Bonus Stage

The Midwest Gaming Classic hosts dozens of gaming discussions each year! Here are the sessions we have so far for 2024!

Saturday, April 6

Keith Polster Remembrance

Keith Polster Remembrance

10:30 am – 11:00 am Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Keith Polster was an integral member of getting MGC’s RPG room started. Since then the RPG room has continued to grow in popularity since the start thanks to Keith. Keith was part of the Gen Con crew when it was in Milwaukee, part of Gary Con family, worked for TSR, was part of the Midwest Gaming Classic crew, and worked with the RPGA. He wrote adventures for D&D, Boot Hill, Castles & Crusades, and many more. Please join us to honor this great man who was taken away to soon. Come celebrate his life and relive his memories as members of the community pay homage to him and the work he did for MGC.

On April 6th 2024 Keith Polster will be awarded The Game Wizards Award for his lifetime achievements in the world of gaming at Midwest Gaming Classic in conjunction with The Gygax Memorial Fund.

 
Downing’s Basement

Downing’s Basement

11:00 am – 11:30 am Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Do you love the N64? Did you know the modding community has been hard at work creating PORTABLE N64s? Chris Downing who is one of the experts in the modding community will be bringing new state-of-the-art portable N64 and showcasing the modern touch of them and how they are becoming more accessible over the last few years.

 
Game Beaters

Game Beaters

11:30 am – 12:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

The Game Beaters are the EXPERTS in the Homebrew community and have interviewed many NES developers who continue to release new games for the console. They’ll be discussing the newest homebrew games and interviewing developers about their work and new games that have been released for old consoles!

 
The Duckfeed Podcast

The Duckfeed Podcast

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

The Duckfeed Podcast is one of the most popular video game podcasts in the community and have recently celebrated over 10 years of podcasts! They discuss everything about video games from topics, news, trailers, and retrospectives. They’ll be doing a live show for their podcast, so come be part of the active audience during Midwest Gaming Classic as they entertain the community.

 
Game Dad - Conventions as a Small Youtuber

Game Dad – Conventions as a Small Youtuber

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Going to conventions can be intimidating for small YouTubers, so GameDad has you covered! If you’re thinking of going to conventions, GameDad will share his experience as a small YouTuber and give you the do’s and don’ts, advice, and tips for attending! This is perfect for those interested in becoming YouTubers and what you can expect when you enter the community.

 
Square Pegs - Collecting for the Sega Genesis

Square Pegs – Collecting for the Sega Genesis

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Jay, from Square Pegs, is one of the top retro video game YouTubers out there and at the Midwest Gaming Classic, he’ll be sharing his passion for the Sega Genesis! How should you collect for it? What games are worth the big bucks and how can you make sure you are getting a good deal? Jay will be discussing all things related to collecting for the Genesis and sharing his own experience in curating a library for the console.

 
AstroCrow - Jai Alai Heroes Showcase

AstroCrow – Jai Alai Heroes Showcase

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

The creative minds at AstroCrow have released their new arcade game, Jai Alai Heroes! This is an arcade-exclusive cabinet about the obscure sport of Jai-Alia. It’s easy-to-learn, hard-to-master mechanics for off-the-wall fun for casual and competitive gamers alike. The team will be showcasing their new game and discussing the process of developing it and how you can experience all the fun!

 
Preserving Gaming Ephemera with Eric Hanson and Jason Dvorak

Preserving Gaming Ephemera with Eric Hanson and Jason Dvorak

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Lots of effort has been made – and rightly so – to preserve games themselves, but what about the magazines?  The Demo Discs?  The Inserts and other ‘feelies’?  The Print Variants?  We’ll chat about some of the efforts we and others are carrying out to make sure that the good stuff adjacent to gaming doesn’t get lost.

 
TAS Bot

TAS Bot

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

The TASBot community was founded in 2013 and is focused on helping our robotic mascot, TASBot, play video games perfectly for charity. TASBot content at Games Done Quick events has helped raise more than $1.3M USD for The Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. TASBot plays back Tool-Assisted Speedruns from TASVideos.org using replay devices that typically pretend to be a controller plugged into a real video game console. Through this process TASBot verifies that emulators act exactly like the consoles they emulate. TASVideos Ambassdor TiKevin83 is a record holding TASer in Pokemon Yellow and has been helping present TASVideos and TASBot runs since 2019. TASBot, TiKevin83, and friends will show TASes being verified live all weekend!

 
Peter Conlon Video Game Narratives

Peter Conlon Video Game Narratives

4:00 pm – 4:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Peter Conlon is a professor and librarian who has studied the use of video games in information literacy instruction and video game narratives. He will be giving a presentation on that as well as the history of librarianship and video games.

 
Adam Koralik

Adam Koralik

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Adam Koralik is a popular YouTuber and Sega expert. Ever heard of the Sega Pluto? No? Well, come to this panel to learn of Sega’s SECRET console that was never released. Adam even has one of two surviving consoles of it in the world. Learn the history behind it and discover the truth behind the Sega Pluto. Q and A sessions will be held, and questions are encouraged!

 
My Life In Gaming

My Life In Gaming

5:00 pm – 5:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

One of the most entertaining and informative duos on YouTube returns! Marc and Coury are back to discuss everything from their video game passion and YouTube channel. Come say hi and ask questions on one of the most successful channels on YouTube. Q and A sessions will be held, and questions are encouraged!

 
ProJared

ProJared

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

ProJared has one of the biggest communities on YouTube and he’s coming to share his passion for gaming for the first time at the Midwest Gaming Classic! Come say hi and listen to him discuss his channel and video games. Q and A sessions will be held, and questions are encouraged!

 
John Hancock

John Hancock

6:00 pm – 6:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

John Hancock is an expert on retro video games and has one of the biggest physical collections in the community. He’ll be discussing his YouTube channel and his passion. Q and A sessions will be held, and questions are encouraged!

 
John Riggs

John Riggs

6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

John Riggs is one of the friendliest experts in the gaming YouTube community and he’s here to share his passion for gaming as well as discuss his YouTube channel. Q and A sessions will be held, and questions are encouraged!

 
Debate This! Podcast

Debate This! Podcast

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

A podcast where grown men yell at each other about video games and comics! This is one entertaining podcast that you won’t want to miss. The guys will be debating gaming-related topics at the Midwest Gaming Classic. Come be part of the active audience and share your input on the debate!

 

Sunday, April 7

Homebrew Game Club Podcast

Homebrew Game Club Podcast

10:00 am – 11:00 am Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

The Homebrew Game Club is a podcast about new games for old consoles. We’re three friends exploring brand-new, original, aftermarket games for retro systems, as well as the quirky communities that create them. Each month we pick a game to play and discuss our experiences with it, on consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and more. At the Midwest Gaming Classic, the podcast will be bringing on homebrew game devs to discuss all the newest games coming out for old systems! 

 
Gamers (Who Happen to Be Women)

Gamers (Who Happen to Be Women)

11:00 am – 11:30 am Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Speakers: Imoto “Arcade” Harney, Rachel Ristow, Erika “Verika” Philipp, Kiki Snell

A few years ago, we heard about a girl who loved coming to the Midwest Gaming Classic but was worried that “girls aren’t supposed to like games,” and it broke our hearts, especially because we work with so many influential and amazing women for the show all the time! We created this panel specifically to show everyone that not just can girls like games, they can do amazing things with them!

The four pictured women are Imoto “Arcade” Harney, the face of MarcoTV, , Erika “Verika” Philipp, who helps run the tabletop group MILCOG and has modeled for many board games, Kiki Snell, Crafter, Cosplayer, Harley Quinn collector, and Graphic Designer from MN, and Rachel Ristow, who has become one of the driving forces behind pinball in Wisconsin and the host of our Midwest Pinball Championship!

This panel features fascinating conversations about the story of how they got into gaming, what they see happening in the industry today, and what it’s like to be a gamer… who happens to be a woman!

 
PatMan QC

PatMan QC

11:30 am – 12:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Pat is a big YouTuber with his channel dedicated to bringing you the history of obscure, rare and hard-to-find games that are available on the various computers and consoles throughout history. His channel features almost 200 documentaries on various arcade and console games. In 2015, he lost his hands and feet due to complications from pneumonia but it didn’t stop his love for video games! Come be part of the discussion as Pat will be discussing his YouTube channel, passion for video games, and all the knowledge he’s accumulated while making the documentaries.

 
Jon St. John - Voice of Duke Nukem

Jon St. John – Voice of Duke Nukem

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

It’s time to kick ass and chew bubblegum and Jon St. John is all out of bubblegum! Jon has spent over 45 years in the voice acting industry having worked huge roles like Duke Nukem! We will relive his career and learn industry secrets as well as go down memory lane with Jon as he discusses all that and more with this must watch discussion.

 
Jeremy Klinger - Mario vs Sonic

Jeremy Klinger – Mario vs Sonic

12:30 pm – 12:55 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

While Mario vs Sonic has been hotly debated for decades, the war between Sega’s mascot and Nintendo’s mascot has recently found a new battleground. The cinema! In the last few years, both Sonic and Mario have received major releases in theaters. Jeremy is a big YouTuber who will be discussing the rivalry and breaking down which film series is better as well as the future for both. Come join the fun and cast your vote in the battle. Audience participation is encouraged!

 
Lame Dad - Evolution of Sports Games

Lame Dad – Evolution of Sports Games

1:00 pm – 1:25 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Sports games are often some of the very first titles released with a new console and that is by design to show the graphical and gameplay leaps made by the console jumps. That can make it very hard to go back to old sports games but that doesn’t mean old sports games suck. You will always find cheap sports games at the bottom of bargain bins but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth your time. Playing an old sports game is truly a time capsule, as you get a double dose of nostalgia. There’s your favorite team from the 90s with all of your favorite players and it takes you back in time. Sports games of the past had a huge component of local multiplayer and this is what led to friendships and fights sometimes, but as a whole it brought people together in a way that just doesn’t happen anymore. LameDad is breaking down the greatest sports game of every console generation from NES to the current gen and discussing the trends that today’s sports games have had on the market, and the industry as a whole, good and bad.

 
Anthony Bacon - Collecting the Impossible

Anthony Bacon – Collecting the Impossible

1:30 pm – 1:55 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions
Do you like collecting the “rare”, or “impossible” things that are impossible to locate? You aren’t alone, Anthony Bacon has been collecting the impossible for quite some time now! He’ll be giving a presentation on how to collect retro gaming items that are rare and difficult to find!
He’s been collecting retro games and hardware for 20 years. Anthony grew up gaming and his collection is basically him filling in the gaps of what he never had when he was a kid. He’s been doing Video Game Esoterica for 5 years and he started it just to share retro gaming fun and rarities with everyone. Come learn the secrets for finding the impossible!
 
Dan Cattell: Getting into Cosplay

Dan Cattell: Getting into Cosplay

2:00 pm – 2:25 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

The king of cosplay! Dan creates popular pixelated outfits that have taken the internet and conventions by storm. Featured by Nintendo, INSIDER, Reddit, international TV interviews, music videos, & many other outlets, these cosplays are a 2D optical illusion. Dan will be discussing stories such as designing an official MINECRAFT costume, advertising for Star Wars, and being hired to play Spider-Man in the No Way Home theatrical trailer. Come and learn how and why these blasts from the past appeared in our 3D world!

 
Ben Wolf - Award Winning Author

Ben Wolf – Award Winning Author

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Ben has written north of ten books, including an award-winning children’s book and an award-winning novel. He specializes in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Awards are great, but what Ben has found even more reassuring is the consistently great feedback he’s gotten from readers. Come and take part of Ben’s discussion of his works and what’s on the horizon for Ben and his career. Readers of all ages would love this presentation.

 
Tim Lapetino

Tim Lapetino

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Tim Lapetino is a writer and award-winning creative director, mining geek culture for compelling stories. He is the author of the best-selling book, /Art of Atari/, and co-author of /Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon/. He is also an editor of /Sky Captain and the Art of Tomorrow/ and /Undisputed Street Fighter/. He also co-authored the design inspiration book Damn Good: Top Designers Discuss Their All-Time Favorite Projects. His design work has been featured in more than a dozen other books and magazines, and his books have been published in five languages. Tim is dedicated to writing and working at the intersection of design and geek culture. We’ll be discussing his career and his current and future work for the gaming community!

 
Jordan Schroeter

Jordan Schroeter

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Bonus Stage: Gaming Discussions

Jordan has been a gamer all his life, but the way he plays is a bit different! With a physical disability, Jordan has had to adapt his gaming styles and uses a third-party remote play mobile app to control his PS5. He’s become such an expert he’s now sharing his experience. 

What it’s like to be a disabled gamer? How the industry is recognizing these needs for all gamers? And why gaming is part of his soul, and so incredibly important for all of u?. With all his limitations of being disabled, gaming unlocked the secret level for how I became the true person I am meant to be, not restrictions, but liberations.

Jordan is a featured TEDx speaker and will be showcasing all of these topics and more!