1 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: A new type of amusement park. What's going on. I'm 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: Richie Demurrow. This is rich On Tech, and I'm here 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,399 Speaker 1: at a place called two Bit Circus. This is opening 4 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: in downtown Los Angeles. And with me is Eric Bradman. 5 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: He is one of the guys responsible for this place. Eric, 6 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: thanks so much for joining me. 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 2: My pleasure. 8 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 3: Nice to meet you. 9 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 2: Nice to meet you as well. This is amazing. 10 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: This is kind of like it's an adult amusement park, 11 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: but I don't mean that in a bad way, Like 12 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: it's really cool. If you grow up with something like 13 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:34,279 Speaker 1: a Chuck E cheese, this is that. Time's a thousand 14 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: tasing the latest tech. 15 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 3: When we set out to build this place, we wanted 16 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 3: a place that would entertain us. And you know, we 17 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 3: have friends. I have a kid, like. We want a 18 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 3: place that can entertain us, our friends, our families. So 19 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 3: it's not just aimed at kids. It's mostly for adults. 20 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 3: We have a full bar, we have a full restaurant, 21 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 3: but we also have high tech games that can entertain 22 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 3: pretty much anybody. 23 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: So you walk in, you've got bars. The lighting is 24 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: really cool. It's in this spacious kind of warehouse and 25 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: it's all been made to entertain and amuse adults and kids. 26 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 2: Like you said, so kids are allowed, let's start with. 27 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 3: That, definitely. So before nine pm, kids are definitely allowed. 28 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 3: This entertainment is perfectly suitable for kids. But after nine 29 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 3: pm we kick the kids out and we have a 30 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 3: full bar and lots of other fun stuff. 31 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: There's food, there's a bar, there's games. There's no rides, right, 32 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 2: there are no rides. 33 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 3: We do have some virtual reality with motion simulations in them, 34 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 3: so you will feel the ground shifting beneath your feet, 35 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 3: but we don't have any actual rides here unfortunately. 36 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 1: And the games that you created, there's sort of these 37 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: larger than life. They're fun, they're simple, they're easy, kind 38 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,559 Speaker 1: of pick up. They're not your typical video games per se. 39 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: But there are things that you guys have actually come 40 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: up with you and your partner. 41 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 3: Yeah, there's a couple principles that have driven our design 42 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 3: process for all these games. 43 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 2: First of all, all of our games are social. We 44 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 2: want people. 45 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 3: To play together. So whether you came in a big 46 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 3: group of people or whether you're looking to make new friends, 47 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 3: these games draw people together and get them play together. 48 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 3: And nothing gets people playing together better than you know, 49 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 3: standing elbow to elbow with somebody doing the same thing. 50 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 2: It creates new friendships. Our games are also very high tech. 51 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,119 Speaker 3: You know, we are inspired by old school carnival fun 52 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 3: games that have been you know, crowd pleasers for generations. 53 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 3: But we're living in a very special time and we 54 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 3: have the ability to transform these games with projectors and 55 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 3: sensors and mechatronics and robotics technology. 56 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 2: And we do that. 57 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 3: So we're creating these games that feel familiar but at 58 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 3: the same time look unlike anything anyone's ever seen. 59 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: Like one of the games that I played was sort 60 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: of a twist on the typical bubble pop you or 61 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: balloon pop you would play at any amusement park, sure, 62 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: except it's a big screen. It's got these real life 63 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: balls that you throw at the screen and they pop virtually. 64 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, walk into any amusement park and you'll be handed 65 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 3: at dart and told to pop real balloons. Here, those 66 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 3: balloons are projected on a screen, and what you're doing 67 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 3: is you're picking up what are actually ballpit balls, colored 68 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 3: ballpits balls, and throwing these balls at that projection screen. 69 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 3: Sensors in the ceiling track the color ball where it hits, 70 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 3: and if you hit a blue balloon with a red ball, 71 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 3: you're changing the color of. 72 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 2: The balloon on the screen. You're playing a match three game. 73 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 3: This is a game you can play on your phone 74 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 3: right now, but it's completely transformed by making it, you know, 75 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 3: nine feet wide by twelve feet tall, and allowing you 76 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 3: to play it with friends. 77 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 2: You've got a robot bartender. Tell me about that. We do. 78 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 3: Our robot bartender is named Guerremo del Porro and he 79 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 3: serves a mean oil martini, also some delicious municipal champagne. 80 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 3: And he was custom built for this place by a 81 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 3: very talented engineer, Dan Busby, And it's just a thing 82 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 3: of beauty. The control systems in there, the custom machining, 83 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 3: every part of that thing was built from scratch for 84 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 3: the sole purpose of getting people drunk. 85 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: That's okay, there you go. Now this place has like 86 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: a level of mystery to it. Now we're here during 87 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: the day, the lights are on at night. I imagine the 88 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: first time people come here, they're just going to be 89 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: an amazement of kind of the larger than life properties 90 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: of the things that you've built. 91 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: But also wondering is are there secrets in this place. 92 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 2: This place is chock full of secrets. 93 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 3: You know, when people arrive here, there's too much for 94 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 3: you to do in one night, and we believe that 95 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 3: that's going to get people coming back again and again. 96 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 3: When you come back again, you'll discover something that you 97 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 3: didn't see last time. But more than that, we've filled 98 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 3: this place with intentional mysteries, with rabbit holes that we 99 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 3: continue to dig, a meta story, a backstory that underlies 100 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 3: this whole place, characters who you might encounter while you're 101 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 3: playing games, and you'll slowly come to the realization that, 102 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 3: oh my gosh, there's something going on here, there's something 103 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 3: behind the scenes. You'll want to know more, and we 104 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 3: hope that will keep people coming back again and again. 105 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: So one thing I really liked about coming here is 106 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: that there's not like a typical admission fee, Like, you 107 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: don't pay a fee to come here. You come in, 108 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: you pay as you go, and you play the games. 109 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: You have a drink. There's also food. 110 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 2: Yep, what what kind of food should we expect? Oh? 111 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 3: So the food is amazing. I can say that because 112 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 3: I have nothing to do with preparing it. It is 113 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 3: so delicious. We call it farm to Circus. There's there's 114 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 3: locally sourced, there's gluten free, there's also you know, all 115 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 3: those all those options that people are really looking for. 116 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 3: We're accommodating all of those. And it's good stuff. I 117 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 3: have never had meatballs that weren't made with meat that 118 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 3: tasted that good. But we also have delicious hand pies 119 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 3: and and proper carnival food, shrimp corn dogs, shrimp corn dogs. 120 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 2: That's insane. I love. 121 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 1: That is insane, Okay, And tell me about some of 122 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: the things that people should see when they come here. 123 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: I saw, you know, just walking around, you're kind of 124 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: just your your brain is drawn to the visual elements 125 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: of this place. 126 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 3: There are different zones here in Tubid Circus. We have 127 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 3: the Carnival Midway with games we've already talked about. We 128 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 3: also have what is probably analogous to a classic arcade, 129 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 3: but is also full of games that we created, some 130 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 3: very high ten alternatives. One we call Skidoo, a giant 131 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 3: arcade game nine feet in length, thousands and thousands of pixels, 132 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 3: really powerful computer inside playing a variety of different games 133 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 3: developed by us and by some of our partners. We 134 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 3: have a VR section with all manner of different VR 135 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 3: experiences from four person shoot them ups to what's called 136 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 3: Beat Saber, which is a very popular arcade VR title. 137 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 3: Now to Battle Zone, which you can play in these 138 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 3: motion platforms. Sit in a chair that's rocking, put on 139 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 3: a VR headset, and battle it out with your friends 140 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 3: in a tank battle. We have a walk around May's 141 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 3: VR experience. There's a ton of different VR stuff. We 142 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 3: also have an interactive game show theater. This is called 143 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 3: Club zero one. It's a one hundred seat theater. You 144 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 3: walk in, you sit at your table, and there is 145 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,919 Speaker 3: a touchscreen at every single table. And whether it's trivia 146 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 3: night or a wine tasting show, you're gonna be You're 147 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 3: gonna be entertained by a host up on stage who's 148 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 3: running the event, but you're also part of the show. 149 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,720 Speaker 3: Everyone is participating during the entire show. So you may 150 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 3: be answering trivia questions, you may be filling out little 151 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:07,480 Speaker 3: surveys about what you taste in the wine, you may 152 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 3: be solving puzzles. But it keeps people engaged, keeps people laughing. 153 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 3: For you know, anywhere from thirty minutes to an. 154 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: Hour long show. 155 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: And where we're sitting right now, this is just kind 156 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: of a typical lounge area upstairs, so you can come 157 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: to play, you can come to hang out with friends. 158 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, we have a special lounge upstairs, special bar menu 159 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 3: up here, some fancy stuff. 160 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 2: It's a membership model. So oh, you can be a member. 161 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 2: You can be a member, absolutely okay. And you can 162 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 2: be a member or you can be a member. 163 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: It's interesting because your partner and all this Brent yep, 164 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: Brent bush Now bush Now so obviously the son of 165 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: Atari founder Nolan bush Now yep. 166 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 2: So did you know him as a kid. When did 167 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 2: you meet? No, Brent and I met ten years ago. 168 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 2: You met ten years ago right here in downtown Los Angeles. 169 00:07:57,800 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 2: Oh wow. 170 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 3: We were among the co founding members of what we 171 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 3: call a drinking club with an art problem. And we 172 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 3: would get together with our friends every week in downtown 173 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 3: at a bar and talk about all the crazy things 174 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 3: we were building. 175 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 2: We had normal jobs. 176 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 3: I was a roboticist working on government contracts building crazy 177 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 3: robots for the military, and he was building an interactive restaurant. 178 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 3: And we were just looking for other creative outlets for 179 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,239 Speaker 3: our technoledge, and we just started collaborating on fun stuff together. 180 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: Where do you see this all going two bit Circus 181 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: starting in La downtown or do you see it in 182 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: five ten years? 183 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 3: Oh gosh, Well, we're very excited about this location. There 184 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 3: will be more. We're excited to expand this concept. We 185 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 3: know that there's a huge appetite for things like this 186 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 3: in the world. In five to ten years, I planned 187 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 3: to be doing exactly what I'm doing right now, which 188 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 3: is creating crazy experience with people, testing them, finding the 189 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 3: ones that work, and just building them bigger and bigger 190 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:57,959 Speaker 3: and bigger and showing people a good time. 191 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 2: That's what I love to do, all right. 192 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: Eric DMan from two Bit Circus, thanks so much for 193 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: joining me. If you want to see pictures or video 194 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: from inside two Bit Circus, just go to my website 195 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: richon tech dot tv or look for links in the 196 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: show notes and. 197 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 2: Definitely check out two bit Circus. It is opening, uh well, by. 198 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: The time you listen to this, it will be open, 199 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: so enjoy and maybe I'll see there. 200 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening on rich Snamiro. I'll talk to you 201 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 2: real soon.