Courtesy of Artcade Lounge

Invading a downtown Phoenix space in the months ahead.

Local gamers, start digging through couch cushions and hoarding every quarter possible. You're gonna need 'em a couple of months from now when the Artcade Lounge opens its doors in downtown Phoenix

Ariel Bracamonte and Nico Paredes, the pair behind the popular Artcade Show earlier this year (which featured vintage games used as canvases for local artists), announced Wednesday that they've found a location for a similarly themed arcade/nightspot concept. And by happenstance, it's the exact same spot where the Artcade exhibition took place.

See Also:
- The Artcade Show Opens Tonight at Parazol Studios in Downtown Phoenix
- Five of Our Favorite Arcade Games From ZapCon
- Ten Favorite Arcades in Metro Phoenix

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Devon Christopher Adams

Ryan Severyn of Phoenix wears his Mass Effect 3 Spectre armor and holds a digital art print by Anabel Martinez at last year's "Controllers & Canvas" at Bookmans in Mesa.

As anyone who's ever played Shadow of the Colossus, Rez, or Ico would likely attest, video games have become much more than just amusing distractions for geeks and teens. It's as much a legitimate art form as painting or sculpture, and no less a source than either the Smithsonian or Museum of Modern Art (both of which have exhibited arcade classics in recent years) can back that up.

Local artist and gaming fiend Anabel Martinez also is a big proponent of the legitimacy of video games as art, which is one of the reasons she's helping co-organize and promote this Saturday's "Controllers & Canvas" event at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Mesa.

See Also:
- Top 5 Video Games as Art
- Museum of Modern Art to Showcase Video Game Collection in 2013
- James Barnett, Video Games Turned Fine Art

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Nintendo of America

"Put an APB out for a short Italian plumber with a psilocybin fetish, STAT!"

In a week when the entire nation is on absolute high alert concerning any sort of suspicious items being left out in the open, one local wisenheimer may have thought it was apparently high time for a little mischief.

Earlier today, officers from the Tempe Police Department investigated a "suspicious package" that was discovered near the intersection of Newberry Lane and Spence Avenue. And what cops found may resemble an object familiar to fans of old school Nintendo games.

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- FBI Releases Photos and Video of Two Boston Marathon Bombing Suspects
- Joe Arpaio's Shameless Self-Promotion After Boston Marathon Explosions (Video)
- UPDATED: Two Explosions and Dozens of Injuries Reported at the Finish Line of the Boston Marathon (Video)

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GameCoLab

Game developers across the Valley will have a new place to meet up and get productive when GameCoLab opens next month in downtown Phoenix.

Co-founders Ben Reichert and Joseph Darnell have designed GameCoLab as a co-working space for game developers that will foster inspiration and innovative ideas by giving programmers a new, refreshing work environment.

"Do your sleeping and relaxing at home," Reichert says, "but come out to a place where you can be productive with your work."

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- The Five Best Zombie Video Games to Satisfy Your Walking Dead Addiction
- Five of Our Favorite Arcade Games From ZapCon in Downtown Phoenix

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Photos by Benjamin Leatherman

Getting in some gaming at ZapCon this past weekend. See more photos from the event via our slideshow.

Pac-Man fever was running rampant at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel over the weekend, as was a serious case of retro video game mania (and maybe even a few sprained wrists, to boot) as ZapCon took place on Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7, offering up more than a hundred old-school arcade games and vintage pinball machines available for play.

No quarters were necessary (since every machine was set to "free play" mode") as hundreds of local gamers and joystick Jedi went through a warp zone into the arcades of yesteryear while either going full-tilt boogie on more than 65 pinball titles or mashing the buttons on such legendary pixilated classics as Space Harrier, Tutankham, A.P.B., the original Mario Bros. and various other video hits from the '70s and '80s. Here's a rundown of the games we spent the most time playing at the event.

See Also:
- ZapCon at at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel (Slideshow)
- Ten Favorite Arcades in Metro Phoenix
- Tempe's Gringo Star Street Bar Bringing Classic Arcade Thrills to Mill Avenue

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Skeeball games inside Gringo Star Street Bar in Tempe

The nightlife scene along Mill Avenue in Tempe isn't really much of a haven for the button-pounding and joystick-loving crowd, as far as gaming action goes, save for those Golden Tee and bar-top touchscreen things found at most watering holes.

That will change in a few weeks when Gringo Star Street Bar debuts at the intersection of Mill and Fifth Street and brings with more than a dozen arcade games, skeeball, and even some old-school home consoles.

See also:
- Downtown Phoenix's ZapCon Expands to Include Retro Gaming Documentaries and a Performance By The Minibosses
- Ten Favorite Arcades in Metro Phoenix

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America loves zombies. Even though AMC's The Walking Dead has its flaws as a show, it's one of the most unique programs we've seen in a while, and it fills a very specific (undead) niche.

After Sunday night's Walking Dead season finale, American television will be zombie-less once again. Luckily, zombies have existed in other media for some time now, so we've put together a list of five zombie games sure to satiate anyone's zombie cravings.

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- The 10 Best Video Game Couples
- Everything You Need to Know About Sony's PS4

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Benjamin Leatherman

ZapCon in leveling up. Organizers of the two-day classic arcade and pinball gaming event taking place next month in downtown Phoenix recently announced that they're expanding the scope of the event to include numerous game-related activities that don't involve mashing buttons.

According to Wes Cleveland, who's helping put on ZapCon along with fellow local old-school joystick-head Zack Johnson, attendees will be able to screen several documentaries devoted to retro gaming, as well as attend workshops and discussions covering repair, restoration, and maintenance of pinball machines.

See Also:
- ZapCon, A Classic Arcade Gaming Convention, Comes to Downtown Phoenix in April
- The Artcade Show Opens Tonight at Parazol Studios in Downtown Phoenix
- Ten Favorite Arcades in Metro Phoenix

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Matthew Wegner (left) and Ben Ruiz (right)

Ben Ruiz's makeshift office is located in a quiet corner of a Tempe coffee shop where he currently is working on his love letter to the beat-'em-up genre,Aztez.

Aztez is a stylized brawler with an art style ripped from the wall of an Aztec pyramid. Gameplay in Aztez is split between a turn-based strategy overworld map and responsive small-scale brawls with a variety of enemies. Aztez will be available for both PC and Mac later this year.

See more:
- In Honor of the Renaissance Festival: The Greatest Medieval Games of All Time
- The Five Most Anticipated Video Games of 2013

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When most people think of video games, they don't think of romance. However, video games can produce relationships just as powerful as any other art form can. We've compiled a list of the best couples in video game history -- and while some are harmless or heartwarming, others are just as tragic and moving as those found in the most serious of all art.

See more:
- In Honor of the Renaissance Festival: The Greatest Medieval Games of All Time
- The Five Most Anticipated Video Games of 2013

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