Stella Adapter-- so it was ALMOST the real thing) and Chris didn't mention anything about the event to me. If I had been at the mall and seen it, I probably would have had a heart attack. There are several active members of the AtariAge forums that live in Albuquerque. Our city isn't that big. We really all gotta get together and meet sometime. I really miss the "good 'ol days" when I would go to the Atari User group meetings here in town. I think the last Atari meeting was in about 1995. When I lived in Venice, CA there was a classic gaming club there (well, in the L.A. area) that was fun. Maybe we can all create something like that. We could meet once and play Atari (or whatever classic system strikes your fancy). Plus, I've always got the weird games on the Astrocade the nobody else has. Oh, yeah, this is the Atari 2600 forum... Long live the 2600! Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 LOL! Well, our event turned out to be a monumental success. We're going to have our DJ come in one Saturday a month for three-four hours, as our customers absolutely LOVED having him in-store. I got nothing but compliments on it.... but even more compliments about ATARI! People LOVED it. We tallied up our total traffic in-store and we can safely say that over TEN THOUSAND people saw the AtariAge banners and systems and the whole shebang over the course of the 4th weekend. We raised easily over ten thousand dollars in donations to give to the VA (we are actually headed there tomorrow to deliver the check! Feels good!) and at least 2500 care package items to give to the troops. The entire time there was not a moment when the systems weren't getting played. Sunday and Monday people LINED UP to play them. Absolutely phenomenal success all-around. Hopefully AtariAge got a lot of great press! We gave away all the systems this week, and people came and picked them up. Tons of excitement about the "new" homebrew games they could play! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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