What resolution would you prefer? Tell us in the comments.

All TG12 merchandise will be delivered at TG. Congratulations, you now have even more things to look forward to when you arrive here at Vikingskipet!

Please check out the whole range of merchanise at geekevents.org.

Ps. The design is not yet ready, stay tuned here for updates.

While the selection of the theme for The Gathering is a process shrouded in mystery, we've gotten some insights as to what people that may or may not have been involved in the process are thinking.

"Selecting a theme is never easy, so I'd like to keep that a secret.", states Event:Organizer Jørgen Vigdal, when asked how the theme for TG12 was decided.

The theme is yours!

Vigdal does however, have a few comments to the theme in itself.

"The management team decided on a theme which we find to be relevant for the year of 2012 and one that holds a lot of potential in terms of decoration. In addition, we believe it opens up for a lot of individual interpretations which in turn offers more freedom to figure out what to bring to the venue to show one's interpretation."

Another man rumored to have some insights is Anders Lassen.

"I've always been a fan of themes that have references typical to the demoscene and the computer party culture we have at TG. My favorite of all time is Rescue of Fractalus from 2004, which was a reference to an old Commodore 64 game and at the same time fractals which was very hot in the demos at the time", says Lassen, chief of Event:Creativia, the crew responsible for all the creative competitions at The Gathering.

More or less obvious references to both the end of the world and Douglas Adams' literature put aside, Anders thinks you can do the job of interpreting this year's theme yourself.

"I've found many alternative interpretations that fit just as well, but part of the fun is for people to be able to find their own meaning with the theme trough their own creative endeavors", says Lassen

Release your creativity

What we hope now is that every single participant releases their creativity.

"I hope they (the participants) can be as creative as possible and that they come up with their own interpretations and their own ideas.", says Vigdal

"And I'm absolutely sure that we will award the best interpretations of the theme that we haven't necessarily come up with"

"That applies to anything, it's a freestyle competition", Vigdal stresses.

Want to know more about the new Gathering.org?

Major rethinking

First off, we've done some major rethinking on how news at gathering.org is presented. With better use of images, graphical styles that will allow you to instantly know what an article is about, and much more, the front page is sure to be both easier and quicker to navigate.

But what about the old news, the articles from two months ago? Well, fear not, if you scroll all the way down to the footer you can choose which category you want to read and you will get all the articles, no clutter.

"So then, The Gathering, what's this thing called ‘The participant's guide to the universe?'", you ask.

Easily explained, this is where we will gather our best hints on how to get the most out of your experience at The Gathering. This is, for instance, where you will eventually find our suggested packing list.

We want your feedback

If we've achieved our goal you will find gathering.org much more alive than ever before. But as ever before we love feedback, be it negative, positive or neutral.

If there's anything you would like to know more about, anything you are missing, you can get in touch with the team behind gathering.org at webmaster at gathering dot org.

We need this feedback to improve, so we appreciate any feedback you might have.

Want to know more?

In the time left untill TG12, we will be releasing a lot more information on both entertainment and competions. Stay tuned for the latest on how you will be spending the Easter of 2012. If you want to share your ideas and discuss with other participants, head on over to forums.gathering.org.

We look forward to seeing you on The Gathering 2012.

Want to know more about this years theme?

http://filer.overlyd.no/Miu/remixbass/WeAreTheBassRemixKit.zip

Note that this song will NOT be used in the actual Fast Remix compo at TG. A new (and secret) remix kit will be released at the party.

Miu also challenges you to post your remixes on Facebook. Good remixes may be picked up for signing by Dub Monkey Records. More information about the challenge can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/miuglitch

http://www.soundcloud.com/miuglitch

http://twitter.com/miuglitch

So for you geeks out there who love tech specs, see how it works right here.

The subculture is thoroughly discussed in Moleman 2, where a group of Hungarians talk about their connection to the scene. Szilárd Matusik is the director, and his goal with the 90 minute long documentary is to show how the demoscene has flourished alongside the advent of computer technology.

A quote on the documentary's website states that new art forms have been born as a result of the spreading of computer technology:

- This has opened up new and exciting ways to produce art that is not dependent on physical skills. Computer programming allows us to create art only with the use of our own mind and imagination. Moleman 2 will show you a digital subculture, where artists use both the latest technology and 30 year old techniques.

According to Wikipedia the demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer. This art form has always had a strong position at TG, and every year participants compete to create the most impressive demo.

"We Crave Sustenance" by PlayPsyCo won last year's competition. You can watch it here.

Creative and Pro-Gamer tickets are still available (requires application).

KANDU, the organization behind The Gathering, is arranging an exhibition about the Digital Arts.

The exhibition can be seen at Jernbanetorget metro station in Oslo, and contains artwork, demos and music made at computer parties around the world from 1991 to 2011.

The goal of the exhibition is to show people that young people do more than play video games when they sit in front of their computers.

In addition to this, you will also find various computer memorabilia from the same period, from an original NES in its box, to a Windows 95 install disc.

The exhibition lasts until February 14th and will be updated every other week.

How to get there: Metro: Take the metro (all lines) to Jernbanetorget and go towards the Byporten/Oslo City-exit. From street level: go down to the metro station from either outside the main entrance to Oslo City or Byporten Shopping centres. The exibition is in the hallway between the east- and westbound lines.

If you're not in Oslo, you can view some of the artwork at www.pikslar.no. The site is in Norwegian, but you can still enjoy the artwork.

First things first, there's no reason to hammer Geekevents till they crash! When the store opens you will recieve an e-mail notifying you of what possition in the queue wou've got.

Not yet in the queue lottery, you've got no time to waste, go to Geekevents and enter now.

60 hours of access to the store

When you gain access to the store you will have 60 hours to complete your order. if you do not complete your order by that time you will be kicked out and will have to reenter the queue again.

This is a reduction from previous years, with 72 hours of access to the store and is a move we are taking to help you get your hands on those sweet, sweet tickets faster. But if you don't check your email often getting SMS-alerts (an option found at Geekevents) could be a good idea.

The food ticket is back

This ticket gives you 3 breakfasts and 3 dinners at Nordre Sving during TG. The breakfasts are buffets (coldcuts, bread, eggs, milk, coffee). In addition you get 3 dinners, but the menu is not yet decided (last year it was a straganoff casserole, meat balls and taco buffet respectively complete with sidedishes).

You save about 20% on individually priced meals, excluding the ticket fee. This service is provided by Nordre Sving.

Payment options

Geekevents accepts payments by VISA, MasterCard and Norwegian online banking.

If you're short on cash right now, contact Geekevents and they can help you by moving you backwards in the queue.

• December 19th 2011, we will start processing the crew applications.
• December 13th 2011, tickets are in store at geekevents, info here.
• December 5th 2011, you can apply for a position in the crew, details here.
• December 2nd 2011, Creative Ticket, Creative No-seat Ticket and Pro Gamer (NO SEAT) will be available through our ticket service geekevents.org - read more about it here.
• December 1st 2011, 10 PM, the queue lottery for ordinary participant tickets and the foreigner tickets will be available at geekevents.org - further info can be found here.
• April 4th 2012, 9 AM The Gathering 2012 begins, se the FAQ and check back for more info.

Yep, you got us right, the tickets will be in store next tuesday, the 13th of december at 7 pm.

This means you have until then to join the ticket queue lottery, this includes you as well foreigners. Simply enter the queue lottery by selecting order on a regular participants ticket and select your required amount of foreigner tickets when you gain access to the store.

Prices will remain the same as for TG11. Thus a regular ticket will cost you 990 NOK (+ 47 NOK fee) and a foreigner ticket will cost 450 NOK (~€55, + 22 NOK fee).

This year Wannabe has undergone an extensive upgrade on both front- and backend. It's still just as easy, if not better. Apply now by submitting your application via wannabe.gathering.org.
No need to register a new account if you already have one, just enter your credentials from the "old" Wannabe.

The crew

The crew at The Gathering we tell you, is something really special. We get together once every year to make The Gathering come true. There's all kinds of amazing stuff to do if you have the skills and/or will.

We have Event with all their skills in making stage design, including lighting, sound and AV, and their surrounding decorations bring the arena to life. They're also behind compos, both gaming and creative, they're on stage making fun and off stage making sure all the fun is captured on tape.

Then there's Security who keep us all safe, among other things they make sure no troublemakers enter the venue. Their Medic team will assist those who have a sudden need for medical assistance.

There's Tech, the people whom every year continue to design one of the world's largest contemporary networks. They are responsible for what we need of servers (DHCP and much, much more) and provide support to our participants.

As you're reading this we obviously also have our own Info-crew, who makes systems such as Wannabe, they write for gathering.org and all our other information channels. They will help you from the Info:desk during the party and handle any press related matters.

Last, but not least, there is Core, and not as mystical as they sound they do what everyone else does not. They make food for the crew, they handle logistics, sponsors and whatever else might come up.

Still interested, familiarize yourself with the various crews by reading through the descriptions.

Want to look your best, we've gathered six useful tips, read them.

• Make sure what you write is easily understandable. Stick to bokmål, nynorsk or English. A well written application with proper language might lead to a better first impression.
• Let the chief know why you should be chosen for this crew. Be specific – if you want to contribute with your "experience" or "being a positive addition to the crew", you're not really saying anything.
• Describe any relevant background or experience that you feel might come in handy.
• Remember that your chief only sees your application, nothing more – he or she cannot guess what skills you have if you do not present them. The text field might look small, but don't let that stop you from being thorough.
• Let a friend or parent review your application. Some extra feedback might give you that extra edge.
• Consider carefully whether you want your choices to be prioritized or not. If your first choice is a bit too ambitious, it might be hard to get into your second or third choice. The reason for this is simply that the chiefs mainly look at the applicants who have their crew as first priority, and by the time your first choice is rejected, your second or third choice of crew might be filled up. Make sure you read the descriptions of the crews you apply to properly, and answer any additional questions as best as you can.
• (Ninja tip: Make yourself known. This can be achieved by hanging out at our forums, our IRC-channel and participating at other parties, or even in another part of the TG-crew. This is a common long term strategy for those seeking admittance to some of the more demanding crews.)

Now the Norwegian director want to do a little extra something for one of the most promissing talents, to help more Norwegian movie makers out in to the big world.

The award goes to the best director

The lucky winner of "Best direction award", a movie direction competition at The Gathering, will get the day of their dreams in Hollywood. The winner will be picked up at the airport by Harald Zwart in a limousine. This is followed by a tour on the set of the Norwegian director where the winner will see how movies are made, Hollywood style. And if that wasn't enough, as a real director, the young talent will have his/her own director's chair on the set.

"I want to further inspire and stimulate the creative environment at The Gathering, which have fostered many new talens during the years. I have a lot to learn from these young talents and I would like to do a little extra something for the winner. Hopefully the prize will attract more young people to be movie makers.", says Harald Zwart.

Want to strengten the creativity

We at The Gathering hope this prize will be a solid boost for the participants and will hopefully contribute to strengthening the event as a creative environment for inspiration and development.

"To put an even stronger focus on what's going on at The Gathering, and especially the creative parts of the event, we've been so lucky as to get Harad Zwart on our team, which will be a fantastic experience for the lucky winner", says Simon Eriksen Valvik, information chief at The Gathering.

The winner of "Best direction award" will be selected by a jury lead by Harad Zwart at TG12. The competition was announced yesterday with Harald Zwart face to face via video from LA.

Rules

Rules for the competition are not yet finalized, but will follow the general guidelines from last year.

For pictures, movie and sound from the video conference with Harald Zwart, head on over here.

Just like the previous years, we will use a lottery system to handle the ticket sales. This solution is chosen to make the process more fair.

It is possible to sign up for the ticket lottery at geekevents.org from December 1st. By signing up you will be given a random spot in the queue when the ticket sale starts. Remember that it does not matter when you sign up, so long as you do so before the lottery ends, we will get back with that date.

After the store opens, the queue will behave as normal. This means that new users will be entering the queue at the back. The queue is shared between all the ticket variations, except for Pro Gamer, Creative and Creative No-seat tickets (read about the different ticket options in the FAQ). Quantity and type is chosen when you reach the shop.

You will receive updates on your progress in the queue by email. It is also possible to receive these updates via SMS, priced 5 NOK per received message. When it's your turn to enter the shop, you have 72 hours to buy tickets before your spot in the shop is given to the next one in line. You can buy up to 5 ordinary tickets per session.

Tomorrow, december 2nd, creative and pro gamer tickets will be on sale.

A new ticket this year is the creative no-seat ticket, which you can read all about in the FAQ.

The creative no-seat ticket is the ticket for all the Creative participants that do not want to attend the entire party, but would like to attend a competition and/or see exciting lectures, or even see one or more of our shows. This ticket gives you the access to all of The Gatherings facilities, except a seat. You will therefore only be able to bring your laptop or other mobile device to the event. As with the regular creative ticket, you will need to write a short application, explaining why you wish to have this ticket. You can not attend game competitions with this ticket.