Comic-Con: Tron Legacy Viral Game

This year at Comic-Con, the two movies that appear to be gaining the most buzz are James Cameron’s Avatar and Tron. If you have been keeping an eye on all the “Flynn Lives” viral information they have been putting out for Tron, then you may know that at 9:30 PM EST last night we were all given a location to meet to begin this year’s Comic-Con viral game. Myself along with Alex Billington (from Firstshowing.net) signed up as a team and began what turned out to be an incredible and unforgettable evening.

As we arrived at 1st and J, (two cross streets in downtown San Diego) we were met with a few hundred others as we’re all hoping to be a part of whatever it is the game had to offer. We were given a map, a grid, and a black light. The goal of this viral was to have the people involved walk around and find “Flynn Lives” posters that were set up all around downtown SD within a 10 block radius. Faint chants of “Flynn Lives” really spiced up the competition as everyone was apparently very excited. It was hard not to be!

There were three different posters that needed to be found, all which contained six sets of coordinates spread across the entire poster. Enter the black light, it was the only way these coordinates could possibly be found. After an examination of the posters and the search area and 35 minutes later, Alex and I had completed finding all the coordinates and began plotting the location on the grid.

The final location was located exactly four blocks from the start point, and as we arrived we saw a small line beginning to form. We were about 20 people back from the front, and after about 15 minutes the staff at this mystery location revealed what we were all there to see. A large neon-lit “Flynn’s” sign was unveiled at the top of the building we were about to enter. They had recreated Flynn’s arcade from the 1982 classic Tron. As we slowly entered the location, Journey’s “Separate Ways” was blasting, followed by a sweet play list of other great 80’s songs. The arcade was filled with classic games such as Centipede, Galaga, and Pac-Man along with none other than Space Paranoids and Tron itself.

After playing games for about 20 or 30 minutes a loud rumbling came thru the speakers, and the classic Tron game was pulled back to reveal a secret door, leading to yet another location. This honestly couldn’t be any cooler. Loud music by Daft Punk was playing in the next room, and as Alex and I entered, we were as giddy as could be. Concept art for the Light Cycle was placed along the wall as we were walking towards something else, something big. We came around the corner, and saw none other than a real life Light Cycle. This thing was a beauty. It was a perfect ending to a close to perfect event at Flynn’s Arcade.

It’s impossible to describe the atmosphere during the whole experience. Being a part of the first group into the Arcade was something to be remembered. I felt like I was in the movie Tron, and I was so engrossed in the whole experience. If you are here in San Diego this week, be sure to check out the arcade, open 9PM-1AM on Friday and Saturday night! Also, for more information on all our escapades, make sure to follow us on twitter (fanboyz, romanatfanboyz, funnytunney, and healthypoison).