To most people, this week is the celebration of romance, the season of love, the day of Valentine.  To UP students, this week is much more than that.  This week is the UP February Fair celebration, the week full of romance, excitement and other fun stuff (not a euphemism). The UP February Fair is a week-long, student-produced celebration and protest fair filled to the brim with activities like fun booths, musical performances, markets, etc.

Last year, the UP Alliance of Gamers celebrated the February Fair with an open game night, an event comprised of retro games, a (hopefully life-sized) Mario brothers statues, and a tournament. It proved to be a success, as the event was enjoyed and loved by the UPLB gaming community.  This UPLB Feb Fair 2019, UP AG attempts to uphold this event as a tradition, bringing out Fair Play, a 4-day game night for the gamers, by the gamers.

This event will run from February 12 to 15 at our booth, located in the UPLB Freedom Park/February Fair Grounds.

Now, you might have questions, like:

• What games do you have?
• Can I play?
• You guys have a website?
• How do I get to play?

This guide is created to answer these questions (except the fourth one), and help you in your quest to play with us.

The Games

Source: Wiki, Epic Games, Steam

Day 1 (Feb. 12): Tantrum Tuesday

Rage-quit games. One of the greatest ironies of gaming history. We hate it, but we still keep playing it. Rage-quit games has victimized numerous gaming peripherals since its inception, making its significance in the industry unquestionable. This Tuesday, experience the level of rage only achieved by playing gaming’s notorious. We have only three games available to play, but only because the other games we have either will take up too much time or will require too much mental stability (e.g. Dark Souls). Here is our line-up:

• I Wanna Be The Boshy – a free 2D platformer game popular among speedrunners.
• Super Meat Boy –  another 2D platformer that was critically-acclaimed for its fine controls and difficulty.
• Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy – a new and popular game renowned for its unique mechanics and rage-inducing moments.

Source: Indie Retro News, Method Shop, Youtube

Day 2 (Feb. 13): Wayback Wednesday

Gaming history may be short compared to other entertainment mediums, but no one can deny its richness. Just like any other lessons in history, the significance of developers learning from the old games could not be stressed enough. From the impactful early games like Pong (don’t worry, that’s not on our line-up), to the ultra-realistic destroyers of task managers like GTA 5, Just Cause, Far Cry, and others. We dedicate this day to the early days of gaming, where mechanics trump graphics, and the abundance of limitations are seen as a chance for progressions. We go back to history with games like Adventure Island, Oregon Trail, Killer Instinct, and other retro games too long to list in a blog post.

Source: IMDb, Nintendo.co.uk

Day 3 (Feb. 14): Together Thursday

This day also marks Valentine’s day. To commemorate this day, we at UP AG dedicates this day to co-op games, arguably the best way to strengthen a relationship (in my opinion, which might be wrong considering I’m still single). We have prepared several co-op games for you, games such as Portal 2, Overcooked, and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. We guarantee that these games can keep your sparks coming, or fan it into an open flame. If it doesn’t, well at least we tried.

Source: Red Bull

Day 4 (Feb. 15): Fighter Friday

Last year, UP AG held a Tekken tournament at the UPLB February Fair. This year, we’re bringing it back, better than ever. With a registration fee of Php 25, 16 participants will battle it out in a Winner-Takes-All tournament. If that doesn’t hype you, we are spicing things up by bringing in casters for this tournament. Whether you want to prove your worth, to win the prize, or to witness battles of high caliber, this tournament will sure suffice your enthusiasm.

If you want to join, pre-register here.

How Do I Get To Play?

Simple: just come. That’s it. No registration forms or ticket giveaway. This event is free to all, so just visit our booth, write your name in our log book, and you’ll be queued up to play the game. Just be mindful that the queue might be long, so you might want to come early before the queue builds up.

As for the tournament, you can either pre-register from the link above, or you can register on our booth at the day of the tournament. Registration costs Php 25, payable on the day of the tournament (non-refundable).  The tournament only has a capacity of 16 participants. After 16 participants have registered, we can no longer allow more participants unless anyone of the registered ones did not arrive on the prescribed time or forfeited. This is to accommodate the whole tournament for the entire night of the fair.

Well, that’s all. I hope you enjoyed this guide and found it helpful in your endeavors. I hope you all have a wonderful UPLB February Fair 2019!