A while back, a group of friends and I shared our experiences of various conventions; We talked about how gaming tournaments have to be wired correctly and heavily monitored, so no sore loser throws an actual fist. Discussed the ethics of a panel if the panelists are bribing the audience with candy. Which indie developers got their concepts from hilarious life decisions. Which special guest had the most surprising ringtones. Laughs were shared, beer was consumed, a Mario was partied, but an idea sparked. After growing the idea into a reasonable plan with the help of a successful Kickstarter, we set off into creating our own event to celebrate all things video games.
A Video Game Con (AVGC) will premiere at the Parsippany PAL in Parsippany, NJ, September 19, 2015. Starting at 10 am, the event will be offering many activities such as a free play console and arcade, a indie developer showcase, tournaments, musical acts, special guest, and cosplay. Ending the night off will be a DJ concert and a geeky burlesque performance.
This is the current line of guest:
- Billy Mitchell: Video game arcade legend.
- Richie Knucklez: Arcade owner and Arcade Culture Webshow host.
- Brain Nelson aka DJ Wheels: Asteroids arcade world record holder.
- Lua Suicide: Alternative model, Cosplayer, and SuicideGirl
- Elena Blueskies: Cosplayer
- Toni X Temptress: Cosplayer
- Clown Queen: Cosplayer
- Jules Starn: Cosplayer
- Shock: Mortal Kombat legend, and owner of KombatNetwork
- Lily Stiches: Cosplayer, Burlesque Dancer.
This is the current line of musical performers:
- Chipocrite: Mixing the sounds of a Nintendo GameBoy and contemporary influences, the legendary chiptune artist, Chipocrite (Paul Weinstein), has composed music for live performances such as Vans Warp Tour, MAGFest, AnimeNext and various video games such as Beard Wars and
- Kris Keyser: Using retro technology, another chiptune veteran, Kris Keyser, composes low-bit songs and soundtracks. Kris has performed at notable shows such as Blip Festival, PAX East and MAGFest. His music has been featured in the 8bitpeoples label, and several indie games such as Armillo: The Parallel Universe Mystery and Chip Beat Blaster.
- Montclair Gamer Symphony Orchestra: Formed by a local ensemble of gamers with musical talents, the Montclair Gamer Symphony Orchestra performs live orchestral music from fan favorite games such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Halo and Pokemon.
- The Schwam: This multi-genre group consists of members Brandon Bachrach, Jason Basner, Jon Rosario, Mike Marguccio and Bryan George. They cover a variety of music from the funky tunes of the 70’s to the trumpet pumping sounds of ska from the 90’s, including their own unique video game covers.
- 10th Dimension & Parallax: This dynamic EDM producer/DJ duo consist of Nima Moayer and Armin Papp, two musicians who are looking to bring their creative twist by changing up conventional beats and blending the genres of house, electro, breakbeat, dubstep, trap, hip-hop, and drum n bass in a single set.
I’ll be there for my EverythingAction duties and report the day’s events, while handling guest relations and media. Stuff that I am familiar with in the past, but never before at the highest level. My years of watching 30 Rock and Muppets Tonight better pay off.
You can get tickets at the door for $20 or $15 online here.