Atlanta: Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo

[sdewitti]

The Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo (SFGE) features more than 100 arcade and pinball machines, retro console gaming, the second annual Southern-Fried Pinball Tournament, a vendor expo, exciting programs and guest speakers, movie screenings, a Saturday Pin Swap, and other special events.

Special guest speakers include: Billy Mitchell, record-setting competitive gamer and star of "Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade" and "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters"; Barry Oursler, legendary pinball game designer who produced such games as Space Shuttle, PINBOT, Comet, Dr. Who, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and more; pinball designer John Trudeau who brought us Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bride of Pinbot, and Congo (just to name a few!); Jerry Buckner who, as part of "Buckner & Garcia" co-created the instantly-recognizable "Pac-Mac Fever" as well as the title track for the hit Disney movie "Wreck-It Ralph".

Join us June 20-22, 2014 at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center for an event that's fun for the whole family! Doors open Friday June 20th at 4:00pm and the fun lasts all weekend. Please join us for a great weekend. Presale tickets for adults available for $35.

[sdewitti]

UPDATES:

 

Since my last post we have added several new items to the show.

• A World records panel will join our schedule and will have guests that were or are current video game record holders including but not limited to...

Billy Mitchell (Donky Kong, Pacman, Centipede)

Richie Knuckles (Space Invaders, Phoenix, Pole Position)

George Lotz (Q-Bert)

Joel West (Berserk, Frenzy)

 

• We signed on Monster Energy as a show backer. They will be giving away free drinks all weekend.
• We official announced our console gaming. Link to our newsletter with some of those details http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=47a0c0a686fe883cbb9d5ec45&id=9f3c1ebd32&e=[uNIQID]
• We announced a special engagement as we offer one of the earliest public screenings of a new documentary feature film, "The King of Arcades". The final cut of the film just went to pressing a few days ago and we have been presented with an opportunity to screen the film this summer before its limited theatrical release and subsequent festival circuit rounds. Starting as a passion project, this movie launched an unexpected journey; from discovering the historic past in video game pioneer Ralph Baer’s personal workshop, to capturing the present as the Smithsonian Museum recognizes gaming as art. Along the way, the crew encountered an interesting cast of characters including game developers, high score players, and arcade enthusiasts. The film is directed by Sean Tiedeman and Co-Produced by Adam F. Goldberg (ABC’s “The Goldbergs”).

Visit our site for a complete list of guests or for more information. http://www.southernfriedgameroomexpo.com

[Ranthulfr]

This sounds like a cool event! The console gaming link didn't work for me though... It brought me to the MailChimp site.

[sdewitti]

Sorry you cannot see the text. It shows for me. Here it is copied from the page ...

 

Classic Console Games Added!

Remember the joy of being able to play your favorite classic arcade game at home for the first time? What system did you have? Atari 2600? Intellivision? NES? What gameroom would be complete without at least one console gaming system? That’s what we asked ourselves, which is why we’ve added an entire room devoted to classic console gaming at the Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo this June! Get your thumbs ready to enjoy such classic consoles as Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 7800, Super Nintendo, and more! Each game system will be connected to it’s own vintage CRT TV monitor for that retro feel, while some of the newer systems will be projected onto the wall for some high-stakes competitive gaming (Can you say “Super Smash Bros.?!”). If you’re looking to fill out your collection for your favorite console, be sure to check out one of our newest vendors, The Video Game Trader, who will be running a few of the console tournaments throughout the weekend! Want to see if your favorite system will be there? Check out the list of confirmed systems on our website and let us know any recommendations you have for your must-play console games!

ALSO JUST ANNOUNCED TODAY...

Microsoft at SFGE

The Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo is a celebration of all things gaming, both past and present. That’s why we’re proud to announce our partnership with Microsoft to bring you the latest in gaming technology with the Xbox One. Xbox One delivers an all-new gaming and entertainment experience that will transform how you play. Xbox One brings together the best games, the most reliable service and rich entertainment all-in-one system that is built for today and tomorrow. Microsoft representatives will be on hand at the show with several Xbox Ones, Xbox 360s, and a makerbot 3-D printer. Be sure to stop by the Microsoft Room to experience first-hand some of the most talked-about games of the modern era including Titan Fall, Assassin’s Creed, Battlefield, and more!

PAPA Pinball Circuit Event

Did you know that the Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo is an official stop on the PAPA Pinball Tournament Circuit? That’s right! That means that you can compete against some of the best pinball players in the world! Cash prizes along with World Pinball Player Ranking (WPPR) points will be awarded in this official IFPA-endorsed tournament. PAPA will host both a classics tournament and a main event tournament. Each guest at the expo will receive two free entries into the tournament to get a taste of this awesome experience on some of the best games around! Learn more about the event format and how to qualify HERE. Don’t forget to check out some of the fantastic PAPA video tutorials before the show! Get those flipper fingers ready, and good luck!

Podcasters Galore!

Are you a fan of arcade and pinball podcasts? If so, you’re in for a treat at the Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo! SFGE is pleased to welcome hosts from multiple hobby-related productions. On hand at the show will be Nate Shivers from Coast 2 Coast Pinball, Jonathan Leung from Arcade Repair Tips, Brent Griffiths and Whitney Roberts from Broken Token, and Atlanta’s own Preston Burt and Patrick Wall fromGameroom Junkies! Be sure to stick around the expo Saturday night for our huge mega panel: “Radio-Free SFGE: Podcasting After Dark” featuring all of our podcasting guests in one place!

[Ranthulfr]

Awesome, thanks! This keeps sounding better and better.

[legeek]

Photos from the event... (not mine)

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/117416433@N05/sets/72157644912631699/

 

I just went on Sunday afternoon and had a great time. I have never seen so many pinball machines in one place!

The Pinball was kind of a blur for me, but it was very cool to try out the older mechanical tables all the way to modern tables and seeing how the machines became more advanced and theatrical over time. Addams Family is still my favorite.

Arcade Highlights: Tempest, Warlords, Food Fight, Arkanoid, Gyruss, Asteroids (Sadly I missed turns on Spy Hunter and Star Wars).

 

Looking forward to next year!

 

 

[Ranthulfr]

I was able to attend the first part of the expo and was really impressed! It was fun and organized - especially for a first effort. Every home console I can think of was set up for play there, with a 4-switch woodgrain representing the Atari VCS. I got to try out a Vectrex, yay! The average condition of the machines seemed really good too.

[DEBRO]

Hi there,

 

I was an official Kickstarter backer. I was there Friday night (when they opened) and Saturday morning. I'm the guy in the blue shirt in this picture waiting for my chance to battle Billy Mitchell. He beat me by 1,600 points...I missed one final monster

 

I brought my son on Saturday and he didn't want to leave. I left him at the Sony table when we first arrived and I was off to free play video games and pinball machines.

 

It was a great event. It brought back memories of my 80's arcade experiences.

 

I brought some homebrew 2600 games on Saturday to help the 2600 get more love but unlike Friday night, they had the games locked in the consoles so you couldn't change them out.

 

They are already planning for next year. I can't wait!

 

*edit* attachment not uploading...here is a link to the picture...https://www.flickr.com/photos/117416433@N05/14303981387/in/set-72157644912631699/

Edited June 28, 2014 by DEBRO

[Ranthulfr]

Somehow I missed the whole Kickstarter campaign. I didn't know about the expo until I saw this thread. The southeast has been needing an event like this. We should totally have an Atari Age meet-up at the next one.

[DeusVult]

Totally missed this event. I've been wanting to go to one of these events for years but atlas never seem to be near many in NC. This would be my ticket if it happens next year. (Just a 2hr drive)