Aristocrat
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Australasian Gaming Expo report from Sydney; Australia - Day 2
Today was the 2nd day for the most high profile and successful gaming expo in Australia - the Australasian Gaming Expo, which is being hosted by the Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour.
It's a key time for the gaming industry in Australia with all the regulation elements, responsible gambling initiatives and such, and most of the big boys of the industry were on hand to show off their wares, with some exhibitors demonstrating significant creative flair to help showoff their latest and greatest wares.
Our friends at Human Statue Bodyart had a couple of body models made up in bodypaint (Anastasia as a butterfly and Victoria as a panda) - complete with wings, for leading gaming brand Paltronics and its latest game 'Jungle Madness'.
The expo centre itself is huge - 15,000 square metres (about the size of an Aussie Rules football oval) and this provided more than ample opportunity for over 750 slot games aka "pokies" to strut their stuff.
The Australasian Gaming Expo is by far the largest event of its type in Australia and one of the world’s biggest.
We learned through the grapevine that a trip for 2 to Las Vegas will be won by a lucky visitor on each of the 3 days of the Expo, and this is compliments of the Gaming Technologies Association which owns the event.
We understand that over 16,000 people have walked through the games thus far, with those in the business being the majority, and no doubt a few punters, checked through the gates (but note that the games on display do not accept coins or notes).
News...
Human Statue Bodyart helps make Paltronics...
Gaming firm Paltronics was once again looking for their fair share of attention by having a few body models made up in forest like bodypaint attire to compliment their selection of games, including the very popular 'Jungle Madness'.
There's little doubt that folks Paltronics knew that competitors of sorts, IGT, were going all out with an Elvis promotion (including imitator), and may have also noted their 'Sex In The City' promotional stand from last years show.
It's always good to see Australian companies such as Paltronics take on international giants such as IGT and promotional models are just one of the weapons that gaming companies will continue to employ in the high stakes world of electronic gaming, and the folks from the Human Statue Bodyart creative arts agency certainly helped Paltronics make a positive splash today.
We hear that more bodypainted models are on the cards tomorrow (the 3rd and final day of the expo) so be sure to check the stands, with 11am to 2pm
News...
Shuffle Master promotes The Flintstones Slot...
"We are thrilled to be able to offer such an iconic brand as The Flintstones and we feel confident that it will take center stage at the show," said Adrian Halpenny, President of Shuffle Master Australasia. "Our game development team worked very hard to deliver a final product that demonstrated meticulous attention to detail in order to maintain the high quality and authenticity of the television series. As a result, The Flintstones is a breakthrough product that is not only highly enjoyable to play as a traditional gaming machine, but also brings the much-loved characters to life with entertaining and engaging features."
Since debuting on American television, The Flintstones has endured as one of the most recognized cartoon TV shows of all time and is still shown on TV around the world. The beloved characters of The Flintstones have been a part of our childhoods for decades, and this new game allows us to play and interact with them in new and exciting ways.
Preston Kevin Lewis, Managing Director of Warner Bros. Consumer Products ANZ, said, "It is testament to the enduring nature of The Flintstones brand that the likes of Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty continue to reach new audiences in diverse areas. Shuffle Master is one of the world's leading gaming suppliers and we're sure these fantastic machines will provide consumers with yet another opportunity to fall in love with The Flintstones."
Designed to make a big impact on the gaming floor with its broad appeal, The Flintstones is a three-level standalone progressive, low-denomination product with a suite of exciting base games and attractive jackpot prizes. It also introduces Shuffle Master's patented new "mini-reel" feature trigger that ignites the player's anticipation during game play.
The game offers three interactive bonus features that provide players with the chance to win jackpots and credit prizes. Each bonus feature evokes classic scenes from the original TV show, such as the ten-pin challenge at Bedrock Bowl, the family night out at The Drive-In and the antics of Fred Flintstone's lovable pet dinosaur in Dino's Dig.
Every element has been carefully crafted to captivate players. The Flintstones will feature themed door trims with matching halo lighting, a unique character marquee with a built-in LCD top box, and re-mastered music and sound effects from the original TV show. The three launch games - Lioness, Peacock Garden and Tiger Power - will be supplemented with more games from Shuffle Master on an ongoing basis to keep the installations fresh and exciting.
Press Release...
IGT Highlights Innovative 3D Gaming Technology and a Star-studded Gaming Lineup at the Australasian Gaming Expo...
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 20, 2012 -- International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT), a global leader in casino gaming entertainment and systems technology, announced today it will deliver new industry firsts for Australia's gaming enthusiasts at the Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) Aug. 21 – 23 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre in Sydney, Australia.
IGT will launch the 3D gaming technology MLD™ (Multi-Layer Display™), paired with the unveiling of one of the world's most iconic pop culture brands, Elvis The King®. This new title is now available in Australia exclusively on the IGT bluechip Neo® Tower Top cabinet after successful launches in other global markets, along with many new games and products.
"IGT continues to provide our customers with strong game performance, the widest variety of games, the latest in systems innovation and world-class service, all of which will be on display at AGE," said Eric Tom, IGT executive vice president of Global Sales.
"Our research indicates that many players are entertainment seekers who are attracted to iconic brands and IGT delivers this with our pop culture hit Elvis The King®. This game has been adapted to suit the Australasian players' playing style. The 3D capabilities of MLD with Elvis The King® also provides venues with a strong differentiator as they look to broaden gaming's appeal and provide something special for players," said Tom. "Elvis The King® is packed with multiple features and number one hits."
IGT's 3D MLD™ screens take gaming to another dimension in play. The 3D effect is simulated because the content exists on two separate LCD panels; one in front of the other which gives a depth of field, with game elements appearing and moving between the front and back screens. This allows for new game play options and heightened entertainment.
The line-up of over fifty games at AGE reflects IGT's re-invigorated game design strategy with the legendary performance of games such as Siberian Storm® and Dangerous Beauty®. Additional games debuting at AGE include:
Black Widow® – a low denomination game with a 'web capture' feature during free games for the chance to accumulate additional credits.
Dakota Thunder® - featuring the 'Thunder Shudder'.
A global leader in casino gaming entertainment and systems technology, IGT provides a holistic solution to the industry and its strength in gaming management systems and new interactive technologies will also be showcased at AGE.
The IGT Advantage Club® System will be demonstrated with new technologies such as Service Window, a small window that appears on the left hand side of the screen. The Service Window can be used for personalized player messaging and for service requests, adding a unique level of service for venues with the IGT system. The IGT Advantage Club® system is proving to be a winner with clubs in New South Wales.
IGT will again be playing host to industry experts who will present a range of topics including game floor design, customer service and systems. For more details on the free business seminar sessions visit www.igt.com.au/AGE12.
About IGT
International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a global leader in casino gaming entertainment and continues to transform the industry by translating casino player experiences to social, mobile and interactive environments for regulated markets around the world. IGT's recent acquisition of Double Down Interactive provides engaging casino style entertainment to more than 5 million players monthly. More information about IGT is available at www.IGT.com or connect with IGT at @IGTNews or www.facebook.com/IGT.
© EPE, Reg. U.S. Pat & TM O_.
Dangerous Beauty and Black Widow were created by High 5 Games. For more information on High 5 Games, go to www.High5games.com
Pure Depth™, MLD®, Multi-Layer Display® and Actual Depth™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Depth, Inc. All other trademarks are registered trademarks or the property of their respective owners without the intent to infringe. www.puredepth.com. All trademarks or registered trademarks are owned by IGT (Australia) Pty. Limited or its related entities. All information is subject to change without notice. Game type availability is subject to jurisdictional approval.
Websites
Australasian Gaming Expo
www.austgamingexpo.com
Gaming Technologies Association
www.gamingta.com
PALtronics Australasia
www.paltronics.com.au
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
www.scec.com.au
Human Statue Bodyart
www.humanstatuebodyart.com.au
Human Statue Bodyart Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/humanstatuebodyart
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography
Athens, Jun 2011 - 29
Image by Ed Yourdon
This woman was standing alone, in a shady corner of Omonoia Square.
***************************
When we hear the phrase “first impression,” we tend to think of a person. Was the politician I recently voted for as inspiring when I heard his first speech as he was years later? (More so, sadly.) Was the girl that I married as beautiful at 13 as she was years later, in her twenties and thirties? (Yes, and yes.) Did Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind send more of a shiver down my spine in 1963 than it did when I heard it drifting from a car radio 45 years later? (No. It stops me dead in my tracks every time I hear it.)
It’s not just people that make first impressions on me. Cities do, too, perhaps because I encountered so many of them while my family moved every year throughout my childhood. Or perhaps it’s because, after seeing so many cities that I thought were different in the United States, I was so completely unprepared for the wild variety of sights and sounds and smells that I encountered as a grown man, when I traveled to Europe and South America, to Africa and Asia and Australia. And even today, there are cities that I’m visiting for the first time, and which continue to take me by surprise.
Athens is one of those cities. I don’t know what I was expecting… Something old, of course, something downright ancient, filled with smashed statues and marble columns like Rome, engraved with unreadable inscriptions in a language I never learned — but probably not as ancient as Cairo. Something hot and noisy and polluted and smelly, perhaps like Calcutta or the slums of Mumbai. Something gridlocked with noisy, honking traffic congestion, perhaps like Moscow.
What I didn’t expect was the wide, nearly-empty highways leading from the airport into the city. I didn’t expect the cleanliness of the tree-lined streets that ran in every direction. I did expect the white-washed buildings and houses that climbed the hills that surround the city — but the local people told me that buildings in Athens were positively gray compared to what I would have seen if I had stayed longer and ventured out to the Greek islands.
I also didn’t expect the graffiti that covered nearly every wall, on every building, up and down every street. They were mostly slogans and phrases in Greek (and therefore completely unintelligible to me), but with occasional crude references in English to IMF bankers, undercover policemen, a politician or two, and the CIA. There were a couple slogans from the Russian revolution of 1917, from the Castro uprising in Cuba, and even from the American revolution (“united we stand, divided we fall.”)
Naturally, I thought all of this had come about in just the past few months, as Greece has wrestled with its overwhelming financial crisis. But I was told by local citizens that much of the graffiti has been around for quite a bit longer than that – just as it has been in cities like New York and London. Some of it was wild and colorful, with cartoon figures and crazy faces … though I don’t think it quite rises to the level of “street art” that one sees in parts of SoHo, Tribeca, and the East Village in New York. What impressed me most about the graffiti in Athens was its vibrant energy; I felt like the artists were ready to punch a hole through the walls with their spray-cans.
These are merely my own first impressions; they won’t be the same as yours. Beyond that, there are a lot of facts, figures, and details if one wants to fully describe a city like Athens. Its recorded history spans some 3,400 years, and it includes the exploits of kings and generals, gods and philosophers, athletes and artists. There are statues and columns and ruins everywhere; and towering above it all is the breath-taking Acropolis. It’s far too rich and complex for me to describe here in any reasonable way; if you want to know more, find some books or scan the excellent Wikipedia summary.
It’s also hard to figure out what one should photograph on a first visit to a city like Athens. It’s impossible not to photograph the Acropolis, especially since it’s lit at night and visible from almost every corner of the city. I was interested in the possibility of photographing the complex in the special light before dawn or after sunset, but it’s closed to visitors except during “civilized” daytime hours. It’s also undergoing extensive renovations and repair, so much of it is covered in scaffolding, derricks, and cranes. In the end, I took a few panorama shots and telephoto shots, and explored the details by visiting the new Acropolis Museum, with the camera turned off.
Aside from that, the photos you’ll see here concentrate on two things: my unexpected “first impression” of the local graffiti, and my favorite of all subjects: people. In a couple cases, the subjects are unmistakably Greek – Greek orthodox priests, for example – and in a couple cases, you might think you were looking at a street scene in São Paulo or Mexico City. But in most of the shots, you’ll see examples of stylish, fashionable, interesting people that don’t look all that much different from the people I’ve photographed in New York, London, Rome, or Paris. Maybe we can attribute that to the homogenization of fashion and style in today’s interconnected global environment. Or maybe we can just chalk it up to the fact that people are, well … interesting … wherever you go.
In any case, enjoy. And if you get to Athens yourself, send me some photos of your own first impressions.
Athens, Jun 2011 - 73
Image by Ed Yourdon
It's hard not to be distracted by all the graffiti on the walls...
***************************
When we hear the phrase “first impression,” we tend to think of a person. Was the politician I recently voted for as inspiring when I heard his first speech as he was years later? (More so, sadly.) Was the girl that I married as beautiful at 13 as she was years later, in her twenties and thirties? (Yes, and yes.) Did Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind send more of a shiver down my spine in 1963 than it did when I heard it drifting from a car radio 45 years later? (No. It stops me dead in my tracks every time I hear it.)
It’s not just people that make first impressions on me. Cities do, too, perhaps because I encountered so many of them while my family moved every year throughout my childhood. Or perhaps it’s because, after seeing so many cities that I thought were different in the United States, I was so completely unprepared for the wild variety of sights and sounds and smells that I encountered as a grown man, when I traveled to Europe and South America, to Africa and Asia and Australia. And even today, there are cities that I’m visiting for the first time, and which continue to take me by surprise.
Athens is one of those cities. I don’t know what I was expecting… Something old, of course, something downright ancient, filled with smashed statues and marble columns like Rome, engraved with unreadable inscriptions in a language I never learned — but probably not as ancient as Cairo. Something hot and noisy and polluted and smelly, perhaps like Calcutta or the slums of Mumbai. Something gridlocked with noisy, honking traffic congestion, perhaps like Moscow.
What I didn’t expect was the wide, nearly-empty highways leading from the airport into the city. I didn’t expect the cleanliness of the tree-lined streets that ran in every direction. I did expect the white-washed buildings and houses that climbed the hills that surround the city — but the local people told me that buildings in Athens were positively gray compared to what I would have seen if I had stayed longer and ventured out to the Greek islands.
I also didn’t expect the graffiti that covered nearly every wall, on every building, up and down every street. They were mostly slogans and phrases in Greek (and therefore completely unintelligible to me), but with occasional crude references in English to IMF bankers, undercover policemen, a politician or two, and the CIA. There were a couple slogans from the Russian revolution of 1917, from the Castro uprising in Cuba, and even from the American revolution (“united we stand, divided we fall.”)
Naturally, I thought all of this had come about in just the past few months, as Greece has wrestled with its overwhelming financial crisis. But I was told by local citizens that much of the graffiti has been around for quite a bit longer than that – just as it has been in cities like New York and London. Some of it was wild and colorful, with cartoon figures and crazy faces … though I don’t think it quite rises to the level of “street art” that one sees in parts of SoHo, Tribeca, and the East Village in New York. What impressed me most about the graffiti in Athens was its vibrant energy; I felt like the artists were ready to punch a hole through the walls with their spray-cans.
These are merely my own first impressions; they won’t be the same as yours. Beyond that, there are a lot of facts, figures, and details if one wants to fully describe a city like Athens. Its recorded history spans some 3,400 years, and it includes the exploits of kings and generals, gods and philosophers, athletes and artists. There are statues and columns and ruins everywhere; and towering above it all is the breath-taking Acropolis. It’s far too rich and complex for me to describe here in any reasonable way; if you want to know more, find some books or scan the excellent Wikipedia summary.
It’s also hard to figure out what one should photograph on a first visit to a city like Athens. It’s impossible not to photograph the Acropolis, especially since it’s lit at night and visible from almost every corner of the city. I was interested in the possibility of photographing the complex in the special light before dawn or after sunset, but it’s closed to visitors except during “civilized” daytime hours. It’s also undergoing extensive renovations and repair, so much of it is covered in scaffolding, derricks, and cranes. In the end, I took a few panorama shots and telephoto shots, and explored the details by visiting the new Acropolis Museum, with the camera turned off.
Aside from that, the photos you’ll see here concentrate on two things: my unexpected “first impression” of the local graffiti, and my favorite of all subjects: people. In a couple cases, the subjects are unmistakably Greek – Greek orthodox priests, for example – and in a couple cases, you might think you were looking at a street scene in São Paulo or Mexico City. But in most of the shots, you’ll see examples of stylish, fashionable, interesting people that don’t look all that much different from the people I’ve photographed in New York, London, Rome, or Paris. Maybe we can attribute that to the homogenization of fashion and style in today’s interconnected global environment. Or maybe we can just chalk it up to the fact that people are, well … interesting … wherever you go.
In any case, enjoy. And if you get to Athens yourself, send me some photos of your own first impressions.
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