San Jose's secret video game vault in Downtown San Jose

Downtown San Jose already has several great venues for gamers. You have the epic-sized Guildhouse and LvL Uproar Brewery in SoFA, Miniboss for arcades and pinball, and San Pedro Social. However, did you know there is a treasure trove of video game nostalgia in a basement at 124 East Santa Clara Street?

Below a nondescript IT repair shop is Gameshop Downstairs. Here you can find classic games, vintage consoles, and all sorts of memorabilia from the many decades video games have been around now. If you're looking for Pokémon trading cards, yes they have those too.

As games are increasingly going digital, it's nice to know there is still a place where you can find a physical piece of gaming history. The N64 was my favorite console of all time and you can still buy cartridges here instead of dealing with eBay or garage sales. If you love games, I'd highly recommend swinging by next time you're in the area. Full address and hours below:

Gameshop Downstairs

124 E Santa Clara St, #B

Monday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wednesday Closed

Thursday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday Closed

Source: Monterey Herald

Terminator Virtual Reality attraction coming to San Jose

An LA entertainment startup called Spaces is launching their first US-based attraction and we are one of two planned stateside locations. The 30-minute experience sets up teams of guests to take on Skynet, so the location couldn't be more appropriate. In addition to VR headsets, there will be physical effects like wind and explosions.

Even though you probably have never heard of Spaces, they were spun out of DreamWorks Animation and have an impressive list of executives and investors. This will likely be a big-budget experience. The company also has a $30 million contract to bring VR and mixed-reality to a Chinese theme park and are working on other VR experiences using their own intellectual property.

There will be an exclusive sneak peak at a secret location sometime soon. You can register for a chance to be one of the first to try out the experience over here.

It will be interesting to see how these next-generation entertainment experiences pan out. Hopefully we are not taking too many steps towards becoming a Black Mirror episode.

Source: SVBJ

Rockage 5.0

Rockage 5.0 is a three-day celebration of retro gaming and indie music. The event was previously hosted at SJSU's Student Union; however, this year they are taking over Downtown San Jose. The event will be dispersed across several venues such as Cafe Stritch, The Ritz, SoFA Market, and of course the AFK Gamer Lounge. One admission gets you into all of the venues.

There will be over 100 classic arcades and pinball machines as well as classic console games. You'll have over 18 live bands and DJs as well as all sorts of events, food, drinks, tournaments, and vendors. All ages are welcome except for events at The Ritz (21+).

It all goes down this weekend from March 11-13th. Events run from 4pm-2am on Friday and Saturday and 4pm-midnight on Sunday.

For more information and to get tickets ($30 for a 3-day pass), head over here.

LINKS:
website: http://rockageSJ.com/
twitter: http://twitter.com/rockageSJ
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rockageSJ
FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/212253359119989/

LIVE MUSIC LINEUP (updated 2/24):
Super Soul Bros. Bit Brigade 
Kirby’s Dream Band
Druniverse 
Fartbarf
Hawk Jones
Vector Hold 
Cola
Nick Reinhart Of Tera Melos
Sweet Peaches
Super Videogame Remix Live w/ VJ Bildo
Viking Guitar
Continuum Kingdom
Survival Guide
Bonnie & The Bang Bang
DJ Cookye
Vic Viper
DJ Bit
Rayza House

SPECIAL EVENTS:
3/12 Rocket League Social at AFKgg Gamer Lounge
3/13 Ubsey Movies: Earthbound Film Fest at AFKgg Gamer Lounge

SCHEDULE:
Friday: Gaming starts at Cafe Stritch, SoFA Market and Metro Newspapers at 4pm. Music starts at 7pm at Cafe Stritch and SoFA Market.

Saturday: AFKgg Gamer Lounge opens at 11am for the Rockage Rocket League Social w/ Kirby's Dream Band and more. Gaming starts in Cafe Stritch, Metro Newspapers and The Ritz (21+ only) at 4pm, music starts at 7pm.

Sunday: AFKgg Gamer Lounge opens at 11am for the Ubsey Movies: Earthbound Film Fest w/ special guests and more. Gaming starts at Cafe Stritch, Metro Newspapers and The Ritz (21+ only) at 4pm, music starts at 7pm.

VENUE INFO:
Cafe Stritch (374 S. 1st St. 408-280-6161)
The Ritz (21+ only) (400 S. 1st St.)
Metro Newspapers (380 S. 1st St. 408-298-8000)
SoFA Market (387 S 1st St. 408-642-5270)
AFKgg Gamer Lounge (163 W. Santa Clara St. 408-766-0235)

Rockage 5.0 art by Other Life Art / David Canavese
CONTACT: Looking to help out with rockage 5.0? rockageSJ@gmail.com

Rockage 5.0 FAQs

Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?

This is an ALL AGES event. You need to have valid ID to enter The Ritz, 21+ only. 

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

Caltrain Diridon Station, VTA Light Rail, VTA Bus. Parking: $5 after 5pm on weekends in various garages (San Pedro, 2nd Street), FREE street parking after 6pm and on Sundays.

What can/can't I bring to the event?

Cosplay is great, but no weapons please.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?

RockageSJ@gmail.com

Is my wristband transferrable?

Wristbands are non-transferrable.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No, just a valid ID. 

What is the refund policy? 

Sorry, no refunds.

Where can I eat?

SoFA District in Downtown San Jose has many amazing spots to eat. All of our venues will be serving food, except for Metro Newspapers and The Ritz.

Will single day passes be sold?

Cafe Stritch and The Ritz will have single day tickets at the door the day of each show. These tickets will get you into multiple venues for one day.

WHEN

Friday, March 11, 2016 at 4:00 PM - Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 11:30 PM (PST) - Add to Calendar

WHERE

Cafe Stritch, The Ritz and more - 374 S 1st St San Jose, CA 95113 - View Map

Anime & Video Game Convention Next Weekend

Fanime isn't the only major anime convention in Silicon Valley anymore. AOD (Animation on Display) takes place next weekend and features two days of Japanese animation, video games, cosplay, and other geeky attractions. AOD will be located at the Santa Clara Convention Center with easy access from Light Rail (there is plenty of parking as well).

It's worth noting this event previously took place in San Francisco until 2013. Last year it migrated down to Burlingame, and this year it finally made it to the right region.

You can view a full list of events and exhibits at the AOD website over here.

Rockage 4.0: February 6-8 at the SJSU Student Union

Do you love video games? How about indie music? Rockage 4.0 combines the two all weekend long! In addition, this event has industry panels, classic arcades, and video game vendors. It's well worth checking out and is a great example of some of the unique events San Jose should be focusing on. Below you can see the music/panel schedule. For more info head here and for tickets head here.

San Jose Lands GX3 - Everyone Games

GX3 is an eclectic video game convention that was started a few years ago. It was previously called GaymerX and targeted at the LGBT community, but now the event is being marketed to all gamers. This year they are going by GX3 with the tagline "Everyone Games." The past two events have been held in San Francisco, but the San Jose Marriott will claim this event for 2015 (Dec 11-13).

For more details, check out this Kickstarter page or hit the source link below.

Source: Joystiq

Huge E-Sports Event Coming to San Jose

One of the largest "e-sports" events ever to take place in the US is coming to San Jose. The Intel Extreme Masters tournament will host up to 18,000 people on Dec. 6-7 at the SAP Center. Instead of watching a Sharks game, visitors will watch teams competing in League of Legends and StarCraft video game competitions. You are probably asking yourself the same question I did... "is there really enough demand for 18,000 people to come watch others play video games?" Twitch--a site that streams people playing video games and tournaments--claims that it will stream the tournament live to an estimated 4.5 million viewers. Wow.

Given we are in the middle of Silicon Valley, San Jose should become a video game mecha. There is a real opportunity here, especially given how popular e-ports apparently are becoming. For more info on the Extreme Masters tournament, check out the website over here.

Source: SiliconBeat

Some Details re: AFK Gamer Lounge in Downtown SJ

Last week a friend of mine asked me if I knew what happened to the Los Gatos Brewing Company on Santa Clara Street. If there was any news or gossip about why it abruptly shut down. I actually didn't even know it had shut down, but I was not very surprised. The last time I had been there I was not very impressed with their food, and since there are so many other wonderful options downtown, LGBC never made it back to the top of my list. (But that is just *my* experience.)

So I did a quick search and found out that taking the place of the restaurant will be the AFK Gamer Lounge, a new eSports bar & PC gaming center. One-hundred gaming PC's networked together installed with some of today's most popular online games. 

Gamers will gather, play games, enjoy food and enjoy beverages from the bar. There will be memberships and access for casual guests. 

The whole concept is interesting to me as former (short term) player of World of Warcraft and The Sims, but a much longer term player of video games in general. Most of any recent online game exposure is due to my husband (and friends) playing of Starcraft, EverQuest (back in the day!), World of Warcraft, and League of Legends to name a few. 

A few days ago I exchanged emails with one of the owners, Tyler Peckham, and asked a few questions.

JO: In reference to your press release, will you be open on October 18/19 for the League of Legends tournament being held at the SAP Center?

TP. We will be open for some sort of event - however its unlikely it will be a full grand opening.

JO: What popular games will you have installed? Starcraft? WoW? The Sims?

TP: Users will have access to their own library of games (ie. Steam libraries, games that require an online account: LoL, WoW, SCII and many more).  Full list of games is unknown, but the main concept is to first provide access to the games users are already playing, and then second, provide access to some games they may not already have or play. 

JO: Are users limited to only MMORPGs or can they hop on Facebook and play their favorite casual games as well? 

TP: By no means are they limited to MMORPG's. Web browser access is likely, however not 100% (potential security issues).

JO: Members and guests are encouraged to purchase drinks from the bar, what is your plan of attack for keeping liquids away from the computers? 

TP: We are going to start off with some experimentation on methods to allow everyone to game/drink/eat peacefully without restriction. 

JO: Will you be holding tournaments?

TP: YES YES YES

I inquired about some renderings but they didn't have any updated ones on hand yet. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon with a few. For now, if you're still interested be sure to either sign up for email updates via the AFK Gamer Lounge website or follow them on their Facebook page. 

For a more in-depth read, if you can follow Reddit threads, check out their post and the conversation happening over there.

I'm looking forward to checking this place out with my husband and a few friends. I'd like to see what they think about it!