Stage Lineup
Saturday, April 25
Unleaded Logic
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm, MGC Main Stage
The electronic energy is BACK.
Unleaded Logic – Chicago’s unstoppable EDM & Synthwave force is hitting the stage once again at the Midwest Gaming Classic After Party!
Since 2001, he’s been unleashing pulse-pounding beats, soaring synths, gritty guitar energy, and crowd-igniting performances that blend House, Progressive, Trance, Breakbeat, and reimagined EDM classics. If you want adrenaline, nostalgia, and pure electronic fire… this is where you’ll find it.
Lords of the Trident
10:00 pm – 10:45 pm, MGC Main Stage
Lords of the Trident‘s metal is so pure that only diamonds can scratch it, and usually the diamonds are the ones that end up getting hurt in the end.
Scott Danesi and DJ Kiddo
10:45 pm – 12:15 am, MGC Main Stage
Scott Danesi and DJ Kiddo are bringing the energy of a true underground rave experience to the Midwest Gaming Classic After Party with a set built around the best of underground techno on vinyl. This is the real deal! The kind of techno played at actual underground raves, featuring rare tracks, unexpected remixes, and deep cuts that most people have never heard before.
With decades of collecting and curating music on real vinyl, Scott Danesi and DJ Kiddo will be digging into their crates to deliver a set full of fresh sounds, hard-to-find gems, and authentic rave culture vibes. While they will have CDJs on hand as a backup, this performance will be centered primarily around vinyl, making it a special experience for music fans and crate-diggers alike.
If you’re ready for a high-energy set packed with underground techno and true rave atmosphere, this is one you will not want to miss.
Sunday, April 26
The Martyr Complex
12:15 am – 12:45 am, MGC Main Stage
After a one-year hiatus, The Martyr Complex is BACK and they’re returning in a big way to the official MGC VIG After Party!
This year’s performance is extra special: The Martyr Complex’s brand-new EP Limerance drops the SAME DAY as the After Party, turning their set into a full-on release celebration.
Featuring five powerful new tracks, Limerance showcases the band’s evolution with a more mature sound, raw emotion, and unfiltered aggression that hits harder than ever. Expect intensity, energy, and a release night you won’t forget.
One night. One party. One EP release.
This is the place to experience Limerance live for the very first time.
Theology
12:45 am – 1:30 am, MGC Main Stage
He will be cranking it to 11 at the after party right to the end!
Hey everyone! I don’t like third person bios so I’m gonna speak to you directly. My name is Theology and I am a VGM Remix producer and DJ from Minneapolis, MN! I’m also a mental health activist and I believe that, if harnessed properly, video games can be amazing for our mental health. Thus, my content ecosystem explores the ideas found within video games and how they can improve us as humans.
I have been DJing and producing for 16 years and I am a veteran of the trance scene (my previous music being supported by Above & Beyond, Cosmic Gate, and Fatum), but I also create every single genre of EDM. My remixes are melodic and beautiful (as video game music is) but I combine this nuance with really uplifting chords and incredibly dirty bass.
You may have seen me recently at 2D Con, VGM Con, or MagFest, and I have also just made collaboration remixes with the likes of Vector U, Player2, Noteblock, Goosaphlute, Stemage, The Limit Breakers, and more. It has been such an honor to collab with so many of my heroes and be a part of this community! The VGM scene truly has the most talented and accepting people I’ve ever met.
Video Game music is special to all of us, and I hope the journey that my music takes you on inspires you in some way shape or form. It’s a weird world out there, so let’s not only escape together, but come out on the other side better-equipped to spread love!
Official After Party Attractions
After Party Arcade
The After Party Arcade features over a dozen arcade cabinets with two and four-player games like TMNT, GI Joe, The Simpsons, Ninja Baseball Bat Man, and more! Grab some friends, or some strangers, and do a complete run on these classic multiplayer games. Hand tired? Need a beer? Tag someone in to take your place while you take a break! Then it’s back to Game on!
Carcade Live Circuit
Join Carcade in the best advice one can have at the MGC Official After Party, Don’t Drink and Drive. Instead, be the first to complete a drink and drive around the track – but you can’t touch both the controller and your cup at the same time. Non-alcoholic options are available.
Giant Games
Enjoy your favorite classic games, but… GIANT! Test your mettle with large versions of Checkers, Bags, Bucketball, Tower Topple, and 4-In-A-Row!
Meet Industry Professionals
The Official After Party is one of the best places to hang out with some of the industry professionals that shape the gaming world! Some guests will be hosting wacky games, some will be playing games, and some will just be hanging out!
Official After Party Events
Saturday, April 25
Joust with Jake "Foggyknight14" Fogg
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm, MGC Main Stage
Join Cosplayer Jake “Foggyknight14” Fogg in a test of might, and speed, and er… other physical things. Look, we’re gamers, not super heroes. Are you good enough to go up against Superman in a head-to-head challenge?! Are you this man’s kryptonite? In this contest muscles barely matter, but bring your super speed and quick wit to fly above this superhuman! Will you beat Jake for a chance to raise the MGC belt and proclaim yourself the new JS Joust champion?!
Crackpots Footsie with Atari & Activision!
9:20 pm – 10:20 pm, MGC Main Stage
So you’re an Atari 2600 expert? Well how about when you play with your feet? Yup! We’re going THERE. So run on over and meet with some of the true experts from Atari and Activision and challenge them to a frenetic foot pumping round of Crackpots. You can even play with one of the developers of the game, Dan Kitchen.
Backwards Ring of Fire Skeeball
9:40 pm – 10:40 pm, MGC Main Stage
Ever wanted to play Skee Ball by throwing the ball through your legs while a bunch of Pokemon actors yell their names at you? While we can’t guarantee the name-yelling part, we can guarantee that you’ll have a ball – er, roll a ball – in this hilarious version of Skee Ball that everyone can have fun with! You’ll even get to play against and with some of the Pokemon voice actors! Oh yeah, why are the Pokemon guys here? Because for whatever reason, these Skee Ball machines are themed after fire. Yeah! Yeah! FIRE! (Note: Real fire will not be used in the playing of this game.)
Six Flags Pinball Funhouse
10:00 pm – 11:00 pm, MGC Main Stage
Ready to take on some of the zaniest pinball challenges you’ve ever seen? Five daring devices will be your foes in the funhouse, all with modifications to how you play to challenge your wits! Will you stand up to the challenge like Superman or succumb to rage like a bull? If you can navigate the roller coaster of emotions you’ll find yourself with a pair of tickets to Six Flags. We’ll announce the winners at 11…ish.
Sneopardy
10:00 pm – 11:00 pm, MGC Main Stage
Sneopardy is a trivia show all about video games!
Filled with questions about everything from glitches and concept art, to inventory screens and commercials! (Plus, a few jokes and bonus rounds along the way!)
Have you ever played Jeopardy? Yeah, it’s that. Have you ever played Family Feud? It’s also that. We shamelessly ripped them off and don’t even feel the slightest bit bad about it.
2 teams of 8 contestants will compete across 4 different boards to see who can earn the most points, and even have a chance of earning some prizes! (OooOoo! Ahhh!)
Hosted by *in-character* cosplayers Snake & Friends
Robotron 2084 Teams with GenXGrownUp
10:20 pm – 11:20 pm, MGC Main Stage
Jon and George of GenXGrownUp want to prove that they are the best at Robotron 2084… but they need your help! One controller is used for moving and one is used for shooting, and they can’t beat each other without the help of the Official After Party goers! Jump in and play this game with the GenXGrownUp guys to see who can score the highest!
Pop-A-Shot Called By Tim Kitzrow
10:40 pm – 11:40 pm, MGC Main Stage
You play Pop-A-Shot. The voice of NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow, will call the action. Who will be on fire and get to yell BOOM SHAKKA LAKKA first?! Who will miss a lot of shots and get called out in ways that DOES NOT happen in the game?!
Kasumi Ninja All-Angus World Finals
11:00 pm – 12:00 am, MGC Main Stage
But when Ian McCranor who played Angus in it got ahold of us and said he wanted to come to the show, who are we to say no! Plus, now we can have the…
All-Angus Beef Battle Royale!
Take on Angus and fight Angus in the Angus Beef Battle Royale (without cheese)! In this variation of Kasumi Ninja fights, only Angus is available and it’s Angus on Angus action to find out who’s the choicest beef. We’re betting it’s Angus!
Joust with Ahman Green
11:20 pm – 12:20 am, MGC Main Stage
Join Green Bay Packers running back legend and Gaming Podcaster, Ahman Green in a test of might, and speed, and er… other physical things. Look, we’re gamers, not athletes. Are you good enough to go up against an actual pro football player in a head-to-head challenge?! Yes, you are! It’s not full contact so muscles barely matter, but fast reflexes and quick thinking sure do! Will you beat Ahman for a chance to raise the MGC belt and proclaim yourself the new JS Joust champion?!
General Chaos Gets BOMBED… AGAIN!
11:40 pm – 12:40 am, MGC Main Stage
Bring your best beer pong skills to the After Party this year; GENERAL CHAOS is on the march and it’s up to you to bomb him into oblivion. Will your thirst for victory let you take home the ultimate prize? …Or will you get bombed instead? Either way, what happens at the After Party…stays at the After Party!
