Vgxpo

[digitalpress]

Back from my first day at VGXPO. I'm back early because I didn't exhibit or speak today. Tomorrow begins the "RetroCon" portion of the event.

The show floor looked great and for a Friday, had a good turnout and good energy. My buddies from PBC Productions were there, as was Mike Chassin from Collector's House (who is apparently being re-located to the RetroCon area tomorrow). If you're a tournament person there is a LOT to do. There were many, many clans in the house. My favorite was a group that travels with a pillow under their arms. If you're a "classic gamer", well, we'll see about that tomorrow, but the RetroCon area is rather tiny compared to the high-tech VGXPO main floor.

I was pretty impressed with the arrangement for day 1 overall!

I shot some video, of course. Should be at the top of the YouTube page here unless you're reading this thread in 2009. The "From the Market..." shows you the whole scene from outside to behind-the-scenes.

More tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/digitalpressllc

[intvsama]

Heya, Joe, cool vids!

In this vid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r83S72C1TYo - was that the entire main expo floor for VGXpo or just a portion of the main floor?

[digitalpress]

Heya, Joe, cool vids!

In this vid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r83S72C1TYo - was that the entire main expo floor for VGXpo or just a portion of the main floor?

That's the whole floor, minus "RetroCon" which is a separate room I'll have video for tomorrow or whenever I have time when I get back again. A better indicator of the size of the show is in this video (skip ahead a bit if you don't care to see me walk from the gigantic food court to the Expo Center):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TUEn-HT5C8

[SystemFreak]

Any word on what's getting auctioned off (and when it's supposed to take place)?

[intvsama]

For a video game expo there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of... video games. I don't say this to downplay what Ed and crew does, I know first hand how hard it is to put an event together... but... where are the games? I see a few dozen PCs, and of course Videotopia's always amazing museum, and I think I saw some Guitar Hero stuff, but other than that...?

I'm going to be there Saturday pimping TooManyGames in RetroCon (not a crasher, VGXPO and TMG did a booth swap), I'm definitely looking forward to seeing my first VGXPO in person!

[MonoTekETeA]

For a video game expo there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of... video games. I don't say this to downplay what Ed and crew does, I know first hand how hard it is to put an event together... but... where are the games? I see a few dozen PCs, and of course Videotopia's always amazing museum, and I think I saw some Guitar Hero stuff, but other than that...?

I'm going to be there Saturday pimping TooManyGames in RetroCon (not a crasher, VGXPO and TMG did a booth swap), I'm definitely looking forward to seeing my first VGXPO in person!

Word up Chuck, they seem to be a heavy PC tourney crowd. Let us know how it goes.

[Misto]

Tell us how the RetroCon is. I was planning on going to this, but turns out I won't be able to make it, kinda disappointed, but I hope to go next time.

[Coldguy]

I jsut got back from the event, and going to write up a formal review of the entire event, however quick impressions are good to go to if you are in the area (NY, NJ, PA, MD, DE) any further and I would think twice.

[J2games]

WOW! How do you explain this years show other then WOW!

Retrocon (the retro part of VGXpo) started with a bang today and the dozen vendors were literally overwhelmed by the numbers of gamers looking for games, systems and accessories. As I'm sure Joe will be telling you shortly, if Day 1 is any indication of what Day 2 will bring, we are guaranteed to be exhausted by the end of this show!

See Bill Kunkel's posting on the show here: http://www.j2games.com/new/forum/index.php?topic=2921

I'm exhausted and hitting the sack early. Between the show and after party we're beat but the energy from today will carry us through to show's end!

Jay
J2Games.com

[digitalpress]

Just back from Day 2 (technically Day 1 for Digital Press as RetroCon started today) of the show.

Props to Ed Fleming for pulling this off. I went to this event with very low expectations and fortunately very prepared regardless. I loaded up the van with a dozen boxes of shit that I knew would sit in my store's basement for years. I blew it out for as low prices as I could (all of the XBox 360 games I sold were $5 and there were some good games in there like Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell that I have way way too many of in overstock) and I put a smile on a lot of faces and came home with a van full of empty boxes. I have to resupply 80% of what I brought today for tomorrow's show. If you've ever been a vendor, you know there's no better feeling that leaving "empty handed". I got that.

The vibe in the RetroCon room was GREAT. It reminded me a lot of the FIRST PhillyClassic. 8 or so vendors but everyone knows everyone and everyone has GOOD stuff.

The VGXPO NON-RetroCon side of things certainly pleased a lot of people as well as it was jam-packed all day long and I saw nothing but happy faces and kids playing Guitar Hero, driving simulators, LAN parties and what I'd estimate to be 30 or so arcade cabinets (which, by the way, were all working... and this wasn't Retrotopia stuff, either, was it?).

And despite being a vendor and now a pretty seasoned retailer I STILL had a good time selling things all day long. It was great catching up with old friends, meeting forum members for the first time, seeing "Uncle Bill " Kunkel and most importantly, really making a lot of people happy. This show was as much a successful promotion effort for Digital Press as it was a financial success for the store.

Big thumbs up and I'm actually looking forward to the final day tomorrow. This, after driving back and forth from north Jersey to Philly for two days in a row already.

Again, major props to Ed Fleming and the abundant staff and volunteers, as well as Jay from J2games who obviously oversaw the RetroCon portion of the show.

[Dastardly Dylan]

Like I say in all the threads about awesome gamng events being held which I can't attend:

"It's times like these where I wish I had my driver's license"

[intvsama]

I was EXTREMELY impressed by the turnout, and major kudos go out to Ed and company for their work on putting the show together!

My original thought remains tho', it's not so much a Video Game Expo as it's a PC gaming expo. It's obvious that Intel sunk a great deal of cash into VGXPO, and a lot of the other exhibitors seemed to be PC-centric as well. I hope for future events they can pull more in from the console side of the equation, as it is right now it's VERY lopsided, and to be honest I didn't find much to do being a console gamer.

Overall, VERY impressive looking show tho', and I hope everyone who went had a great time!

[Sniderman]

Wow. After a few years of poorly attended events, unmet promises, and PR disasters, it sounds like the organizers finally (FINALLY) began to pay attention, take notice, and deliver on those promises they've been making forever and a day. I'm pleased to hear of VGXPO's turnaround and look forward to seeing this event build upon the goodwill this year's event established.

[mindlesspunk77]

as a vendor fucking wow!
if I had went as a paying customer I think I would have been disapointed until I got to see ultraball and cryptorchid chipmunk tear shit up. I know ultraball loves UNP!

[digitalpress]

as a vendor fucking wow!
if I had went as a paying customer I think I would have been disapointed until I got to see ultraball and cryptorchid chipmunk tear shit up. I know ultraball loves UNP!

Sorry, my grasp of the English language is a bit lacking.

What?

Were you a vendor? And if so, who are you, where were you, did we meet? And my apologies if I should know this but I'm really bad with names!

I don't know what ultraball z or cryptflower is but I'm pretty sure I didn't see them and if I weren't a vendor I would have had a BETTER time at this show as I'd be able to play on those arcade machines and/or shop a lot more than I got to.

Backing up a little, regarding Chuck's comment, I totally get that. There was a heavy focus on PC-networked gaming. While this may be popular, it is being overshadowed by console-networked gaming. Next year should reflect that. And if the structure stays the same, RetroCon should double in size and have better signage from the main hall. As busy as it was, I'm not sure how people figured out where we were!

Ed quoted approximately 15,000 attendees. That sounds like a lot but it's entirely possible. There were lots of new faces on Saturday and surprisingly more new faces on Sunday. I didn't expect the kind of traffic that came through there Sunday and monetarily DP did better than it did on Sunday!

Just a GREAT show. I know I'll be spending the next few months trying to turn people around on this, but if you were THERE you are going to lose this argument.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Just back from Day 2 (technically Day 1 for Digital Press as RetroCon started today) of the show.

Props to Ed Fleming for pulling this off. I went to this event with very low expectations and fortunately very prepared regardless. I loaded up the van with a dozen boxes of shit that I knew would sit in my store's basement for years. I blew it out for as low prices as I could (all of the XBox 360 games I sold were $5 and there were some good games in there like Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell that I have way way too many of in overstock) and I put a smile on a lot of faces and came home with a van full of empty boxes. I have to resupply 80% of what I brought today for tomorrow's show. If you've ever been a vendor, you know there's no better feeling that leaving "empty handed". I got that.

The vibe in the RetroCon room was GREAT. It reminded me a lot of the FIRST PhillyClassic. 8 or so vendors but everyone knows everyone and everyone has GOOD stuff.

The VGXPO NON-RetroCon side of things certainly pleased a lot of people as well as it was jam-packed all day long and I saw nothing but happy faces and kids playing Guitar Hero, driving simulators, LAN parties and what I'd estimate to be 30 or so arcade cabinets (which, by the way, were all working... and this wasn't Retrotopia stuff, either, was it?).

And despite being a vendor and now a pretty seasoned retailer I STILL had a good time selling things all day long. It was great catching up with old friends, meeting forum members for the first time, seeing "Uncle Bill " Kunkel and most importantly, really making a lot of people happy. This show was as much a successful promotion effort for Digital Press as it was a financial success for the store.

Big thumbs up and I'm actually looking forward to the final day tomorrow. This, after driving back and forth from north Jersey to Philly for two days in a row already.

Again, major props to Ed Fleming and the abundant staff and volunteers, as well as Jay from J2games who obviously oversaw the RetroCon portion of the show.

I (and Lissette) can attest to the above, this years show was a runaway success and we'll be happy to attend again next year ... there was nothing more amusing than helping work the DP booth and "confirming" for customers that all of the XBOX 360 games were in fact just $5 each and then watching their reaction.

[GrandAmChandler]

I talked to 4 people who went all on Saturday, non-vendors, nor do I even actually know the people. Just random customers that strolled into Next Level Videogames. Three of the four customers who were approximately ages 18-25 said it was one of the worst things they had ever seen and were very disappointed and bored. When I asked if they were going back, they said "definitely not" The 4th person said they found some of the retro stuff interesting, but they didn't like the rest of the show. This person was middle-aged, more eager to see intellivision, atari, and odyssey 2 cartridges rather than guitar hero.

While I understand sales may have been good for vendors, I think the overall experience as an attendee was subpar according to those four non-bias accounts that I heard.

Take it for what it's worth.
-GAC-

[digitalpress]

I talked to 4 people who went all on Saturday, non-vendors, nor do I even actually know the people. Just random customers that strolled into Next Level Videogames. Three of the four customers who were approximately ages 18-25 said it was one of the worst things they had ever seen and were very disappointed and bored. When I asked if they were going back, they said "definitely not" The 4th person said they found some of the retro stuff interesting, but they didn't like the rest of the show. This person was middle-aged, more eager to see intellivision, atari, and odyssey 2 cartridges rather than guitar hero.

While I understand sales may have been good for vendors, I think the overall experience as an attendee was subpar according to those four non-bias accounts that I heard.

Take it for what it's worth.
-GAC-

Interesting! Well, I've done Classic Gaming Expo a few times, and you just can't please everyone. But as a veteran of gaming events as small as NAVA to large as E3, this was among the most "fun" for me.

Bored? Wow. I could have spent a whole day in the arcade area alone. There were some great machines there and a few I had never played "in person" before. I'd also wonder what they expected - every indication from the site and its advertising was that this WAS for a PC or at least current-gen gaming crowd. RetroCon seemed like and afterthought (which, as I started out this thread saying, was why I had such low expectations).

I'm also guessing the 18-25 year olds in Nick's store weren't into the cosplay scene (seriously I must have seen 100 people in costumes over the weekend), DDR (there was a crazy dance pad setup with like 32 wireless pads, Maryah competed in one of their tournaments), and Guitar Hero on a number of different screens. Though none of these are things I'm personally interested in, all I saw were happy faces whenever I encountered them.

I guess it wasn't for everyone, but it was way more than *I* thought it would be for anyone.

[mindlesspunk77]

Sorry, my grasp of the English language is a bit lacking.

What?

Were you a vendor? And if so, who are you, where were you, did we meet? And my apologies if I should know this but I'm really bad with names!

I don't know what ultraball z or cryptflower is but I'm pretty sure I didn't see them and if I weren't a vendor I would have had a BETTER time at this show as I'd be able to play on those arcade machines and/or shop a lot more than I got to.



Sorry for the bad typing I wrote that on sunday at like 1am after the con I was a little tired but wanted to make a quick impression.

Joe we did talk I bought all your jap games when you sold them for $1.00 and we talked about your small coleco at one point and the price of PS3 consoles. I had an orange mohawk and I was the huge booth in the middle of the floor across from you. I wanted to get a chance to come over and talk more but I just didnt make it over. I am planning a trip to your store soon thanks to all the vgxpo cash and maybe we can chat more then.

Ultraball and Cryptorchid Chipmunk were 2 bands that played across the hall after Retrocon closed saturday. The 2 non chiptune artists.

I totally agree with you on wishing I had time to go play all the arcade machines wow they had an amazing setup.

[digitalpress]

Joe we did talk I bought all your jap games when you sold them for $1.00 and we talked about your small coleco at one point and the price of PS3 consoles. I had an orange mohawk and I was the huge booth in the middle of the floor across from you. I wanted to get a chance to come over and talk more but I just didnt make it over. I am planning a trip to your store soon thanks to all the vgxpo cash and maybe we can chat more then.

OH! Of course I remember you. I had no idea you were a forum member, just thought you were a friendly vending neighbor :)

[Tempest]

Holey moley, I didn't even know VGXPO was this past weekend (not that I could have attened anyway). I haven't been paying attention to it after attending the past few VGXPO disasters and being rather disappointed. It sounds like they finally decided to seperate the show into 'old' and 'new', which may or may not be a good thing. While it's nice to hear that they may be finally getting their act together, it's still not enough to make me fly out there. Seeing Mike Chassin was always the highlight of VGXPO though. He has the most amazing deals...

I miss the Phillyclassic... Sigh...

Tempest

[RCM]

As I told Ed on Saturday, he finally delivered. I've enjoyed myself at all of his shows, but this one should give the man some cred. in the community and beyond. What a huge improvement.

As for some of the negative comments and nitpicking in this thread, two come from a competing area show (I love you guys, but come on) and another from GAC and his encounters with unidentified show goers. Seems a little fishy to say the least.

This show had something for everyone and was strong all around. Perfect? No, but show me a show that is. Bottom line, this year’s VGXPO was absolutely the best game con I’ve been to since PC5.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

While there were a lot of LAN party stuff and some non-gaming booths (colleges and schools featuring digital art/game design programs ... and some CRAZY ren-faire booths with swords, knives, crystals and the like) the classic arcade cabinet section should have been enough to keep any classic gamer happy for a good chunk of time ... and the Retro-Con section had something for everybody sales-wise.

I picked up a pair of BRAND NEW from old stock Ms. Pac-Man drinking glasses (the kind with the 4-color silk screen paint ... think 80's Burger King Star Wars glasses) and a Ms. Pac-Man TOMY wind-up (also 20+ years old & still brand spanking NIB) for a total of $17.

There weren't a lot of modern console stuffs there, but you could literally get anything else from a boxed Oddesy to a Vectrex, to an Atari Stunt Cycle to a top-loader NES at (for the most part) reasonable prices.

There were lots of desirable imports and there were PLENTY of classics from 2600 through PS1 at just about every table.

I can't see how anybody could walk away from this and say that it was anything less than a fun day full of neat stuff to see and do.

I just wish more people that come to conventions would bathe and/or wear clean clothes/cologne/perfume.

[Kid Ice]

I just wish more people that come to conventions would bathe and/or wear clean clothes/cologne/perfume.

Dave Warmington was there?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Dave Warmington was there?

I'm not sure who Dave Warmington is ... but if he smells like a mix of mildew and warm chicken soup I probably smelled him a few times.

[GrandAmChandler]

As for some of the negative comments and nitpicking in this thread, two come from a competing area show (I love you guys, but come on) and another from GAC and his encounters with unidentified show goers. Seems a little fishy to say the least.

Fishy? I am being completely honest, other members of DigitalPress were with me in the store when these people came in on Saturday. I have no opinion what-so-ever, I vended at the first VGXPO and it was fine, I have no ill will. The one middle-aged man seemed really excited about seeing Intellivision, and atari stuff at VGXPO, it was great for him because it got him back into classic gaming! He proceeded to buy a Master System cartridge, and a couple of VCS cartridges. A+! The other three young adults just said they didn't have fun, but you never know, maybe they were big into Halo3, and were disappointed there wasn't a big LAN Halo 3 party, or maybe they were expecting more Tiger R-Zone representation.

I didn't mean to come off bias, if I did, that wasn't the goal. I just wanted to point out the different demographic that we saw. I found it amusing that the middle-aged man had more fun at a video game expo than 3 people in their early 20's!

[mindlesspunk77]

I picked up a pair of BRAND NEW from old stock Ms. Pac-Man drinking glasses (the kind with the 4-color silk screen paint ... think 80's Burger King Star Wars glasses) and a Ms. Pac-Man TOMY wind-up (also 20+ years old & still brand spanking NIB) for a total of $17.

.

The new Ms. Pac Man came from me! Thanks for the sale sir!

[mindlesspunk77]

OH! Of course I remember you. I had no idea you were a forum member, just thought you were a friendly vending neighbor :)

Nope been a forum member for a long time now I should of introduced myself better sorry about that.

[MonoTekETeA]

As for some of the negative comments and nitpicking in this thread, two come from a competing area show (I love you guys, but come on) and another from GAC and his encounters with unidentified show goers. Seems a little fishy to say the least.


Yeah, there were about 5 of us in the store, and if you want, we could all chime in saying the same thing. As for unidentified show goers, I'll make sure to take down their name and address so I can post who they are, and their quote word for word. Don't know what you were looking for, but it was told, as is.

There was one kat, his name might have been Jorden or Alex Mac, who felt the only redeeming quality about the show was the fact that he got a Marvel Vs. Capcom JPN for Dreamcast at $20, but was kinda bummed to hear he couldn't get all the characters. I asked him what his favorite food was, and he said Tuna Fish on Rye. After that we shook hands and I told him God Speed. He drove off in his white Ford Taurus with license plate of L8ET HCK. (Some of this story is exaggerated.)

Sorry if this is coming off as a little irritated, but I am. For you to hint that a friend of mine is lying about his experiences at a store front, whose main everyday crowd consists of board members, and is Owned by a member...just erks me.

What ever, you have your reasons. Just let it be known these are not falsified accounts.

Anyway, cool to hear that Ed wasn't drunk or anything, kind of giving the area a bad cred for a while there. If the show really got 15 thousand attendees, that would be hardcore. But then again, with 15 thousand attendees, I would expect pictures to have that floor out right packed with people, like overflowing! If anyone has some still frames of the show as it was going on, they would be cool to see. The one camera pan by Joe, I am unsure of the particulars, so it could have been real early one day and people were just getting accustomed to everything, but it seemed barren.

Sounds like some killer deals Joe, wish I was there to take advantage of them.

Rock and roll.
-Jeremy

[RCM]

I don't know you Mono, but I've been cool with Chris for years. I'm not trying to wound any egos, but his initial post, as well as others I called out, seemed a bit suspect. There's been a lot of negative feelings toward VGXPO on DP, some of it justified and some of it I suspect isn't. So when some dude who's involved with DP tells us four strangers hated the show, I'm fine calling bullshit. But I'm glad Chris clarified, and I won't push this issue any further.

Sorry to kind of derail the thread, please carry on. VGXPO 2008 was great!

[Lady Jaye]

Good to hear that there was a lot of improvement for VGxpo. Make the Retrocon part larger (even closer to the old PhillyClassic) and who knows for next year... Maybe a bunch of us from CCJVQ could make it a roadtrip down to Philly, provided that it's not at the same time as Arcadia Festival.

[SegaAges]

...or maybe they were expecting more Tiger R-Zone representation.

A party is not a party without a Tiger R-Zone. Not the handheld one, but the headstrap. So futuristic.

I would have hated going if there was no Tiger R-Zone representation. It is the only reason I go to gaming events.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The new Ms. Pac Man came from me! Thanks for the sale sir!

Thanks for having them!!

Lissette and I love it.

Your table was full of neat stuff that really should have pleased anybody looking for classic games.

[Kid Ice]

I don't know you Mono, but I've been cool with Chris for years. I'm not trying to wound any egos, but his initial post, as well as others I called out, seemed a bit suspect. There's been a lot of negative feelings toward VGXPO on DP, some of it justified and some of it I suspect isn't. So when some dude who's involved with DP tells us four strangers hated the show, I'm fine calling bullshit. But I'm glad Chris clarified, and I won't push this issue any further.


I think last year everyone fired all their bullets, and that was that. With DP openly participating in the event, I don't know why anyone would still hold a grudge over something that occurred years ago. It's pretty clear that the hatchet is buried, if there ever really was a....uhhh....hatchet.

Does anyone STILL have so much animosity toward the event's organizer that they would falsify accounts given by some of the showgoers? That explanation is not credible to me.

The event can now sink or swim on its own. And if someone says "it sucked", I'm inclined to believe that it sucked and not that the attendee is part of a "clique" or harboring "personal jealousy". To be fair I am equally inclined to believe it was good when Joe or someone else reports that it was.

[intvsama]

As for some of the negative comments and nitpicking in this thread, two come from a competing area show (I love you guys, but come on) and another from GAC and his encounters with unidentified show goers. Seems a little fishy to say the least.

I don't consider it nitpicking to expect more video games at a video game expo. I did NOT go into VGXPO expecting developers and publishers to be there, but I DID expect some more interactivity from VGXPO's end of the equation, I didn't see ANY of their arcade-style console kiosks there, I didn't see a single Wii hooked up, I didn't see any fighting games, etc... I saw a lot of PCs with WoW and FPSes on them. I expect video games at a video game expo. Is that too much to ask?

Again, I give Ed and crew a big congrats, I know all too well that just like TMG, it's growing and expanding and new things come and old things go. They put on a hell of a show and I hope everyone had a great time!

[RCM]

I don't consider it nitpicking to expect more video games at a video game expo. I did NOT go into VGXPO expecting developers and publishers to be there, but I DID expect some more interactivity from VGXPO's end of the equation, I didn't see ANY of their arcade-style console kiosks there, I didn't see a single Wii hooked up, I didn't see any fighting games, etc... I saw a lot of PCs with WoW and FPSes on them. I expect video games at a video game expo. Is that too much to ask?

Again, I give Ed and crew a big congrats, I know all too well that just like TMG, it's growing and expanding and new things come and old things go. They put on a hell of a show and I hope everyone had a great time!

Wow Chuck, did you even walk through the show? While I hung out at the RetroCon most of the time, I did a walkthrough and saw:

-A DS developer (with DS and game)
-arcade cabs and consoles set up
-a soul calibur (think it was 4) tourny on a projector
- at least one Wii system hooked up running Wii Sports
- a room about the size of the May TMG with 30 people playing DDR at the same time
- two openwheel race cars with monitors in front of them that you could race in
and more.

Not too much to ask, and they had it. I wish you at least took a look around the whole show before you begin to be critical, is that too much to ask?

[digitalpress]

The one camera pan by Joe, I am unsure of the particulars, so it could have been real early one day and people were just getting accustomed to everything, but it seemed barren.

Whoops, SORRY! I thought I mentioned in the video that this was an hour before the show on Friday, before any attendees had entered!

I have another similiar video of RetroCon (in my Hitchcockian one camera, no cut style), but during the show and you'll see that even the little slice of retro had a bustling crowd.

I don't know how to count to 15000 so I can't comment on the show's attendance exactly, but I can say that the main floor was constantly packed. Like E3 packed. RetroCon was always at least bustling if not packed, and that was sustained throughout both Saturday and Sunday, and I saw new faces on every day. I would not dispute 15000. It was really THAT busy.

[intvsama]

Wow Chuck, did you even walk through the show? While I hung out at the RetroCon most of the time, I did a walkthrough and saw:

-A DS developer (with DS and game)
-arcade cabs and consoles set up
-a soul calibur (think it was 4) tourny on a projector
- at least one Wii system hooked up running Wii Sports
- a room about the size of the May TMG with 30 people playing DDR at the same time
- two openwheel race cars with monitors in front of them that you could race in
and more.

Not too much to ask, and they had it. I wish you at least took a look around the whole show before you begin to be critical, is that too much to ask?

I guess I didn't walk through enough. I didn't see anyone with a DS setup as that is definitely something I would have checked out. 8*(

Was the DDR thing in a separate room? I didn't know there was so much other stuff going on aside from in the main room and RetroCon. I can't speak for everyone, but I had a lot of people asking me if I knew where such and such and event was going on, I guess I wasn't the only one wondering what was happening where.

I never even considered that the race cars would have games inside them, I was looking for games, not F1 race cars.

[digitalpress]

The "where things are" is definitely an area that needs improvement - I mean, even the RetroCon area wasn't obvious. You had to ask around or explore. Similarly, the DDR room was downstairs and not very obvious. That said, Maryah didn't know this was going on when we arrived and yet "found it" and played in it five minutes after leaving the RetroCon room to explore.

We may be too old to explore, so VGXPO needs to make better maps in '09.

[mindlesspunk77]

Thanks for having them!!

Lissette and I love it.

Your table was full of neat stuff that really should have pleased anybody looking for classic games.

Thanks man I am glad my booth was enjoyed. If you ever find either of the ghosts carded and they have more than 1 let me know! I only have mr and ms pac man.

[mindlesspunk77]

The "where things are" is definitely an area that needs improvement - I mean, even the RetroCon area wasn't obvious. You had to ask around or explore. Similarly, the DDR room was downstairs and not very obvious. That said, Maryah didn't know this was going on when we arrived and yet "found it" and played in it five minutes after leaving the RetroCon room to explore.

We may be too old to explore, so VGXPO needs to make better maps in '09.

Joe I agree they need much better signage but god damn if those crazy gamers didnt find us in our little room.

[kaedesdisciple]

After hearing all of this improvement my wife and I may have to attend next year. We had been rather disappointed in the vgxpo in the last couple of years but we're glad to hear it's back on an upswing.

Don't know how it snuck up on me like that, though.

[Vectorman0]

Going by everyone's impressions here, I think I may give this a shot next year. How much did it cost to get in?

[Sniderman]

Don't know how it snuck up on me like that, though.

There seemed to be a LOT less hyperbole this year. The last couple of years, VGXPO was advertised as a cross between E3, PAX, and the Second Coming of Jesus. Then there would be a LOT of disappointed folks yelling that they didn't deliver anything remotely close to what they promised. This year, there weren't any promises made and it seems that satisfaction was achieved.

[Kid Ice]

There seemed to be a LOT less hyperbole this year.

Not in the Delaware Valley. It was advertised on the NBC station here quite a bit.

[le geek]

Glad to here this event is shaping up for us old farts. I may have to try to come sometime...

[Kid Ice]

I think last year everyone fired all their bullets, and that was that. With DP openly participating in the event, I don't know why anyone would still hold a grudge over something that occurred years ago. It's pretty clear that the hatchet is buried, if there ever really was a....uhhh....hatchet.

Apparently there were more hatchets involved than I had recalled. And bullets.

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=135524