Maxgames tournament gets IMAX billing

Imagine playing your favorite multiplayer console game with your friends on your tiny kitchen or dorm-room television set. Now imagine playing that game on a giant IMAX screen. On July 23, the Maxgames video game tournament will be bringing that fantasy to life at the IMAX Dome in San Jose, California.

The tournament itself will involve nine games across three platforms, with the finalists for Super Monkey Ball 2, NASCAR Thunder 2004, SSX 3, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Downhill Domination, and Halo duking it out on a 40’ by 60’ projection screen in the IMAX Dome for the championship. And every powerslide and shotgun blast will be brought to ear-crunching life on the theater’s 13,000 watt, 44-speaker sound system.

Other attractions at the third annual event include chats with game developers about the industry, the two creators of the popular Red vs. Blue series, and a high-res presentation of the Halo 2 trailer, also shown on the IMAX screen. Winners will receive a Pyramat PM 300 Sound System, but all players will get to watch the final matches in the IMAX theater.

The tournament is hosted by the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation. Entry is $25 per game or $15 with a museum membership. Rules, a full list of games, and entry forms are available at the Tech Museum Web site.