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Have you seen King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters yet? No? Well after you’re done slapping yourself in the face for sleeping on one of last year’s most entertaining films-documentary or otherwise, you may want to pinch yourself to make sure that what the good people at Machine Project have brought you isn’t just a dream. In conjunction with the Echo Park Film Center’s Thursday night screening of the King of Kong, the gallery folk next door will be satiating every retro gamers 8-bit fantasy: a 6 foot tall functioning Atari joystick. The joystick was recently part of Gallery 1988’s annual “I am 8-Bit” group art show and brought countless smiles to patrons faces as they played various retro games projected on the gallery wall.

From the maniacs at Machine Project:

“While the screening is going on next door, we’ll be giving you to the chance to start your own overblown gaming rivalry using a giant 6-foot-tall functional joystick! Come play Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and other classic-era video games projected on a wall-sized screen in the gallery.”

Although jumping over barrels while using your foot rather that your thumb is absolutely awesome, the real entertainment is at the King of Kong screening. The film follows two unlikely adversaries in Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe as they battle for the Donkey Kong world record scoring crown. Sounds pretty geeky, I know, but the film is more than just a video game showdown it’s the classic tale of good guy versus bad guy.  Only this time it’s set in loud arcades filled with crappy pizza and pimply faced teens. And pimply faced adults as well. Check the trailer here:

The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters will be screening Thursday at 8pm, tickets are $5. Video Gaming shenanigans go from 8-11pm at Machine Project.

The Echo Park Film Center is located on 1200 N. Alvorado Street (at Sunset Blvd.) LA 90026. Machine Project is located right next door at 1200 D.