Hacker Arcade

Like Chuck-e-Cheese, except with cryptographic tokens instead of paper tickets

The hacker arcade is entering its fourth year, and we want this to be the best year so far. If you've never been to the hacker arcade, the basic idea is that people build custom arcade games that spit out crypto tokens onto USB dongles based on how good the player did at the game.

Just like Chuck-e-Cheese, the better you do, the more tickets you get... the more tickets you get, the better prizes you can win. However, instead of having to carry around all those pesky paper tickets, you keep all your crypto tickets on a USB dongle. You can even give your tickets to friends by copying them from one dongle to another (our system keeps track of double spending, so only one of you can redeem the tickets if you try that little trick).

The games in years past have been pretty impressive. In no particular order, we've had:

This year, we're looking for even better games. There's a rumor of skee-ball showing up, and even wii-controlled physical projectiles. If you're interested and have a game idea, start building now while you still have time and contact arcade@shmoocon.org for info on the ticket generation code (and so we can make arrangements for your game).

NOTE: This is a charitable endeavor. In years past folks have used coin slots as the primary means of getting money to start the game. It turns out, quarters are a lousy way to make money for charities. If you're making a game, please try to include ways to take bills... or to forcibly steal the player's wallet.

The Security:

We care about your stuff, no we really do. Some of our own stuff is there too, so staff will be on hand to keep an eye on everything. But we know there's gonna be devices with lots of cables/controllers hanging around. We suggest either a) staple the controllers to the box or b) be prepared to write off any losses.

The Proceeds:

We're not in this to make a profit, so all proceeds from arcade machines will go to a charitable cause.

Prizes for the Players:

Based on how many tickets you can rack up, you can get some pretty bitchin' prizes. In years past we've had some pretty nice schwag to give away. I'm sure we'll have something similar this year.

Prizes for the Entrants:

The entry deemed "most 31337" will get an awesome prize tbd.

The Judging:

At the end of the con, we'll judge the arcade entries and decide which was the best. In years previous there's been talk that the judgement was purely subjective, well I'm here to tell you that this year things will be exactly the same. So get those checkbooks out and look for gdead and Logan at the con. Seriously, the judging is pretty simple: The cooler the game, the better your chances. And while you don't have to implement our USB crypto code, it sure helps your chances of winning if you do.

Don't worry, there are some bonus points to be had:

There may be other prizes for other entries. There may be spankings for those that just bring in an Xbox and a TV. So if that's your thing... well your course of action is clear.

Questions?

Anyone interested in entering a machine (or two or three) into the hacker arcade, there are bound to be questions (including transportation, setup, tear down, etc...) should email us at arcade@shmoocon.org.