GamerDays will have tourney play, vendor displays

The Moorpark Morning Rotary Club will host GamerDays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat., Sept. 20 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun., Sept. 21 at Gilbert Sports Arena, California Lutheran University, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.

The event will feature video game and computer exhibitors, free console play, major video game companies, local comic book and toy companies, and food and drink vendors.

Attendees may participate in such video game tournaments as Halo 3, Rock Band, Guitar Hero and a Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament.

The finals for Guitar Hero will be Saturday night. The Guitar Hero grand prize winner will open for Eric Dover on Sunday afternoon, playing a Guitar Hero song on the live stage with a video game console while Dover's live band is blended into the mix.

Recruiters from THQ will be on site to look for programmers and QA candidates and to feature marketing displays of holiday and new releases. JAKKS Pacific will present its Plug N Play games.

HopeLab will demonstrate its videogame Re-Mission, designed for juvenile cancer patients. In the game, the patient plays into a graphical human body and fights cancer cells.

Representatives from Santa Barbara Community College and Moorpark College will discuss their schools' computer and video game programs.

Sponsors who are providing prizes, T-shirts and games for tournament play are Activision, EA's Rockband, Wizard World Conventions, FUNimation Entertainment and Top Cow Productions.

Live bands performing at the event are Midnite Theory, Tony Avalon's music school Rock Nation, and Eric Dover. The bands will play Guitar Hero and Rock Band covers as well as their own music.

Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students. All proceeds will go to local education and charities.

For information, call Doug Ridley at (818) 577-8080.

GamerDays schedule

Sat., Sept. 20 10 a.m.: Exhibit floor opens. 10:30 a.m.: Start of Halo tournament 1 in Gilbert Arena exhibit hall 12:30 p.m.: Rock Nation with Tony Avalon and students 1 p.m.: Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament 1 in Gilbert Arena 3:30 p.m.: Start of Halo tournament 2 in Gilbert Arena 3:30 p.m.: Midnite Theory concert 5 p.m.: Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament 2 in Gilbert Arena 5 p.m.: Eric Dover concert 8 p.m.: Exhibit floor closes. 8 to 10 p.m.: Guitar Hero finals in Gilbert Arena Sun., Sept. 21 10 a.m.: Exhibit floor opens. 11 a.m.: Start of Halo tournament 3 in Gilbert Arena Noon: Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament 3 in Gilbert Arena Noon: Rock Nation with Tony Avalon and students 2 p.m.: Midnite Theory concert. 3:30 p.m.: Eric Dover concert. Guitar Hero champion opens for Dover with duet. 4 p.m.: Winners of Rock Band tournament announced at Gilbert Arena. 5 p.m.: Festival closes.