We’ve gotten a lot of very nice e-mails over the past few
days in response to JHM’s E3 2013 coverage. With most of these notes expressed
the exact same sentiment over & over again (i.e. “Boy, that all looks
really, really cool. I wish that I could get access to a super fun event like
that”).
Well, as it turns out, you can. You see, even though this year’s E3 officially vacated
the Los Angeles Convention
Center back on Friday morning, there are a few
off-site satellite exhibits related to this video gaming expo lingering around town.
And for Disney fans, the one you really need to be aware of is the iam8bit entertainment system, which is still being presented over on Sunset Boulevard.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
Here in this 4,500 square foot venue at the edge of Echo
Park, over 80 artists from around
the earth are currently fulfilling their retro gaming fantasies. But for
Disneyana enthusiasts, especially all of your DuckTales
fans out there, the real
reason that you want to get to the iam8bit gallery before June 30th is that
Capcom (i.e. the nice folks who are producing that “DuckTales
Remastered” video game) have built together a miniature version of Scrooge
McDuck‘s money bin.
Image courtesy of iam8bit gallery.
All rights reserved
Sadly, the staff at iam8bit are discouraging people from
living out their full Scrooge-swimming-in-his-money-bin fantasy. So, no, you
will not be allowed to drive around in it like a porpoise, and burrow through
it like a gopher, and then toss the money up and let it hit you on the head.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
Of course, that didn’t stop some people from trying when the
staff was looking away.
Photo by Shelly Valladolid
And luckily (thanks to those large, soft gold-colored
cushions that were standing in for all the coins that Scrooge keeps in his
money bin), those who did try to dive & burrow & toss were able to
avoid those concussions that the Beagle Boys always got when they broke into
the bin and then tried to imitate McDuck’s behavior.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
More to the point, because Capcom had tossed a copy of
Scrooge’s top hat on top of the pile …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… as well as a recreation of Scrooge’s walking stick, it
was relatively easy to channel your inner McDuck once you waded on into
iam8bit entertainment system’s miniature money bin.
Mind you, there are lots of great reasons for gaming fans to
drop by the gallery at iam8bit entertainment systems over the next two weeks. There are some genuinely
terrific pieces of gaming-inspired art hanging on those walls right now.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
But for all of you Disney Afternoon fans out there, the
reason that you need to get out to Echo
Park before June 30th is that you
don’t want to miss out on your chance to roll around in this miniature
recreation of Scrooge McDuck’s money bin before it then sinks from sight.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
The iam8bit entertainment system gallery is located at 2147 W. Sunset Boulevard
in Los Angeles,
CA. It’s open on Thursdays & Fridays
from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 1 p.m.
to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.