The new ML-1 MegaTouch machines

AMI Entertainment Creative Director A.J. Russo

AMI Entertainment creative director A.J. Russo says he knows the secret to always winning at Photo Hunt.

“The best people cross their eyes and the two photos come together and it makes the differences pop,” he says. “I can’t do it, but I’ve seen people do it at our trade shows and they just go round after round.”

Perched on bars everywhere, the ubiquitous Megatouch touch screen game system has been entertaining pub-goers for over a decade, yet few know of the company’s Philadelphia origins. Best known for the aforementioned Photo Hunt game that has players scrambling to find all of the differences in two photos before the time expires, AMI Entertainment is based in Bristol and often uses Philadelphia as a guenea pig for its latest games and market research.

The company is working on its latest product line: a brand new machine that is best described as a combination of Megatouch and Xbox Live-like features, adding scoreboards, an in-game currency and social features. And with the company’s latest push on iOS, players are now able to practice at home with its free Photo Hunt iPad game.

“Before you go to the bar you can have a drink at home and play a little Megatouch and then go show off in front of your date,” says Russo.

We chatted with Russo, an AMI employee since 1999, about the next generation of touch screen games, how Philadelphia impacts its newest games and the time he helped a customer propose using one of his company’s games.

As always, edited for length and clarity.

Tell me about the new machines.

Our new ML-1 22-inch touch screens are multitouch and basically Megatouch reinvented. Everything is wide screen and high-definition and done in this brand new 3D engine and they are all connected to one another, so we can release things like the Megatouch battle arena which takes classic Megatouch games and makes them a best of three or best of five compititon. You can then post the scores to Facebook and buy weapons and upgrades for your games.

A lot of people don’t know about that Megatouch is from the Philly area. What’s the history?

It’s in Bristol, and before that it was in Bensalem. The gaming component has always been located here, which is kinda cool because whenever we release new games we do all of our beta testing here. We go out to all of the bars in Philly and restaurants in Philly and we’ll go and interview people. Even without them knowing, Philadelphia’s customers have a big influence on the games that ultimately get released.

The company (then named Merit Industries) was founded by Pete Feuer out of his garage 35 years ago, he was making everything from poker to trivia games. It was always his idea to put the games on bars, but back then it was just a screen with buttons underneath it. Every now and then you’ll actually run into these old machines. However, we’ve been exlucsively touch screen for around 17 years now. Before the iPhone was a glimmer in Steve Jobs’ eye, we were in the touch screen industry.

So, how good are you at Photo Hunt? Do you just go to bars and destroy your friends?

[laughs] No. There’s actually a trick to Photo Hunt. Remember those blobby pictures form years ago that had an image appear after you crossed your eyes? The best people can cross their eyes and the two photos come together and it makes the differences pop. There are people that can do this. We’ve been at trade shows and people just go round to round.

We were browsing around on YouTube and we saw that one gamer proposed to his girlfriend through Megatouch [video above]. What was that like?

This is actually an awesome story. This was two years ago and we got a call from a guy who had said “We play Word Dojo all the time. Is there anything you can do to help me propose to my girlfriend through the game?”

We were in the middle of a crazy development rush, but this was so cool we tried to figure it out. The guy arranged for this bar in D.C. to be open when it wouldn’t normally be open, the owner even had to bring in fake customers. We modified the software on one of our machines so as soon as you started up Word Dojo and you hit “T” and the software would know it was this guy and it would load the proposal.

We modified the winner animation so it would then come up marriage proposal on the screen and then we had a guy from our staff drive the machine from Philly to D.C.

What was crazy is that a day away from it happening, my wife went into labor and she wasn’t due for a couple of weeks. I had to make all of these crazy calls and explain to people the whole process. I was worried that this guy was depending on me and I was going to be unable to come through, but we did.

The following is a report done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods program, the capstone class for the Temple’s Department of Journalism.

Mike Worth and Lou Tranchitella realized the need for a big-budget video game studio in Philadelphia, and in February, co-founded Play Eternal.

Now they’re just waiting for their big break.

The duo, along with more than a dozen other members of their team, have a prototype in the hands of major publishers to fund what could be on Xbox Live Arcade or the Sony Playstation Network. If that, or another of a handful of major projects come through, a nearly three year effort to build out the city’s video game development culture will reach another height.

There are steps to go, but the movement has inched forward since early 2009.

With the growth of Worth’s Videogame Growth Initiative movement and a local technology community here, along with excellent video game development programs at Drexel and Penn, the absence of a “Hollywood-level quality” shop, called a AAA studio, seemed unwarranted to Worth and Tranchitella.

“There are studios in lots of different states, there’s no reason for it not to happen here. Philadelphia seemed like a great place to do this,” Tranchitella said. “The technology is here.”

For now, the Play Eternal team, which numbers at 17, is working virtually, Worth said.

Their major untitled futuristic action-adventure prototype is, as Worth describes it, “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light meets Super Metroid in a futuristic, Blade Runner inspired world.” The team is also currently prototyping a mobile and tablet game and in advanced discussions for two work-for-hire development projects that would have production cycles of 14 months and two years respectively, Worth said.

If any of them are funded in a major way, Worth says, he’ll make good on his promise of opening up PlayEternal in Philadelphia. Building that magnet of video game development work, Worth has said, starts with a big AAA studio first. The distinction of a AAA studio is clear.

“What it typically means is that it’s a $50 to $60 game that takes over two years to build. Price is no object. You’ve got dozens of characters or hundreds of weapons. It’s basically the highest level of quality, the largest level of gameplay, they are marketed incredibly heavily, and are marketed like a Hollywood film,” Worth said.

Play Eternal differs from the typical AAA studio in that it aims to produce smaller video games over nine months to a year, available for digital download, as opposed to producing one game for two to three years to be sold in video game stores.

“Our idea was what if you take that AAA idea but break it down to a smaller, bite sized game that might take you five to 10 hours to play, will cost between $10 and $20 and is delivered to you digitally. So, you can download it through Xbox Live Arcade or Play Station Network,” said Tranchitella, the company’s CEO.

Although the two knew that there was not already a AAA studio in Philadelphia, Worth and Tranchitella were not discouraged, and wanted to stay in the city. They turned their efforts away from being service providers to other companies, and focused on starting their own big-budget business.

“Truth be told, it’s like, ‘let’s just do it ourselves and see what happens.’ That’s really how it started,” Tranchitella said.

Both Worth and Tranchitella have high hopes for the company and its success. Worth said he hopes their success will be an example for other studios to start up in Philadelphia, and help the video game community grow. Worth has been involved in lobbying for tax incentives and more to attract a greater development presence here, though other markets battle for those businesses. The Play Eternal team worked with state Sen. Daylin Leach to introduce Senate Bill 700 to offer tax breaks for video game development company, but four months later the bill is still sitting in the senate finance committee [See sidebar].

Although the bill will benefit Play Eternal, being the first studio of its kind in Philadelphia has proved to be a bit challenging.

“When you’re the first, its good and bad. People were really interested in us right away. The bad news is, that because there’s no industry here, nobody knows about the financial and social benefits of it,” Worth said.

Worth stressed because the industry is not as big as some of the current industries, like pharmaceuticals and biotechs, it is harder for people to realize the potential of the video game industry to benefit the capital of the city.

“The hardest thing is educating people about what the game industry actually is. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Once you say that to people, their eyes perk up, like, ‘oh, this actually makes money,’” Tranchitella said.

Play Eternal currently employs around 17 people, said Tranchitella, but they hope to grow to around 50 or 60 members over the next two to three years.

“We really want to be involved in the game community in Philadelphia,” he said. “We want to be a studio that people respect and look up to. We want to be a studio that people want to come and work at.”

This event coverage was written by Liz Cies, a spokeswoman for Huntingdon Valley-based email marketing firm AWeber, and edited by Technically Philly.

For the second year in a row, the staff at AWeber Communications put down the keyboards and picked up the gamepads to participate in the nationwide Extra Life video game marathon.

This past Saturday at 12 p.m., the AWeber game changers team locked themselves in AWeber’s game room to play video games in support of kids at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The AWeber Game Changers’ fundraising efforts – including outreach to family and friends, a three-week bake sale and a full company match – yielded a total of $5,700 in donations, placing the team in the top 25 tier of Extra Life teams nationwide. Donations can still be made here.

“One of our five core values at AWeber is, ‘Don’t take ourselves too seriously and have fun.’ What’s even better is when we can do that while also doing good for our local community,” said Hunter Boyle, AWeber senior business development manager and marathon participant. “This past Saturday we were able to do both, thanks to an enormous outpouring of support from our friends,
families, colleagues and peers.”

Extra Life, an annual 24-hour video game event that raises money for 170 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide, was founded in memory of Victoria (Tori) Enmon. All funds raised stay within the participants’ communities to ensure that every dollar is used to help local kids.

In total, the fourth annual Extra Life event raised more than $1.1 million – more than the event’s first three years combined.

Gamification panel, from L to R: Frank Lee of Drexel Game Program, Margaret Wallace of Playmatics, Ethan Mollick of Wharton Management Department, Jesper Juul of NYU and Eric Goldberg of Crossover Technologies. The first Gamification event at UPenn's Wharton School on October 3. The panel talked about the issue of gamification and what it means for the future of businesses. Photo by Theresa Regan

The following is a report done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods program, the capstone class for the Temple’s Department of Journalism.

Gamification has become a topic of much discussion when it comes to the meaning of the word and its existence outside of video games. So much that it commanded the attention of an engaged audience at the Wharton School Monday.

“[Gamification is] basically the idea of adding gameplay elements, including badges, levels and points, to business websites, marketing and other initiatives that aren’t really about games,” said Nathan Solomon, the founder of Philadelphia Game Lab, a nonprofit group in the works that is aimed at creating a collaborative space for local creative minds.

This Gamification event, co-organized by Solomon and celebrated Wharton Professor Kevin Werbach, welcomed students, game developers and those who are interested in gamification to discuss the issue with talks led by a panel of five who gave some insight to whether or not gamification will work, or if it will hinder the productivity of businesses.

Professor Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School gave a brief introduction as to what gamification means, and why it may or may not work.

“The whole point of this event is to get game developers and people with game experience talking, not about whether gamification is good, evil or stupid, but about what aspects can come from games and be effectively used in other areas,” Solomon said.

There were many mixed feelings about gamification among the panel, and Eric Goldberg of Crossover Technologies said the only way a business can successfully implement gamification is to know how to cater to their targeted audience, and to attach some actual value to a system of points. Professor Werbach gave a brief introduction as to what gamification means, and why it may or may not work.

Under the model of gamification, businesses would reward employees for their productivity and allow them to ‘level up’ and collect points, such as one would while playing a video game.

“What is gamification good for? At it’s most basic level, influencing and impacting behaviors and behavior change, extending brands, exposing systems of thinking and understanding, and also solving certain real-world business problems,” said panelist Margaret Wallace, the co-founder and CEO of Playmatics.

While gamification seems like a great motivational aspect to a business community, it could potentially have its downfalls.

“Things could go horribly wrong,” said Jesper Juul, a professor at New York University and a panelist at the event. Juul said while gamification is a great way to motivate people, it could take a turn for the worse if those people decide to take the wrong measures to optimize their companies.

Whether or not gamification could obstruct or promote productivity in the workplace, it has definitely become a prominent idea in the world of technology, and will continue to be developed.

Eric Smith of Quirk Books and Geekadelphia fame was traipsing around Rittenhouse in yesterday’s sunshine dressed as Halo’s Master Chief. He made good on a pledge to shake things up a bit in Center City with the costume from one of his favorite video games, as Technically Philly first told you in the fall.

See more photos of Smith causing hijinks in the suit, in addition to the assembly process on his Flickr photostream here, or read Smith’s recap here.

His favorite experience in the suit?: “Little kids running up thinking I’m a robot or a Transformer. It’s freaking adorable. I love seeing them smile. As lame as that sounds.”

He has two upcoming plans for the suit, in addition to any other impulse needs to wear a video game-inspired suit of armor. First, Smith hopes to visit kids at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania and in November, following the Halo remake. Second, he plans to get a video of him going to FYE to buy the game wearing the armor.

Smith previously tried the outfit on a smaller trip along a couple blocks of his house and in the fitting setting of Philadelphia Comic Con.

There’s lots going on this week, but we hope you consider Philly Merge. We’re a media sponsor of the conference which combines hackers and business folk. Read more about it here.

In events this week Philly tech gets social. BBQ with gamers, hang with hackers (twice) and brush up on your Scala.

Philly Merge – See above. Friday. All Day. University City. INFO.

Philly Startup Weekend Alumni night – Last January dozens of folks gathered to accept the challenge of creating a startup over the weekend. Git Hacking and Launchrock were among the companies to emerge from Philly’s inaugural weekend, and now the alumni are getting back together at Quorum. Guests are welcome. Thursday. 6 p.m. University City. INFO.

IGDA Philadelphia 2011 Summer picnic – Philadelphia’s video game community has had a wonderful year. Take a break form playing Jamestown and hang with Philly’s game makers in FDR park. Be sure to bring some food and something to sit on. Saturday. 1 p.m. South Philly. INFO.

Scala crash course for women and their friends – It’s not every day you can be taught a programming language by its rockstars. This week, Philly Area Scala Enthusiasts hosts a Scala crash course with the aim of diversifying the local Scala community. Bring a laptop and all of your friends. Friday. 4 p.m. University City. INFO.

Drexel student and aspiring game developer Tom Rodriguez discusses game development with other attendees of Mays meeting of the Philadelphia Game Development Meetup group.

The following is a report done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods Program, the capstone class for the Temple Journalism Department.

The Philadelphia Game Development meetup group held their monthly meeting Saturday at Cosi on 9^th and Chestnut streets.

The group, which was established in 2003, is an informal network of professional and amateur game developers from the Philadelphia region. The group has 200 members, according to its site, ranging from established developers to hobbyists.

There is no strict attendance policy, as members can RSVP for the meetups at the group’s website or just show up. The informality leads to fluctuating attendance numbers and topic discussions. Saturdays meeting covered topics ranging from 3D modeling applications to animation programs among only three attendees, though the group has had dozens at other events.

“Even if you don’t get people to work with, it’s a place to bounce ideas off of each other,” said Shawn Pierre an amateur game developer who demonstrated for attendees a game he is developing .

Keeping the growing game development community of Philadelphia connected is important to local developers with events such as this and groups like the Philadelphia branch of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

“Every time I go to IGDA meetings, I see new people talking about how they have a new game coming out,” said Tom Rodriguez a software engineering student at Drexel University who was one of the meetups attendees, “I see all this opportunity around and it’s exciting.”

Amateur visual artist and group organizer George Harris describes the group as a ‘beginning.’

“These meetups give an opportunity to network and get inspiration from other people working around here,” said Harris.

The following is a report done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods Program, the capstone class for the Temple Journalism Department.

The number of groups, businesses, organizations and conversations around Philadelphia’s video game development scene is slowly growing. Add now: an annual showcase convention.

This Saturday, more than 80 game developers, designers and programmers gathered at the Corzo Center at the University of the Arts in Center City for GameLoop Philly. The convention, which organizers are aiming to make an annual event, is based on the success of GameLoop Boston, which began in 2008.

“Philly was the next natural choice. The founders in Boston knew a lot of people here and know the game development community here is starting to get some footing,” said Ray Merkler, an independent game developer in Philadelphia who was one of the events co-organizers.

Attendees at GameLoop Philly want to strengthen an already tightknit community of developers in the region while bringing in an outside perspective, with attendees also coming from Boston, Baltimore and New York.

“We all know each other really well here in Philly,” said Grant Shonkwiler, former lead game designer at Megatouch games in Bristol. “The idea is to bring people who are not part of our group of 50 or 60 together.”

The convention is loosely structured, a credit to the easy familiarity of its participants. Like the familiar BarCamp structure, scheduling is self-perpetuated with attendees voting on what discussions they want to have during the daylong event. Topic discussions ranged from the serious, like 3D environment design, to the humorous, like Rapture-Not Bioshock. The result was a blend of thoughtful discussion, creative brainstorming and some good-natured jesting.

“Video game development in Philly is still fledgling,” said Merkler. “We’re very young so getting all this new talent in this new place can really motivate people to crank.”

More information on the Philadelphia game scene can be found at http://www.igda.org/philly

DEFINITE READS

• Fake out: Twitter group writes the book on its grammar spoof [Inquirer] — South Philly resident RJ White is a contributor to the @FakeAPStylebook that is now publishing a book
• Study asks well-to-do Philadelphians how they’re investing [Philadelphia Business Journal]
• Penn’s new billionaires: FarmVille creator, Groupon backer [Inquirer] — Mark Pincus of Zynga and Russian investor Yuri Milner
• Philly’s Food in Jars a finalist in Saveur Magazine’s best food blog awards [Geekadelphia] Marisa McClellan

Below, see what Philly startup is moving into a church, big startup perks in Pittsburgh and more.

MIGHT INTEREST

• Liz Solms is putting a sustainable touch on apartments her late father renovated [Inquirer]
• The new SEER Interactive Office – Pics & Video [Business 1.0] — The Northern Liberties SEO shop is moving into a renovated church
• Still ‘wait-and-see’ on the economy for small business [Philly Inc: Inquirer]
• Pittsburgh’s Perks: What Companies are Offering to Lure Top Talent [Keystone Edge]

GIVE A GLANCE

• Sen. Rockefeller to introduce ‘Do Not Track’ bill [Post Tech]
• Penn’s $370M research center [PlanPhilly] — The research facility integrated into the hospital opens
• Maiden Media Group Welcomes Four New Hires [PR Newswire] — Old City creative digital marketing shop
• Largest unemployment rate decline in Pa. since 1987 [Philadelphia Business Journal] “The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Pennsylvania has fallen a full percentage point in the past year, representing the biggest year-over-year decline since August 1987.” It’s 7.8 percent, down from 8.8 in March 2010, though New Jersey’s rate increased.
• Pulse Live in the App Store, Cipher Prime Looking for Local Philly Musicians for Updates [Geekadelphia]
• Ocean Spray cites tax for move [Courier Post] — A state voluntary cap-and-trade emissions program in New Jersey is said to have chased away Ocean Spray to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley
• CarSense, Helicopter Tech among local SBA award-winners [Philly Inc: Inquirer] — No Philly area companies up for Small Business Person of the Year for, as Armstrong puts it, “the umpteenth time,” but there are Delaware and western Pennsylvania finalists.
• 11% increase in sales for Destination Maternity [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Including almost a quarter jump in web sales
• Tales From the Con: Too Many Games Recap [Geekadelphia]

Gamers play Jamestown at the IGDA Showcase | Photo credit: IGDA's Flickr Page

This wrap up of the IGDA Philly Game Showcase was written by IGDA Chapter Secretary, Allison Berman. The showcase was part of Philly Tech Week.

The IGDA Philly Game Showcase 2011 brought together designers and programmers from across every major media platform: from mobile video games to game consoles to mobile apps for smartpads and smartphones, to computer games.  One adventurous presenter even created a unique motion-sensitive joystick to go with his game.

While the event was organized by the IGDA Philadelphia Chapter, it was open to any local game makers, regardless of affiliation or membership. Some studios have been very involved with the chapter over the last few years, offering help to up-and-coming students and first time developers.

Other presenters were meeting the local community for the first time.  The showcase not only displayed the vibrant development community around Philadelphia, it also expanded it as presenters mingled.  Enthusiastic talk of upcoming launches and competitions filled the crowded room.

Many attendees had a personal interest in games already.  However, as a part of Philly Tech Week it also drew many newcomers who got their first look at the independent game community.  While the material may look familiar in its platforming elements or 8-bit style, many games were built around new ideas about how we use games.  Some were designed to unify disparate social game groups, or to educate.  Others focused on a specific gameplay element such as puzzles, platforming, and rhythm.

It also brings vigor and a certain ironic twist to classic genres, as the latest and greatest technology is used to simulate retro arcade play or physical toys.

Something games do exceptionally well is to connect people.  Sometimes literally, through networked gameplay or co-op modes.  Other times by sharing the simple joy of play or the frisson of a premiere launch. The Philadelphia game community is growing by leaps and bounds, and it is thrilling to see.

Pictures can be found on Facebook and Flickr.