EA Sports – Analog Artist Digital World

Otronicon is a four-day event held at the Orlando Science Center (777 East Princeton Street, Orlando). It is a celebration of interactive technology using video games to demonstrate the future of how we live, learn, work and play. Whether you’re a video game fan or just wondered what it is your kids
are doing in front of that computer, there’s something for everyone at Otronicon, Orlando’s biggest interactive technology expo!

I went to Otronicon on the evening of January 18th. Two little girls ran around excitedly as their father waited in line in front of me. The father shouted at them to stand still. It turned out I was standing in the wrong line. I saw a media and volunteer table and I walked over. I walked through the first two floors rather quickly as I hunted for my sketch. EA sports had a room full of their sports games that could be played with feedback on large flat screen TVs. I saw hints of Star Wars costumes and technology including a Millennium Falcon experience. I presume this was one of those rides where the entire room rocks and lurches. I get sick to my stomach on those so I didn’t go in. I was there in the evening and it wasn’t very crowded.

When I entered the dinosaur paddock I immediately felt the urge to sketch. US Marines in camouflage fatigues were teaching kids how to use the Deployment Virtual Training environment. They all seemed so small beneath the huge beast. One swipe of that tail would have cleared away all that technology. Next to me students from the 4H Exploring Bacon Robotics Club were demonstrating a robot that could shoot a basketball. They built the robot to compete in the International FIRST Robotics Competition. They are now working on a robot that can throw a Frisbee and climb a pyramid. On March 7-9th the Orlando Regional Robotics Competition will be held at UCF. It sounds like fun.

After the sketch was done, I decided to sit down and experience the Marines Virtual Environment. I asked the marine next to me how to get started. Moving the mouse left and right changed my field of vision as if turning my head. The W key moved me forward. If I pressed it twice I could run. The marines hands were so big, I never saw the other keyboard commands. I walked into the environment not knowing how to fire my gun. It looked like I was in Iraq. I saw an explosion in the distance and I saw several other marines on their belly’s ready to fire. Thirty seconds into the experience, I heard a gunshot and my screen went black. I was dead. I got up from the console and went home.

Admission to Otronicon is $27 for adults and $20 for youth (ages
3-11). Tickets also include one screening of “TRON: Legacy 3D” as well as access
to Star Wars®: Where Science Meets
Imagination. Science Center members can experience Otronicon for free and see Star Wars: Where Science Meets
Imagination for $12 for adults and $9 for youth (ages 3-11). The Expo is open through January 21st.

It was a very hot day. The band members of “The Rock-afire Explosion” waited silently on the loading dock of Creative Engineering. The loading dock door was open with the hope of some cross breeze. A kinder gentler Fats sat at the keyboard. Athena, Aaron’s doberman pincer checks on my progress periodically. She still got spooked if I ran across her unannounced on the factory floor. Aaron sat in the next room programming another performance for You Tube. Periodically the Rock-afire Explosion Hits the road. For instance they performed for all the artists and staff at EA sports. Aaron had talked before of the band traveling the country like any other Rock and Roll band on a tour. The problem of course that these guys are heavy and they can’t walk themselves into the venue.

In the foreground of this sketch is Billy Bob and behind him is Mitsy Mozzarella. Beach Bear’s elbow is barely visible be hind Billy Bob. There is Fats Geronimo on the keyboard and right behind him is a darker version of himself. Dook Leroo is on the drums. Earl was the first animatronic to ever perform as a puppeteer. The voice talents were all recorded in a sound stage in the Creative Engineering factory.

Rock-afire Explosion fans are hard core however. There is a whole subculture out there of fans who love these characters. After over 30 years in storage The Rock-afire Explosion is staging a come back. Aaron is single highhandedly keeping the dream alive. The Phoenix will rise from the ashes. His creative enterprising spirit still burns bright.