2004 Midwest Gaming Classic Dates Announced!

[goatdan]

Are you ready for a classic? The 2004 Midwest Gaming Classic will be held at the Brookfield Sheraton on May 22nd and 23rd. Along with this great announcement, the much-anticipated Midwest Gaming Classic Web site has re-opened and much like the 2004 event will be, it is bigger and better than ever!

http://www.midwestclassic.net/

Check it out!

[bensenvill]

oh I am so there. I have to say that its nice and close.

~Tj

[goatdan]

Excellent!

Have you been to any events of this type before? What would you like to see?

We're really putting together an incredible line-up this year, and I'm more pumped for it than any other event that I've held or gone to already!

[Dan Iacovelli]

Excellent!

Have you been to any events of this type before? What would you like to see?

We're really putting together an incredible line-up this year, and I'm more pumped for it than any other event that I've held or gone to already!

AW dan, now you made feel bad(are you saying VGS'03 wasn't worth it for you) <j/K>
I know what you mean though,when you take a small event make it bigger.
thats how I feel for VGS'04 because we added an extra room for game players.
(bensenville, I hope to still se you at VGS'04)

Dan I

[goatdan]

Excellent!

Have you been to any events of this type before? What would you like to see?

We're really putting together an incredible line-up this year, and I'm more pumped for it than any other event that I've held or gone to already!

AW dan, now you made feel bad(are you saying VGS'03 wasn't worth it for you) <j/K>


Hehehe, no. I've had fun at every event that I've ever gone to, and every one that I've hosted. I just have been floored by how well this event is coming together and how many people are ready to lend a couple helping hands, and I just feel that the 2004 MGC will be incredible.

I'm really big into doing big things -- I run a haunted house and spent the last three years working at Six Flags in a pretty major role -- and I just love seeing when something starts coming together. You can usually get a good feel about how an event will go pretty far in advance, and I've definitely got that feeling right now about the MGC :)

[Red Warrior]

I'm certainly interested in attending this.

Question: Do we have to buy tickets in advance? Or can we get them at the door?

[goatdan]

I'm certainly interested in attending this.

Question: Do we have to buy tickets in advance? Or can we get them at the door?

You do not need to get tickets in advance. They are just being offered online because we won't have credit cards at the event to accept ticket money so if you want to pay that way (or via PayPal for that matter), it is an option.

There is a lot more MGC information coming along, so bookmark the new site and check back often! If you want to talk more about the event itself, check out the forums at the site :)

[scooterb23]

Man, this looks like a good time...7 hours in a car's starting to get rough on me. But I may have to try and squeeze this into my (empty) schedule...

And everyone...an embedded round of Caption THIS!

http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/images/area/domes00_small.jpg

Everywhere I go...I keep getting reminded of her...

;)

[goatdan]

And everyone...an embedded round of Caption THIS!

http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/images/area/domes00_small.jpg

"Hey, two outta three ain't bad."

This caption has to do with the fact that it is impossible to fit all three of the Domes into one square picture which I spent way to long trying to do...

I've got others, but I'm sure those will come out from other posters 8-)

[The Collector]

And everyone...an embedded round of Caption THIS!

http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/images/area/domes00_small.jpg

"Hey, two outta three ain't bad."

This caption has to do with the fact that it is impossible to fit all three of the Domes into one square picture which I spent way to long trying to do...

I've got others, but I'm sure those will come out from other posters 8-)


Believe it or not, i actually got married inside those knockers! :eek 2:

[The Collector]

4 more weeks :O !! :D

[Chunky]

i'll go no problem! sounds like a good ole time!

[bllm]

*is seriously considering going*

[Queen Of The Felines]

It's official, I'm going. I gotta meet up with Darth Vader anyway so what the hell. :)

Kristine

[goatdan]

Keep your eyes peeled everyone as there are about a million things I need to announce, but I have to find time to sit down and do it...

Also, make sure to preorder tickets to guarantee yourself a goodie bag with some excellent stuff it in. We've only got 2000 of them, and the first 500 will have some extra stuff in it, and you can guarantee one by getting your tickets early :)

[Chunky]

It's official, I'm going. I gotta meet up with Darth Vader anyway so what the hell. :)

Kristine

if you make your way up to the boarder we can pool from dare.

[Kamino]

I'd just like to announce in here, that the Wisconsin Video Game Collector's Association will be meeting in the museum area of the MGC, on both saturday and sunday, probably around 1 pm. Everyone who is already in WVGCA, or is interested, should come, i will be putting out pamphlets and URL business cards for WVGCA on an info table in the museum.
The WVGCA site is of course on my sig line...check it out!!!

[Dan Iacovelli]

Just for those who don't know,
Jagfest On tour will make it's return in full force to MGC'04.
Heres a brief desscription of what to expect for now(look for a Pr soon
as soon as I get more details):
Jaguars about 4 of them plus some other Jaguar goodies.
Lynxes about 5 of them and all of the Lynx games made and protos
The Return of the Atari tribute table(Pr's from Atari, first issues of Atari gaming mags(atarian, Atari club (mag and paper) plus other goodies)
Also look for the final Jagfest issue to be on sale there also(limited supply)

I almost forgot the Jagfest at MGC side site is now up at
http://avc.atari-users.net/Events/FestMWC.html

[Kamino]

Kamino here is still looking for a ride there on sunday....anyone north of milwaukee (err..north of sheboygan....) who takes 57 or 43 to get to milwaukee..PM ME.....if youre willing to give me a lift there on sunday...

[Darth Vader]

Dave and I will be drinking heavily on Saturday night, Bud Light's will be flying left and right.

That is all.

Seriously, I'm really looking forward to the event. I think this will be a great time, plus I get to see QOF again (just talked to here a little at the CGE auction) so that will great.

Make sure everyone who goes to the event, stop by Dave and my tables. It's always nice to place a friendly face with the people who post here on a daily basis.

Danny

[udisi]

hmmmm... Milwalkee, I may be able to get up there...I may have to make an appearence.

[Jeff-20]

I'll be there, and most of you guys don't even know who I am! :hmm:

[Goodwill Hunter]

I'll be there, and most of you guys don't even know who I am! :hmm:

If I can steal a quote from Highlander..."I know his name!" Hard to forget the guy that made an empty Genesis box one of the toughest trades I've ever made....perhaps the power of cheese will finally convince you take one of my Vic20 carts ;) .

See you and your tradebox there!

Rich

[Jeff-20]

Silly question:
THis is my first time at an official gaming convention. Do people (guests not table holders) just bring in trade boxes? Is there actually room for that and is it welcome?

[Queen Of The Felines]

Sigh, this is embarrassing...Can somebody give me directions to there from the Illinois/Wisconsin border? The directions at MapQuest make me go "HUH?!" :embarrassed:

Kristine

[Goodwill Hunter]

Silly question:
THis is my first time at an official gaming convention. Do people (guests not table holders) just bring in trade boxes? Is there actually room for that and is it welcome?

Yes, there is supposed to be a designated trading area this year. Trading wasn't even mentioned for last year's show, and plenty of people still brought stuff, so I'm hoping this year will be even better.

Rich

[Goodwill Hunter]

Sigh, this is embarrassing...Can somebody give me directions to there from the Illinois/Wisconsin border? The directions at MapQuest make me go "HUH?!" :embarrassed:

Kristine

Sure...take 94 north towards Madison, you can either follow 94 all the way, or you can take the 894 bypass if traffic is heavy and you want to avoid going through downtown Milwaukee's notorious Marquette interchange.

Either way will eventually get you on 94 headed due west. About 10 miles east of downtown, or shortly after you rejoin 94 westbound from the 894 bypass, you will start to climb a huge hill (seems like it's at least a mile long) by the time you get to the top, you will want to be in the far right lane. The first exit after the hill will be Mooreland Rd. North, take it. There is a yield sign at the end of the off ramp, but usually you can merge with traffic without slowing down.

Once you're headed north on Mooreland, you'll immediately go through a stoplight that is always green going northbound and you'll quickly want to get into the far left lane. This lane quickly empties into a 2-lane left turn lane for Brookfield Mall, you'll want to again get into the far left lane (FYI: at this point you will have already passed the Hotel on your left).

Turn left into the mall parking lot, and take the first left you can down an access road through the middle of the parking lots. A TRU will be to your right, and the hotel will be to your left. Park, disembark, and play NARC (or the game of your choice ;) ).

See you there!
Rich

[goatdan]

This is going to be great! If anyone got today's copy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, take a look on the inside front page at the interview they did with Billy Mitchell about the show!

And then meet Billy Mitchell when you arrive, of course :D

[Kamino]

the show is going to rock. there is no doubt in my mind, i'm shooting over to the atari age booth and getting THIS PLANET SUCKS!

[lendelin]

I completely forgot about the MGC convention; this morning I remembered the event and stopped by in the afternoon.

It was interesting, it was my first time at a gaming convention; I was surprised that DP had a table in the vendor area, and I can now put a face to the "Darth Vader" handle.

Overall, I hoped for a bit more. A couple of rooms, pretty crowded, interesting game systems which I saw so far only on pics, I played a bit, and the offerings of games didn't appeal to me. I guess I'm just too finnecky when it comes to the condition of game boxes.

The arcade machine and Pinball area (I'm not into Pinball machines at all) were actually more impressive than the rooms with consoles.

The most distinctive memory will be the energy drink "Bawlz" (sp?) which advertisement seemed to follow me around, the first issue of Manci Games which came with the ticket, and our inability to define 'classic gaming' as demonstrated in the official brochure of the exhibition.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. Granted, maybe I've been spoiled by CGE, but my thoughts were the same as lendelin's. The arcade area was about the size of my living room and just seemed a bit too small and crowded for my tastes (which is ok, your tastes may vary :) ). I was pretty much done with everything in about an hour and thought "I drove three hours for this?" :( But again, CGE probably spoiled me and I probably missed something obvious.

The girl at the "Bawlz" booth was pretty cute though. :) Stuff just about gave me a heart attack though.

Best moment: Walking past the arcade, a kid was playing the second level of Donkey Kong. His dad says "Well maybe the umbrella floats you back down to the ground or something." :hmm: I actually had to do a double-take. LOL

Kristine

[lendelin]

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. Granted, maybe I've been spoiled by CGE, but my thoughts were the same as lendelin's. The arcade area was about the size of my living room and just seemed a bit too small and crowded for my tastes (which is ok, your tastes may vary :) ). I was pretty much done with everything in about an hour and thought "I drove three hours for this?" :( But again, CGE probably spoiled me and I probably missed something obvious.

The girl at the "Bawlz" booth was pretty cute though. :) Stuff just about gave me a heart attack though.

Best moment: Walking past the arcade, a kid was playing the second level of Donkey Kong. His dad says "Well maybe the umbrella floats you back down to the ground or something." :hmm: I actually had to do a double-take. LOL

Kristine

I agree completely. The girl at the 'bawlz" table was cute, and I was done in an hour as well. (with the exhibition, not with the girl) However, my drive was only about 15 minutes. You drove THREE hours?? Poor girl! :)

[Jeff-20]

Hated it. Well, not hate...I'm being dramatic... I was just a little "blah" about it.

Drove an hour and a half and made the mistake of dragging a reluctant girlfriend with me. We broke out early to check out Milwaukee. It's a fuggin ghost town. Saturday night just after working hours and everyone's at home watching TGIF or something. The girlfriend dumped me immediately after I safely returned her home to Chicago calling me a "nerd". You people ruined my life! (just kidding)

But it was just a little disappointing in size. I spent most of my 2 hours there playing Virtual Boy and studying Billy Mitchell's hair.

[digitalpress]

It was interesting, it was my first time at a gaming convention; I was surprised that DP had a table in the vendor area, and I can now put a face to the "Darth Vader" handle.

Huh? We DIDN'T have a table there! Was "Darth Vader" representin'? Very cool. He's been a book distributor for us, I presume that's what he was peddling :)


Overall, I hoped for a bit more. A couple of rooms, pretty crowded, interesting game systems which I saw so far only on pics, I played a bit, and the offerings of games didn't appeal to me. I guess I'm just too finnecky when it comes to the condition of game boxes.

Sorry to hear you were disappointed. These events do take quite a bit of planning, preparation, and SWEAT, as I've learned over the years. I give anyone crazy enough to host one of these events a lot of credit. There's no money in it - it's all about the satisfaction you get from your attendees.

There's always next year!

[lendelin]

It was interesting, it was my first time at a gaming convention; I was surprised that DP had a table in the vendor area, and I can now put a face to the "Darth Vader" handle.

Huh? We DIDN'T have a table there! Was "Darth Vader" representin'? Very cool. He's been a book distributor for us, I presume that's what he was peddling :)



Yep, he was there wearing the DP shirt and had a couple of the DP collector's guide stacked in addition to lots of games for sale. Recognizing the DP logo, I asked him about DP and he said he's doing it for Joe.


Sorry to hear you were disappointed. These events do take quite a bit of planning, preparation, and SWEAT, as I've learned over the years. I give anyone crazy enough to host one of these events a lot of credit. There's no money in it - it's all about the satisfaction you get from your attendees.

There's always next year!


I give credits to the organizers as well. From some organization work for symposia and conferences I know there is lots of work and headaches involved, and organizing a gaming convention is certainly idealistic work.

I think the dissapointing impression has lots to do with the arrangements of the rooms, size of the rooms, and the arrangement of the individual items. Presentation is a lot for these types of events. I had an ok time, but wasn't really impressed. There were some interesting rare items which were very nice to look at, though.

[Kamino]

I had a great time, i scored a lot of deals, dropped a ton at dave and dan's table...ooh, and was it just me, or was the girl at the packrat table really cute? Lol

[The Collector]

Well, i had an OK time. I was REALLY looking forward to this. One of my main gripes was the fact that there was NO trading room available. I was under the impression there was gonna be, so i packed up my van with ALL my trade fodder including my cocktail table :o . At least i made a few small trades with Dave toward the end of the day, but in the end most of it came back home. I did ask about where i could do some trading and I was told "Maybe in the hallway or something..."...WTF :roll: .

Maybe when GoatDan was starting to organize this, he didn't anticipate such interest. And once the hotel space was booked and then SO many people were interested in participating, they wound up spreading the show all over the hotel, i.e. a room available here, room available there (there were plenty of times i thought i was going to another area and found myself facing an exit :? ).

I had set aside Sat and Sun for this, but after i tried to go over everything with a fine tooth comb for 6 hours on Sat...that was enough for me. I hope next year its all in the same room.

On a side note i did get a chance to put some faces to some DPers which was cool. But i did think QoF gave me a "Who the hell is this guy with the DP shirt O_O ???" look. But i recognized her from her pictures here, she just probably didn't recognize ( or even know) me ;) LOL .

[Chunky]

First off nice picture of Ryan Conner there TC.

It was ok, I mean i didn't expect the world. I didn't like to much how everything was room to room and whatnot. I didn't see i guess half the stuff i didn't know where much of it was. No one really trading anywhere.

Saw Goodwill hunter in the corner, met YoshiM, Darth and uh whats(shit) his name. and you bet he was pimping the good book.

I didn't see or get manci anything so i don't know whats that about.

Picked up ton of filler stuff, seem like some tension with AA being in the next room, and me walking around with a DP shirt on. Got 5 homebrews and some other filler stuff, no one had any grail items or really anything to drool over.

5 oo 10

[Kamino]

dang ---yoshiM was there? i didnt get to meet him.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Quick question,
Howmany of you went to the marathon,midi maze and Jagfest area on the first day?
I was there,but nobody stopped to talk to me :(
I did meet up goodwill hunter though.

[Darth Vader]

I'll have lots to add, but I am way too tired right now. Had a great time but really ran my ass off all day selling games. Dave and I will post more tomorrow.

Danny

[LazingBlazers]

I went, and I thought that the show was kind of eh. I think that's probably because I went on Sunday at 2:30... I guess I must have missed the more interesting, timed attractions so to speak.

A super highlight for me was finally getting US Dynastic Hero! Thank you!!!... you know who you are. But honestly, if it hadn't been for that, I might have felt that it wasn't worth the $8. Here's waiting for next year's event.

[goatdan]

Thanks for the comments. I do not expect the event will have the same direction in the future thanks to them.

[wgungfu]

Hated it. Well, not hate...I'm being dramatic... I was just a little "blah" about it.

Drove an hour and a half and made the mistake of dragging a reluctant girlfriend with me. We broke out early to check out Milwaukee. It's a fuggin ghost town. Saturday night just after working hours and everyone's at home watching TGIF or something. The girlfriend dumped me immediately after I safely returned her home to Chicago calling me a "nerd". You people ruined my life! (just kidding)


The area the hotel is in is not Milwaukee, technically it's just outside of Milwaukee county (hence Brookfield). You'd have to have headed further east to start hitting the west side of Milwaukee (which is a very spread out "city" compared to Chicago). Most of the big nightlife is downtown in the Waterstreet area on a Saturday night. Sorry about the girlfriend, but if that's how she reacted then she wasn't the right one. ;) In this hobby though, it's hard to find wives/girlfriends who share the passion. Most of them just put up with it. ;)

[wgungfu]

The arcade area was about the size of my living room and just seemed a bit too small and crowded for my tastes (which is ok, your tastes may vary :) ).


Considering the coin-ops were spread out over four seperate rooms, you must have a huge living room. ;)

There were about 40 coin-ops there (including pinball), and pinball is something we've tried to include these last two years because of the large history that industry has in the area of course.



I was pretty much done with everything in about an hour and thought "I drove three hours for this?" :( But again, CGE probably spoiled me and I probably missed something obvious.



Kristine

I'm sorry to hear that, though don't forget that CGE is well established in format and has always targeted a specific genre of video game past - the origins through pre-crassh era, which it of course does well. Rather than
duplicate those efforts, we're trying to build a show that includes everything from past to present, across the electronic entertainment spectrum (all platforms). The idea that everything is a "classic" to someone.

A good example was several different types of people I noticed in the museum area - some would go to the pre-crash consoles and spend most of their time glossing over everything else (usually people in their mid 20's on up). Some would gloss over those and go right to the NES and later material (usually teens through early 20's). The even younger ones of course would head to the later Xbox, GC, etc. and maybe some time on those "old" Dreamcast and N64 consoles. The guys 40's on up would spend most of their time gawking and reminscing in the computer area.

As Dan already stated, we appreciate everyone's comments and they will certainly help dictate the future direction of the show.

[Goodwill Hunter]

As a first time vendor at one of these things, I have a new appreciation for all of the preparation and work that goes into getting everything ready. Spent most of last night unpacking, (passing out on the couch for a few hours) and getting the van back in shape to take the kids to school.

Next time I'll get an assistant, so I can see some of the rest of the show. As a vendor, I thought the show was great, tons of people on Saturday buying lots mostly classic extras, and a decent showing for a Sunday as well. The organizers said the attendance from last year increased over fivefold, so they did a good job growing the show.

The biggest disappointment for me was no designated trading area, as had been mentioned. (Although Darth Vader and Dave's huge table was a nice impromptu substitute for me and others :-P ). And hopefully next year's show will be back in a big, open area...more like last year (Serb Hall anyone?).

I also displayed my 2600 demo console, and think I got an inkling of the reaction the CGE museum got at E3. Lots of people and families stopping to play and either recalling seeing the unit in a Sears, or selecting a game and blurting out, "Oh wow! I used to play this all the time!" The most played 2-player game was a tie between Warlords and, oddly enough, Basketball...but the going away favorite for 1-player was Adventure.

Saw lots of DP people and T-shirts :) and I have a few pictures I'll post when I get the chance. I know there were a few growing pains, but overall I thought the organizers did a pretty good job. Already looking forward to next year.

Rich

[YoshiM]

Kamino: I know how you feel. I came on Sunday and while I got to talk to Chunky, Goodwill Hunter, Darth Vader and...Dave (whose screen name totally escapes me at themoment) I missed you and Queen of Felines.

I did check out Jagfest, but the room was kinda empty. The Atari computers for Midi Maze was packed up, but I had played it last year so it wasn't a huge deal missing it (even though it was pretty cool-network smiley face FPS via MIDI ports). There were a lot of differet Lynxes and lots of games to try.

I'll be putting together a web site with some of the pics I took along with my thoughts and I'll post 'em here and on the main VG board.

[dave2236]

Ha, i flew under the radar on this one.

I am dave...aka dave2236 here, hopefully that clears up who I am. I was the guy with the SNES side of the stack of boxed systems.

I had a fun time, fantastic time, mostly because of all the awesome people I met at the show. I didn't leave the booth much, but everyone came up to Danny and I and it was great meeting everyone.

@Collector, I bought something for you that you wanted at the end of the show on Sunday, I'll ship it too you this week.

Hooked Kamino up with a nice Intv. system and 10 games for $20, hows that working for you? did you play anything yet?

The Balz girl was named Erica, wonderfully great girl, talked to her all weekend....I know you guys are jealous. And the beautiful Packrat Girl is Audry(hope I spelled it right) Jared's (hope thats spelled right also) sister is an awesome guy. Highely reccomended by me and I'm sure Darth is going to say the same thing, without a doubt, packratgames is a great business to deal with, I picked up some really nice homebrews and will definately be buying more from them when I go to CGE.

We couldn't have a better spot, sandwiched between two beautiful women all weekend X_x

Kristine, Dan, Yoshi, Bill, Kamino, Chunky, Rich, everybody I talked too, it was great meeting each and ever one of you. I hope you can make it to CGE, I'd love to talk to everyone again.

I'm also undefeated in our unofficial N64 Smash Brothers tourney we had going on. Jared, thats for letting us borrow your TV. Remember you and Audry have to play me and Dan at CGE, so start practicing. If you don't have a N64, let me know. I'll send you one.


***Also the public world record for Ms. Pac Man was set at the show(I heard, don't know the details, but Dan can fill you about that)

[YoshiM]

dave2236: ahh, I remember there were numbers in your board name but I couldn't hear you too well at that moment. Did you ever con..er..get rid o...uh..able to bestow the pleasure of owning that complete-with-poster Shaq Fu cart at all?

"It comes with the poster. You can hang it in your room and wake up to Shaq every day." ::Dave strikes a Shaq-Fu karate stance::

I got my can thoroughly waxed in the Super Smash Brothers tourney. I was the first lamb lead to the slaughter. Baa-aah.

[dave2236]

I DID !! Shaq Fu is gone...well one of them. I sold it for $1 complete with the awesome poster.


I think someone from here bought it? I'm not sure

[goatdan]

***Also the public world record for Ms. Pac Man was set at the show(I heard, don't know the details, but Dan can fill you about that)

Actually, it was the public world record for Donkey Kong that was set at the show by Billy Mitchell (add another one to his records!!)

My favorite memory of the show is going to be getting to sit in on the documentary that was filmed at the event, and hearing Billy Mitchell and Dwayne Richard tell a ton of different stories about their gaming addictions. That was pretty much the only time I got to sit down and do anything, but it was an experience I wouldn't trade the world for.

I also got my Ms. Pac-Man marquee signed by Billy Mitchell, who does hold that record too :)

[The Collector]

@Collector, I bought something for you that you wanted at the end of the show on Sunday, I'll ship it too you this week.

We couldn't have a better spot, sandwiched between two beautiful women all weekend X_x


Damn Dave, i cant think of what it is :? , but what ever it is I really appreciate you doing that for me :cheers: !! I'm glad i met you guys, i enjoyed BS'n the time with people who know as much (or most likely more) about VGs than me. Although sometimes i kinda felt like I was a holding up your business, sorry bout that.

You got that right!! I hope you came away with some digits!

[Dan Iacovelli]

I did check out Jagfest, but the room was kinda empty. The Atari computers for Midi Maze was packed up, but I had played it last year so it wasn't a huge deal missing it (even though it was pretty cool-network smiley face FPS via MIDI ports). There were a lot of differet Lynxes and lots of games to try.


YoshiM,
Sunday was the slow day for the room, you should hve been there on saturday it was packed.
and why didn't you say hi to me (I was either standing by my Jaguar or sitting under the atari video club banner)

[Goodwill Hunter]

Here are a few of the pictures I snapped between customers at the Midwest Gaming Classic this past weekend in Milwaukee, WI.

http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC1.JPG
Darth Vader puts the 2600 Sears demo console through its pre-show paces.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC2.JPG
Darth Vader and dave2236’s massive table of gaming goodness…when I could sneak away from my tables to do some hunting, I was here!


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC3.JPG
The calm before the storm in the vendor’s room…


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC4.JPG
…THE STORM! A constant flow of collectors, gamers, moms, dads, families, etc. for the first 4-5 hours of the show. A busy, fun, tiring, and profitable Saturday!


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC5.JPG
That blue item on top of and hooked up to the amplifier is a gameboy (color, I believe) pumping out the digital tunes. The performer provided vocals, banjo, and, unless I’m mistaken, a ukulele too. An interesting display…I’m just glad I didn’t have the tables right next to the amp. He had CDs for sale, but seeing how his song “One plus One” (a repetitive melody, with the only lyrics, “one plus one plus one plus one” repeated throughout) will be in my head for the rest of my life, I passed.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC6.JPG
Atari 2600…the choice of a new generation.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC7.JPG
The start of the MWGC Video Game Museum.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC8.JPG
The rest of the VG Museum, and the Classic Computing wing.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC9.JPG
Several rooms of classic arcade games, all set to free play, and all I had time to do was take a few pictures…gotta get that assistant for next year’s show!


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC10.JPG
5 balls!…FOR A DIME! Just some of the really classic pinball machines on display.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC11.JPG
Darth Vader & dave2236 doing the good work of selling the good book. I sent more than a few people to them recommending a purchase. Overheard one kid repeating one of my lines to his friends as he thumbed through the DP Guide he had purchased…”that guy was right, this is the best thing here I could have bought for my collection!” Ahhh, the madness spreads and it indeed is good.


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It was a pleasure to meet (and purchase from!) the extremely nice and dedicated Audrey & Jared of Packrat Video Games. I drove ten minutes to get to the show, while they and their stuff took a train all the way from Utah! Beautiful flatscreen displays and a bunch of very cool hacks and homebrews with very professional labels and manuals (boxes are coming, I’m told) for sale…I found Space Invaders Vector irresistible! (Bonus points if you can spot the DP forum member hidden in this photo.)


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC13.JPG
If you think Link kicks ass in Soul Calibur II, you should see him action with dave2236 at the controls in N64 Super Smash Bros. I couldn’t stick around for all of the battles, but I’m just hoping Pikachu got smacked around at some point.


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After many tries, Audrey finally breaks through the 200 barrier in Atari 2600 Bowling….WooHoo!


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5:00 pm Sunday…nothing left to do but wrap up a big trade with Darth Vader, cart all of my junk back upstairs (vendor area on the main floor next year…please!), and go home.


http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC16.JPG
Here’s my haul…much of it thanks to Darth Vader & dave2236 (thanks again guys!). Best stuff is probably the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy, Mr. Do and Chavez II for the SNES, Narzod & Art Master for the Vec, 5200 Mr. Do, and for something a bit different...a new in box Sega Channel modem. I had a really good time meeting talking and trading with everyone, even tethered to my tables as I was – now taking applications for the position of table assistant. See you all next year!

Rich

[Dan Iacovelli]

what no pictures from the Jagfest area :)
but you were right on the button about the storm it was so packed on saturday it was crazy.

[dave2236]

http://members.aol.com/a54br9/MWGC/MWGC13.JPG

spot the 2 DP members in this photo.

And NO, Pikachu did NOT get his ass kicked by anyone. 5 for 5....not that inmpressive, but some very fun battles and 2 of them were close. Except I beat DV with 3 guys left and I killed off his 5 Yoshi's. (yeah it was because of the board...blah blah blah rematch when I stop by this week, I'll woop you again 8-) )

@Collector, pft don't worry about it. talking to you and swapping for those star fox bobble heads was better than selling stuff. plus I can honestly say nothing was stolen, not even a friggin combat cart Or Shaq Fu


For everyone who took pics, if you host them that would be fantastic. I brought my camera but it was always in my bag, or the room, or the car so I didn't take many pictures. So if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna gopy and save all the ones you guys took.

[YoshiM]

YoshiM,
Sunday was the slow day for the room, you should hve been there on saturday it was packed.
and why didn't you say hi to me (I was either standing by my Jaguar or sitting under the atari video club banner)

Doh! I'm sorry! :embarrassed: But to make up I did take a snapshot of the Jagfest area. The pics of the actual Jaguar setup didn't turn out too well (my camera is finicky with light and no amount of fiddling would fix it).

I'm currently working on the page and pics right now. I'll post the link shortly.

[YoshiM]

nally, it's done!

http://webpages.charter.net/pmode4/midwest2004/midwest_classic_04.htm

Enjoy!

[oesiii]

nice games and all but woah, great hat Danny! :D

http://www.zwpatch.com/images/sports/florida_state_university_seminoles.jpg

[RJ]

I had only been to Jagfest 99 (Rochester MN) before this so I was really looking forward to MGC. It was my wife's (!!!) idea to go, only if we did an equal amt of "non-gaming" stuff. It was an enjoyable (except for the weather) mini-vacation for us.

We drove 5 hrs from Mpls/St Paul Fri night, into the rain & arrived around 9:30. Sat AM we went to the zoo & out for lunch. We got into the show around 2pm- a bit late IMO to nab any must-have games. I bought a couple Dreamcast games & a 7800 Food Fight cart. We played some Jag games; she likes Super Burnout & I tried BattleSphere for the first time. I was amazed at all the Genny, S/NES & 2600 carts, but it seemed everyone was selling the same games. I took every opportunity to explain to my wife about the classic systems, games, etc. but we were done in under an hour. The arcade "room" was nowhere near as big as I'd hoped/thought. There were only about a dozen coin-ops & it was HOT AS HELL in there because there were so many people in such a small room! I felt a bit disappointed but hung around for the Inhabitants speech.

I went back at noon Sunday for some Lynx games & heard another speech & then we left for home. The weather began to get nice but once we were on the road it got gloomy again.

All in all a fun weekend but I'm glad I didn't go just for the show. BTW, if you try to get into the Safehouse, make reservations...

[The Collector]

All in all a fun weekend but I'm glad I didn't go just for the show. BTW, if you try to get into the Safehouse, make reservations...

Not if your a V.I.O. (Very Important Oprative) like me :D . My buddy is one of the owners....no waiting for me 8-) !

[Darth Vader]

nice games and all but woah, great hat Danny! :D

http://www.zwpatch.com/images/sports/florida_state_university_seminoles.jpg

Liked my hat? Yeah, I'm from Wisconsin but am a big FSU fan. Started following them in the days that Leroy Butler played there.

My thoughts on the show:

I certainly enjoyed the whole experience. Dave and I didn't get too much of a chance to go anywhere but our vendor area. Saturday was crazy until about 5 when it let up a little. Sunday was slower but lots of people came back for more. I mostly enjoyed meeting all the other DP members at the show. QOF, Yoshi, Lendelin, Collector and all the others it was great to meet you. Dave and I had a great group of vendors in our room. Jarrett and Audrey were great to work with and I look forward to seeing them again at CGE. Rich anchored the main entrance with his awesome atari display and the Goat store, warpzone, preplayed and the others were all great too! Personally I added some nice centerpieces to my collection as well which made the whole experience even better. :-P

That is all for now, I'll be adding more to this I'm sure. :)

Danny

[Kamino]

i'm looking forward to next year's show already....
but, tip for next year's vendors, bring a greater variety! i'm not talking about more diverse snes, nes, genny, etc...i was VERY dissapointed to see no TG16, NGPC, little to no SMS, little to no Saturn, little to no n64, and scant game gear....i only saw about 12 game boy games??!?!? cmon....bring out the good stuff!!! LOL
All in all, i did add some good stuff to my collection.

[YoshiM]

i'm looking forward to next year's show already....
but, tip for next year's vendors, bring a greater variety! i'm not talking about more diverse snes, nes, genny, etc...i was VERY dissapointed to see no TG16, NGPC, little to no SMS, little to no Saturn, little to no n64, and scant game gear....i only saw about 12 game boy games??!?!? cmon....bring out the good stuff!!! LOL
All in all, i did add some good stuff to my collection.

I saw a lot of Saturn "good" stuff on the Trade table like a (what looked like) complete Panzer Dragoon Saga. That table also had a Duo going from time to time and I saw a basket of TG-16 stuff (probably also for trade). A lot of the stuff was geared toward the more early 90's back. When they said "Classic" in Midwest Gaming Classic, they meant it :D

[Kamino]

yeah that was the trade table. all i had to trade was green $$$...they had a norse by norsewest on that table too(i reccomend that one as BEST SATURN GAME!) but i already have that game. harhar har.

[lendelin]

Goodwill Hunter, great pics!! However, I saw that you snapped Ninja Gaiden Trilogy from me as the hunter as you are! Damn why didn't I buy this game when I saw it at Target back then for $20? :)

YoshiM, great pics and great report!! Your report is so good it made the convention actually sound more interesting than it was (isn't that the best compliment for a report you can get? :)

In hindsight, maybe I should have looked around a bit more carefully at Darth Vaders table....but by then, I'm sure, the big hunter had the famous Trilogy already in his claws. :)

Too bad that I didn't know that you, goodwill hunter, were one of the vendors, I certainly would have said hello!

[dave2236]

i'm looking forward to next year's show already....
but, tip for next year's vendors, bring a greater variety! i'm not talking about more diverse snes, nes, genny, etc...i was VERY dissapointed to see no TG16, NGPC, little to no SMS, little to no Saturn, little to no n64, and scant game gear....i only saw about 12 game boy games??!?!? cmon....bring out the good stuff!!! LOL
All in all, i did add some good stuff to my collection.

you should have told me NGPC stuff, I would have brought my boxed system and the 6 or 7 complete games I have. I also have about 100-200 boxed\complete N64 games too that I left at home.I had a bag of about 30 game gear games under the table too.

gotta ask next time ;) . but don't worry after next week I think me and DV are going to have a sale going on for those who couldn't make it to the show.

[Kamino]

you GOTTA tell me when that sale is gonna be, dave. Post it somewhere that i'll see it, lol. or PM me. or have darth PM me.or heck leave a message on my cell 920-254-4219, contact me somehow in my sig, whatever!! i'll be there! With more money! LOL.
Although, at this point, the only N64 game i'm in need of is OFF ROAD CHALLENGE. I'd have loved to go through that bag of game gear stuff.
I need a final fight 3 for snes.
Ooh, and do you guys have any of those atari 7800 proline joysticks left???
i am regretting only having gotten two of em..lol. let me know guys!!!

[Kamino]

Oh, and goodwill hunter, how do i apply for table assistant?? LOL
actually i forgot to introduce myself to you there, but i bought a pitfall 2 and zoda's revenge from you, and asked about a fire and ice.....my bad.

[shaggy]

Hey you guys!! I was at the MGC as an exhibitor. My brother and I were there. If you guys remember the awesome MAME cabinet and the C64 and Turbo Grafx-16 hooked up that was us!! Now I actually kow who some of you ppl are. If you were there and selling etc. Tell me where you were!

[Goodwill Hunter]

Goodwill Hunter, great pics!! However, I saw that you snapped Ninja Gaiden Trilogy from me as the hunter as you are! Damn why didn't I buy this game when I saw it at Target back then for $20? :)

In hindsight, maybe I should have looked around a bit more carefully at Darth Vaders table....but by then, I'm sure, the big hunter had the famous Trilogy already in his claws. :)

Too bad that I didn't know that you, goodwill hunter, were one of the vendors, I certainly would have said hello!

Actually, the Trilogy is one of the few items I didn't get from Darth or Dave2236 that day...I got it from another local vendor who has already agreed to be my table assistant (sorry K.K.!) next year. And next year, even if they still don't have name tags, I'll be wearing a home-built one with both my name and GWH on it...this has always seemed like a no-brainer to me for a get together where most people know each other by website name only.

Rich

[Dan Iacovelli]

Hey you guys!! I was at the MGC as an exhibitor. My brother and I were there. If you guys remember the awesome MAME cabinet and the C64 and Turbo Grafx-16 hooked up that was us!! Now I actually kow who some of you ppl are. If you were there and selling etc. Tell me where you were!

I was mostly in the jagfest area (back corner table under the atari video club banner and Jagfest.atari org banner)

[Kamino]

I'm just bummed that I didn't get to meet Dan Loosen. All the hard work he put into the MGC, i wanted to personally thank him and shake his hand. *sigh* oh well.
Ah, already got an assistant eh GWH? LOL

[shaggy]

Hey you guys!! I was at the MGC as an exhibitor. My brother and I were there. If you guys remember the awesome MAME cabinet and the C64 and Turbo Grafx-16 hooked up that was us!! Now I actually kow who some of you ppl are. If you were there and selling etc. Tell me where you were!

I was mostly in the jagfest area (back corner table under the atari video club banner and Jagfest.atari org banner)

Ok I know who you are now. What about anyone else????

[Dan Iacovelli]

Hey you guys!! I was at the MGC as an exhibitor. My brother and I were there. If you guys remember the awesome MAME cabinet and the C64 and Turbo Grafx-16 hooked up that was us!! Now I actually kow who some of you ppl are. If you were there and selling etc. Tell me where you were!

I was mostly in the jagfest area (back corner table under the atari video club banner and Jagfest.atari org banner)

Ok I know who you are now. What about anyone else????
Are you sure you know who Iam?
here is a quick quiz (this is for anybody who was at MGC and saw me in the jagfest area or roming around(just for fun no prize):
name the badges I was wearing (minus the MGC and Atari Age badge).
heres a hint: one badge was from '94, one from from 2001,one was from 2000 and one was from 2002(one badge was also covering another).