Location, Location, Location

Location scouting…aahhhhh…one of the many pleasures of throwing together the 6th edition of the nation’s capital’s first ever festival that entertains and educates through the promotion and showcasing of digital media arts. DC Web Fest 6 is coming right on along- IN FACT, submissions are officially open as of…NOW!

So we have spent loads of time trying to find the perfect home for DC Web Fest 6 and we checked out the Angelika Theatre at Union Market. It’s a beautiful venue! it has that most-dope indie vibe, and it’s in a pretty convenient location- NE D.C., right off of the NoMa-Gallaudet U metro stop. There are plenty of cool eateries, coffee shops, and other fun places to explore at the adjacent Union Market. The whole area just has a artsy feel to it. Graffiti adorns the sides of many of the buildings. Doc 5 is a nearby old warehouse with venue charm that hosts various events, from weddings to festivals. That’s just what true artists do- create and bring new out of the old.

So, this place definitely feels like a great potential home for DC Web Fest 6. Will it be the set venue? We don’t know yet. Still have a little more exploring to do BUT this place is definitely in our top five list.

Stay tuned!

From DC to LA

Hey! This is  Diana with the DC Web Fest team. Don’t know about you, but it is pouring over here in DC. The air is cool and the sky is grey. Some sun would be nice, but God had other plans for today’s weather…oh well.

Anyways, I’m just sitting here reflecting on my wonderful time in Los Angeles last week. Long story short, I’m in the graduate film program at American University. One of my professors encouraged me to submit an academic paper to a professional conference, so I did. Didn’t really think my paper would get accepted, but it did! So I got to fly out to Cali (for the very first time), ALL EXPENSES PAID- so awesome. I boarded the plane in cloudy, humid, hot Maryland and got off the plane in sunny LA. The weather was around a comfortable 75 degrees with a nice breeze. Tall palm trees surrounded me and the mountains towered over the city in the background. Never seen anything quite like it.

I made so many awesome connections at the conference, from professors to screenwriters. It was a great opportunity to not only share my work, but to also intake and learn from the work of others. I’ve never presented at a professional conference before, so of course I was NERVOUS! But there were nothing but positive vibes. Can’t wait to add this one to my resume 

I was in LA a total of 6 days but it went by absolutely too fast! Each day I found myself taking time to just gaze at the sky, the mountains, the palm trees, you know, all the awesome things that make LA what it is. My only regret is not having time to explore various areas such as the Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Beach, etc. But it’s all good! I WILL BE BACK! The trip was  a major breath of fresh air and a clear indication that a new beginning is on the horizon.

Art as Our Escape: The Artscape Recap

Baltimore- a city THRIVING with history, vibrance, culture, and ART! Especially in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, where many of the 2017 ARTSCAPE festivities took place.

For those who aren’t familiar with Artscape, it’s basically a free arts festival held each year that promotes and showcases the various forms of artistic creations. It usually takes place during mid-late July, starting Friday and ending Sunday. It’s pretty much a playground for anyone who loves art. If you’ve never been to the Station North Arts and Entertainment District in Baltimore, you should definitely check it out! It’s a community filled with various theaters, musical venues, urban row homes adorned with beautiful graffiti, and plenty of places to grab a bite to eat. Right around the corner is MICA (the Maryland Institute of Arts), a place where many aspiring artists and creatives develop and thrive.

Many folks walked the streets of Cathedral, North Ave., and Mount Royal (just to name a few) to check out the plethora of artistic works and products showcased in the various festival tents. The aroma of char-grilled foods filled the humid summer air. Rain trickled from the sky but no one really cared because 1) it was hot as heck, so the rain actually felt good 2) It’s ARTSCAPE! It goes on- rain or sunshine! Musicians and singers graced the main stage to fill the atmosphere with tunes from multiple decades. A youth dance company elegantly danced to the beats of their own tunes. Emerging young musicians and singers performed under professional instruction at the Meyerhoff (symphony hall). Haagen-Dazs gave away free pineapple-coconut ice cream (OMG it was so good). There was no fighting, or foolishness. It was just all about ART and LOVE- two things that seem to always bring people together.

If you didn’t make it to Artscape this year, GO NEXT YEAR! Even if it’s just for one day. It’ll be time well spent and you won’t regret it. Intake and let inspiration consume you. Meanwhile, check out Sheila E. rock out during her performance at the festival on Friday!

Motivation Monday

So, it’s only fair to blog about motivation for motivation Monday, right? I’m sure you’re probably at your job, struggling to stay awake, constantly looking at your clock, waiting for the magical hour to hit so you can GHOST out of there. Or maybe you’re so in love with your job it doesn’t even feel like work. Either way, the main things we should all focus on are PURPOSE and PASSION.

If you don’t know what your purpose is, just think about what your passion is. Purpose is often tied to passion, which is why folks tend to thrive in what they love and make a big impact. If you don’t know what your passion is, all you have to do is think about what drives you crazy (in a good way that is). What gets you going? What do you like to do that brings great joy and excitement? If you can answer any of those questions, you may have stumbled into your passion. For some its writing (like me), music (like me…again), cooking, etc.

Anyhow, the point is don’t get caught up chasing money just to pay bills. That’s not living. That’s mere survival. Ugh. Find your passion and pursue it with all you’ve got! Live on purpose! If you work at it relentlessly, the money will come (eventually). So get motivated and go HARD. You’ll thank yourself later!

Game Review: Inside

So, I played Inside the game for the first time a couple weeks before the 2017 DC Web Fest. We were testing various games to see which ones would be a great fit for the festival. As a console gamer, the PC gaming was totally foreign to me. The navigation was just….weird. Sounds silly, I know, but after a series of failed attempts to even make the character move correctly, one of my colleagues kind of gave me a little tutorial and BOOM, it was on!

Inside was really fun, I honestly enjoyed it. The story is about some poor little lonely kid who’s being hunted. It’s kind of an adrenaline rush, which is exactly what I look for in a game (without it why even bother to play it??). As I played the game, I can’t even tell you how many times the poor kid got shot dead- gotta love the reincarnation theory implemented in games. Without giving too much of it away, the key of success is staying out of the light in many situations (when you play it you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about) and knowing how to maneuver and navigate around danger. The game is in 2D, but there are various techniques you can use such as pushing and pulling objects, running, jumping, stooping (I think even crawling too), etc. You’ll definitely have to do some hiding, because when those murderers see you, your going to catch a cap. Just giving you a heads up.

I probably didn’t get beyond the first 5% of the game- after all- I was at work and had to move on to others tasks; however, I did enjoy the short bit of it I experienced. If you want deeper information about the game from a different perspective, you should check out the video below. Also, don’t forget- Inside is currently on sale at 40% for the Steam summer sale. Just an FYI 

I’m out!

View part 2 of this analysis here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0gafce1Q0Q&feature=youtu.be These are just some of my thoughts on what was happening throughout the course of this great game. If you have any dissent or extra thoughts to offer along with my analysis, please leave them in the comment section below!

Funny Moments at Die Seriale

Ok, so it’s Friday and we are all ready to GHOST out of work, nap, then hit the streets for Friday night festivities but FIRST, let me tell you this little funny sausage story Otessa shared from her time in Germany for the Die Seriale web fest. So we, Americans, love sausages. Well, at least most of us. Now, what’s the best part of sausage? It’s a no brainer! The best part is how the skin crisps upon spending extra time on the grill or in the oven. Well…guess what. In Germany, one is ridiculed for eating the skin on the sausage! That is a no no (sad face). So, one of the lovely restaurant workers attempted to give everyone a tutorial on the proper way to peel the skin from the sausage and eat it. As you can imagine, minds descended to the gutter and sexual jokes ascended. My heart goes out to the girl who was just trying to teach us silly Americans how to eat a sausage!

Oh! and one more thing! You better not put mustard on a sausage in Germany…mustard goes on pretzels! Otessa said folks were just baffled when she stated she puts mustard on pretzels and not on sausages. Believe it or not, some folks who were there from the UK have NEVER even seen a pretzel before. Otessa was actually asked to demonstrate how one should eat a pretzel LOL. Check the photos below! Ok, I’m done typing, I’m out!

Steam Summer Sale

Hey guys, sorry to rant, I’m just reallllly excited about this so I hope ya don’t mind a little bit of conversation about the huge sale going on. EVERYTHING is on sale, I have seen the most popular of games get cut down to 5 dollars and I have to say I’m going to go a little bit crazy when it comes to spending. Honestly, there goes my wallet

By: Cam Williams

Video Stores VS Online Platforms

As a kid in the 90′s, I would light up with joy whenever my parents would take me to Blockbuster or Hollywood video to rent the latest movies or games. The cashier would give us a receipt with the due date (I believe the rental was for about 2-3 days) and I would race home and get the most out of the rental as possible. As a kid in the 90s, I would have never imagined the declination of Blockbuster or Hollywood video. They dominated the method of video rental…until the digital age emerged. Folks traded in video tapes and DVD’s for digital versions. The visits to Blockbuster and Hollywood Video ceased and folks started accessing the same content online. This should come as no surprise in a society in which convenience and quick accessibility are of high priority. Just think about it- after a long, tiresome day at work, would you rather make a stop at the video store to rent the latest movie, or would you rather enjoy the convenience of going to your cozy home and simply accessing the same movie on the internet. I think most would choose the latter- I know I would!  

The Google Cardboard VR Experience

Google graciously provided the 2017 DC Web Fest with handheld cardboard virtual reality (VR) boxes. A box of pure fun, the devices allow users to download various apps that provide different VR experiences. For example, one app (VR Trippy) provides a trippy-psychedelic experience with an array of vibrant, bright, flashy colors. Upon looking through the box into the bright, neon virtual world, I imagined my favorite EDM song and got the urge to dance.

Another really cool VR mobile app is VR Roller Coaster Virtual Reality. The user sits front row on a loopy roller coaster in a world with blue skies and bright green grass. The experience makes you want to throw your hands up and intake the virtual wind as the roller coaster races on the track.

There are numerous VR apps for one to enjoy the Google cardboard VR experience; however, one should be warned to enjoy in moderation! Excessive use may cause symptoms of motion sickness (with some folks). A cardboard VR viewer can be purchased for about $15 

at https://vr.google.com/cardboard/get-cardboard/. Check it out!

Game Review: Mini Metro

My commute has become significantly more tolerable, all thanks to the morning commute simulator that is Mini Metro. The game from the New Zealand based game designer Dinosaur Polo Club, is a simple game where the player acts as somewhat of a city planner, whose job it is to build a working metro rail system. Just like on the real metro, you lose when a station gets too filled up and no train arrives. Mini Metro is surprisingly challenging as it throws more things at you as time progresses, such as new stations that need to be connected, new cargo which needs to be transported to new locations and it even has daily challenges. Mini Metro on the Metro is a great way to make yourself worry less about the train that is taking forever to arrive, and care more about the virtual train that is taking forever to arrive. The game is a lot of fun and it isn’t uncommon to find yourself playing even far after the commute has ended.

Mini Metro, coming very soon to Steam and Humble Store. http://store.steampowered.com/app/287980 To find out more, check us out at: http://dinopoloclub.com/minimetro http://twitter.com/dinopoloclub http://facebook.com/dinopoloclub