This Is It! bids proper farewell to Arcade-in-a-Box

Over the weekend, players gathered from around the state to Tucson in order to pay their respects to Ed Farias as he bid adieu to his establishment, Arcade-in-a-Box. The arcade, proclaimed one of the last retro arcades in the city, was celebrated over the weekend in style with a massive five-tournament event.

Players new and old participated in the competitions with a sense of community and fun that made the arcade such a staple for gamers in the past. Indeed the event served as a reminder to Farias of the good times he had running Arcade-in-a-Box during its seven-year run, but also an affirmation of his decision to leave the arcade.

DEVASTATION’s Robb Chiarini discusses event cancellation with The Pause Button

DEVASTATION, the gaming event that hosted several thousands over the course of an October weekend in Phoenix last year, was undoubtedly one of the biggest gaming events the state has seen. Since then the event team had gone quiet, player rumblings and rumors of payouts circulated, and very little information was given on whether or not the tournament would make its return in 2012. On Wednesday, DEVASTATION director Robb Chiarini made a public announcement that the event would not be happening this year.

In the announcement, Chiarini explained how the 2011 event had failed to pay out some winners due to a sudden sponsor drop out and that his own efforts to rectify the situation by selling his comic collection had resulted in further issues.

Chiarini also elaborated in the video that he and his team have worked to contact unpaid players and eventually settle all the loose ends from the 2011 event. Shortly after the video was released, Chiarini spoke with The Pause Button further on the announcement and what this would mean for the team, the players, and the future of the event.

AZHP Revamps Their Game

Local gaming crew AZHP are undergoing major changes in the coming months, and all of them are hype. Initially delayed from debuting their new look in the beginning of the year, AZHP confirmed with The Pause Button that a revamped AZHP Gaming site would go live on Wednesday.

The new AZHP logo, courtesy of Aquared and AZHP.

The new website is just one of the few makeover pieces the group is undergoing. No longer will they be known as Arizona Hobbyists Paradise, but as Arcade Zone Hard Punch. Group founder FrankCastleAZ explained that the name change was significant for the future of the team.

Finale Friday!

The absolute 8-bit blast known as The Retro Rumble finished off its second season today. Once the pixelated dust cleared, who was left standing?

Arcade-in-a-Box’s Ed Farias Talks Retro Rumbles and Web Series

With a huge community outpouring of live streams of fighting game favorites like Marvel vs. Capcom 3, King of Fighters, Super Street Fighter IV, and the like, it’s hard to think there’s much room for anything else.

Arcade-in-a-Box’s owner Ed Farias has made a recent push for a derision from fighting game streams into something different that celebrates the old school arcade in its best form.

It’s called Retro Rumble and it’s a force to be reckoned with.

Image courtesy of Retro Rumble.

Don’t Cross the Streams (actually, it’s ok if you do)

The end of August has brought on no shortage of tournament action, but the last week of the month will go out with a digital bang, with most events having accompanying streams for gamers to log into and watch all the fun they’re missing out on!

AiaB's new stream looks snazzy. (courtesy AiaB Twitch.tv channel)