2012 Panels and Presentations
The Midwest Gaming Classic features a variety of speakers and panel presentations about different classic and modern pinball and video gaming topics spanning both days of the show. Each day's schedule is below, along with a brief preview of their speech. The following is the line up of speakers for each day at this year's Midwest Gaming Classic:
Saturday
The following is the list of Saturday speakers and panels for the Midwest Gaming Classic.
Star Worlds: A Pocket Full of Tokens and I'm Headed to the Arcade Documentary - 11:00am-11:50am
A look into the history behind this amazing arcade, followed by a Q&A with the directors Byron Czopek and Andy McLaughlin!
Ben Heckendorn and John Popadiuk: Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland - 12pm to 12:50pm
After Ben Heck has spent the last couple MGCs revealing new pinball projects, he's now taking it to a different level! Ben is teaming up with pinball design legend John Popadiuk, and you'll hear more about just what they are up to at this great presentation!
The DMD Pinball Era Panel - 1pm-1:50pm
With both Wizard of Oz and Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland moving beyond dot matrix display technology, we have assembled a panel of pinball industry insiders to talk about how the DMD changed pinball, why it lasted so long, and what they feel is up next!
Ted Dabney Via Skype: Atari Back Then - 2pm-2:50pm
Ted Dabney, a crowd favorite last year, returns to tell the stories behind the early days of the brand and company he co-founded with Nolan Bushnell 40 years ago. Hear what it was like to get the arcade video games Computer Space and PONG created and in to arcades, and the trials and tribulations behind founding the first video game company - Atari! Also, stay tuned for a special announcement at the end of Ted's talk!
Jeff Ryan: Gaming's Top 40 - 3pm-4:30pm
In this amazing presentation Jeff Ryan, who wrote the book Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America, presents what he feels are Gaming's Top 40 influential games. Starting with early titles, he examines about one title per year, with how that title influenced more, and more, and more. It's an amazing presentation of gaming history, from one of gaming's biggest historians!
Jim Schelberg: Pinball Today - 4:30pm-5:00pm
Pinball pops up surprisingly often in pop culture - whether it is in movies, music videos, cartroons, TV shows, commercials, or anywhere else, it seems like Jim Schelberg, editor of the PinGame Journal knows about it! He'll share some of the places where pinball has popped up in the media in this short presentation.
Walter Day: Twin Galaxies Trading Cards - 5pm-5:50pm
Walter Day, who is well known for his record keeping with Twin Galaxies, has a new gaming project that he has been working on. Walter is creating a card set celebrating gamers, records, companies, industry alums, and events that influence gaming. He'll talk a little about the card set, and then unveil multiple brand new cards, including a Midwest Gaming Classic card!
International Game Developers Association Madison Chapter Open Meeting - 6pm-8pm
The IGDA hosts an open meeting for anyone to check out as they discuss issues regarding modern game development.
Sunday
The following is the list of Sunday speakers and panels for the Midwest Gaming Classic.
Ectasy of Order: The Tetris Masters Screening - 10am-11:50am
The Midwest Gaming Classic has long hosted a very competitive Tetris tournament, and a few years ago it was even documented by a film crew. It wasn't just the MGC they were documenting though, it was all of the major Tetris tournaments and all the best players at Tetris in the world! See the amazingly fascinating documentary that came from the filming, introduced by Ben Mullen, one of the players featured in the documentary. Ben will even take some questions when it is done!
Custom Pinball Machine Making Panel - 12pm-12:50pm
The Midwest Gaming Classic has hosted some amazing custom pinball machines in the past. Whether it is Ben Heck's Bill Paxton Pinball or his Lost Pinball, the Spooky Pinball crew's Godzilla Pinball, or Doug's Trilogy Brewing Company, these are cool machines! And the number one question is -- How did you do this? Find out with this panel where you can ask the developers what it takes to make your own pin!
Scott Adams Presents - 1pm-1:50pm
A look back in time by one of the very first founders of the computer gaming industry.
Howard Scott Warshaw via Skype: Once Upon Atari - 2pm-2:50pm
Howard Scott Warshaw is a legend in video game history. Creating the immensely popular Atari 2600 game Yars' revenge, he went to program the very first move licenses in the industry - Raiders of the Lost Ark and the infamous E.T. Hear Howard tell the stories and details behind developing these games and others, as well as what it was like to be working at Atari in it's heyday.
Jersey Jack Pinball Walks Down the Yellow Brick Road - 3pm-3:50pm
Last year, Jack Guarnieri came to the Midwest Gaming Classic to discuss the beginnings of his new pinball company. This year, with the Wizard of Oz in production and nearing it's shipment date, what sort of amazing news will Jack and his team have to share with showgoers?