CONTENT AREAS

Arcade Manufacturer Showcase

See all the latest and greatest coin-op and home arcade games from the biggest manufacturers including Stern Pinball, Raw Thrills, Spooky Pinball, and many others! Then, find out how to bring your favorite game to your home or arcade from the manufacturers and distributors on site!

Artist Alley

Check out the work of established and up-and-coming artists in our Artist Alley section! If you are an artist interested in displaying and selling your work here, please visit our Artist Alley Registration page.

BitBuilt Experience

Curious how far modding original video game hardware can go? The BitBuilt Experience is a collaboration between the BitBuilt and Ben Heck Experience communities to show, tell, and teach about console modifications. Such mods include adding video out to older systems, miniaturized consoles such as the world’s smallest GameCube that can fit in your palm, handheld consoles made from home consoles ranging from Atari 2600 to Wii, and everything in between — all with original hardware. Stop by the experience to see these mods and chat with some of the great minds behind them.

Chess

We’re bringing Chess back to the Midwest Gaming Classic! Join some of the best players in the state as they take on visitors in unique challenges, give people tips on play, and demonstrate how one of the oldest games remains one of the best!

Chroma Club

 Welcome new comers Chroma Club to the Midwest Gaming Classic! Chroma Club will be bringing the one of a kind Hypnocade to MGC this year. It is a unique first of its kind arcade-form-factor video synthesizer machine. Get in on the psychedelic fun of this unique gaming experience! You can  also try your hand on Sonic Spin Ball glitch and several other twisted variations in their club type atmosphere!

Classic Gaming and Computing Museum

The Computing and Gaming Museum is one of the centerpieces of the Midwest Gaming Classic! Check out hundreds of different consoles from Pong to the PS5 and everything in between! Discover the joys of early computers, share the fun of hit games from the past, and check out the present of video games in the home! Best of all? Unlike a museum where you can just look, in the Computing and Gaming Museum, it’s almost all playable too!

Deeplight LARP Adventure Room

Have you ever been curious about what it would be like to try and sneak around as a stealthy rogue and steal valuable treasures, or conquer the playing field as a strong and brave warrior? Maybe combat isn’t your thing, and you would like to dress up in your favorite garb and simply roleplay in person as a dashing bard or cunning merchant! Give it all a try in Deeplight LARP’s Adventure Room! We are looking for brave adventurers like yourself to run through a variety of Live Action Role-Play scenarios or embark on an adventure with capture the flag. Deeplight LARP will also be discussing how to get into Live Action Role-Playing, what to expect at events, how to repair your gear, and how to interact safely while immersing yourself in the Deeplight LARP world. If you’ve ever been curious to play some of your favorite characters in person with other players, this is where you can finally have that experience!

Hosted by Deeplight Larp

Facebook facebook.com/deeplightlarp

Fantastic Worlds

Crystals, espers, and heroes – Experience the art behind some of the most iconic Japanese role playing games. Get up close and personal with stunning prints, decadent colors, and elaborate designs. This mini showcase is perfect for art lovers and RPG fans.

Future Classics

Try out the classics of the future from various developers of all sizes! From VR to console, Steam to mobile, you might be the first to check out tomorrow’s hot new game!

Learn More

Game Center Arcade

When the show opens, so does the largest arcade in Wisconsin! Featuring hundreds of arcade video and pinball machines, this is a room that you don’t want to miss!

Interested in bringing a machine to share and getting awesome rewards? Click THIS!

 

 

Garcade

The incredible Menomonee Falls-based arcade the Garcade joins us and is throwing an EPIC bash! Featuring games and lots of fun activities, come celebrate the Garcade with them! Can’t wait? Visit the Garcade in Menomonee Falls today to play over 175 games for one price!

Guys, Games and Beer

The fun-loving Guys, Games and Beer podcast is an amazing group of guys (and gals!) that get together to discuss games and beer! They love sharing their favorite games with people, whether it is classics you may know, or extremely unique and one-of-a-kind things you may never seen! Walk into the room and become part of the G2B family and see what all the fun is about! The Guys Games and Beer room is also host to a fully networked version of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact for the original Xbox!! Open to beginners and veterans alike, learn how to pilot VTs (Vertical Tanks) from our pro coaches with up to nine of your friends and prove you’re the best pilot out there! The Guys Games and beer room is also host to some other fan-favorite LANs, such as the OG Quake running on original iMacs, showing that gaming wasn’t just for the Windows realm, Pac-Man vs. Linked with a GBA adapter or a one of a kind Vectrex system, and Cursed Halo: a comically stupid and epically entertaining spin on the FPS you know and love!

KingPin Kiddie Ride Menagerie

Want to put your kids into a vehicle from a popular 80s cartoon, the back of an animal, or onto a space ship? These are just some of the options that KingPin Games will have in their KingPin Kiddie Ride Menagerie at the show! Hop on (as long as you are the correct size and / or weight) and take a ride down memory lane in this fun area! If you love one of these, you can bring one home with you or get it to put at a location to share after the show is over! Want to reserve one for delivery at the show? Contact Chris at KingPin at (608) 393-2299 for current inventory and pricing!

MGC Gaming Jukebox

Listen to music from your favorite video games at our specially built jukebox!

Click Here for a Full Track List

MGC Pogtagon Featuring Evercon

MilCog Board Game Library

With a library of more than one thousand table top games to borrow, MilCog (or the Milwaukee Company of Gamers) has something fun for you to play with your friends! Pull up a chair and sit down at a table! Want help learning a new game? We’ll have staff on site to help teach you new things!

Redemption Row

Stop by Redemption Row for a selection of crane, claw, cut the string, and coin pushers chocked full of fun prizes for all ages! These machines are Show owned and help support the show directly. Whether you’re looking for plush, keychains, rubber ducks or Pokeballs, it’s all in there!

Replica Movie Cars

Check out all the replica movie cars made by enthusiasts at the Midwest Gaming Classic! Whether you’re looking to travel back in time, bust some heads (metaphorically speaking), discover if something has survived, party on, or if you want to see a talking car, we might have just the thing!

Tabletop RPGs Open Play Area

Looking for brand new and seasoned adventures! Walk up, sit down, play! From the Birthplace of the “Game that Changed the World” come join Realms of Adventure with the very first role-playing game that has ignited the imaginations of millions of gamers around the world for five decades! If you’ve never played, we will teach you the basics of the original role-playing game and give you a taste of this collaborative storytelling game that relies more on teamwork and less on competition to win the day. Ever wonder what changed the face of tabletop and video gaming from the early days of Pong and Space Invaders into the magic of Legend of Zelda and the Elder Scrolls saga? Let us be your guide and companion through amazing lands and dread dungeons to battle monstrous foes, best deadly challenges and seize marvelous treasures to forge your own legend! Seasoned adventurer? Play with some of the people who were there from nearly the start, including Wisconsin (Harold) Johnson, Tom “The Dwarf” Darga, and others for adventures in the endless Realms of Adventure.

Trading Card Game Open Play

Did you know Magic: The Gathering was revealed at the same physical location we are at (although in the previous building) in 1993? Since then, we’ve had many other awesome card games get started including Pokemon, Lorcana, Flesh and Blood, Yu-Gi-Oh, and many others!  Join friends or make new ones playing Magic: The Gathering with us! Don’t have your cards? We’ll have some of the best local game stores to play these games on hand to purchase cards from!

True Echo VR

True Echo VR will be onsite offering 10-minute shared VR experiences for up to 6 people at a time. Games include cooking simulators, zombie shooters, bow & arrow shooters, and more! True Echo VR also offers premium, immersive VR gaming experiences for corporate events in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and surrounding areas.

Uptown Society Photobooth

Prepare to level up your photo booth experience at the Midwest Gaming Classic with Uptown Society! Dive into personalized backdrops and exclusive photo ops—all for free—ensuring an unforgettable souvenir courtesy of Milwaukee’s premier events company. Get your photo with the MGC Championship belt! Check TheUptownSociety.com for more details.

World of Nintendo Retail Store Exhibit

The ‘World of Nintendo’ was a store-within-a-store concept that Nintendo popularized in the late 80s and early 90s. Retailers transformed their spaces into luminous merchandising wonderlands where animated lighted signs hung from the ceilings, iconic soundtracks filled the air, and children lined up to play the latest Nintendo games on interactive displays. The author of ‘The World of Nintendo Book’ has carefully curated and rebuilt this exhibit to bring us back, or allow visitors to experience the sights and sounds of what it was like to visit these stores during Nintendo’s heyday for the first time. This will be the 3nd time the exhibit has been featured at MGC. You’ll be transported back to 1991, a time when Nintendo’s NES, Super NES, and Game Boy reigned supreme.

16-Player Faceball 2000 Battle Royale

The Game Boy’s Faceball 2000 was initially developed by Xanth F/X and published by Bullet Proof Software in 1991 with support for 16-player deathmatches, but it was never fully implemented… Until now! Join programmer & modder Zarithya and Uncle Derek from YouTube channel StopSkeletonsfromFighting in a 16-player Faceball 2000 battle royale using 16 GameCubes with Game Boy Players, and a custom link cable setup!

3DS Streetpass Meetup

Party like it’s 2010 and gather ’round the jukebox at 3pm Saturday to make your 3DS’ little orange light BLOW UP! 3DS Streetpass enthusiasts from around the world will be gathering at the Midwest Gaming Classic to keep that little led torch lit and the Streetpass spirit alive.

AbdallahSmash Booth

AbdallahSmash is an award-winning Nintendo Content Creator, YouTube and Twitch live streamer, and gaming personality known for his expert gameplay, interactive challenges, and family-friendly content. At his booth, fans can meet him for autographs, snap a photo, grab exclusive merch, and even challenge him in Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! With over a decade of entertaining millions, Abdallah brings high-energy fun, competitive showdowns, and unforgettable gaming moments to every event. Don’t miss your chance to join the action!

Adventuring Parties

Interact with roaming hordes of live-action role-players on the show floor. Join them on their quests, witness the action and fun to be had as part of a LARP group. Follow them to their destination, or just get a side quest from them? If you prove yourself worthy, perhaps they will invite you to join their merry band. All are welcome to learn about and join in the live-action role-playing in the Deeplight LARP Adventure Room! Just ask these adventuring parties how to get there…but beware the toll troll! Hosted by Deeplight Larp Facebook facebook.com/deeplightlarp

Ahman Green's Gamer Lounge

Former NFL great Ahman Green will be on hand showcasing his popular Ahman Green’s Gamer Lounge podcast and meeting with fans. The podcast covers the vast world of competitive gaming and eSports, as well as breaking news and the inside scoop on the biggest events in the gaming world from the real game changers in the industry.

Air Hockey Pro Match: Matt vs Clayton

Two of the best air hockey players in the world put their rankings on the line as they face off in a head-to-head match on Saturday April 5th at 1:00pm at the Midwest Gaming Classic!

Matt Lemoyne (world rank #31) and (world rank #77) will take each other on in an intense best-of-seven match. Stop by to see how the pros play!

Cabin of the Cackling Man Escape Room

Lost in the woods, you stumble upon an old cabin.  There are human remains inside, long deceased, and …clutching an old gaming controller?

Whatever happened here is about to happen again.  Something has awakened in the woods, and it’s coming for you.  Can you solve the mystery behind a cursed video game and a strange occult ritual before midnight? Or will you be the next victim of the Cackling Man?

An escape room inspired by creepypastas, the 80s, retro video games and urban legends.

SPECIAL PRICING – Friday (preview night) is half off.  Saturday at 8 pm and 9 pm is an after show, industry night special games are half off.

Click here for more information and to register! Ticket to the Midwest Gaming Classic is required. Make sure you arrive early to get your MGC wrist band well before your scheduled time.

View the trailer here.

Cursed Halo

It’s Halo, but completely broken and absolutely absurd! Random explosions, confetti, and… Minecraft? Look, I’m not going to try to explain this completely random treasure trove of silliness all bottled up in the Halo game we all know and love, just swing by the Games, Guys, and Beer room to play it for yourself!

Dragon's Sandbox

Dragon’s Sandbox offers beginner friendly pop-up Dungeons & Dragons 5e events; come crawl through dungeons, defeat creepy monsters, and possibly earn some gold during the convention. Look for the suit of armor in the Tabletop Village and we’ll get you seated.

FlawlessNES Table

Come and meet Slackanater – Farmer, hiker, brewer, and master of retro gaming strategies. A dedicated member of the speed-running community, he has discovered and refined techniques that have shaped the records of top runners. He is famously known as the first player to conquer the original NES Ninja Gaiden without taking a single hit. He will be at the MGC this year showcasing FlawlessNES, where he pushes the limits of skill and precision as he beats games without ever taking damage.  To date, he has flawlessly defeated over 40 games, including some of the most notoriously difficult titles in the NES library. Come see Slackanater in the Game Center and find out more about FlawlessNES live on Twitch and YouTube!

Halo Master Chief LAN

Get ready for an epic Halo showdown at Midwest Gaming Classic, April 4-6! We’re hosting a Master Chief Collection LAN party in the Game Together MKE room (1st floor, Community Zone). 10 Xbox Series S/X consoles, system-linked for non-stop action.  Join us all weekend + Saturday after party!

Heroes Venture Arcade Area

This awesome arcade located in the city of Two Rivers, Wisconsin is bringing some of their amazing collection to the show! Their location features over 150 machines ranging from classics like Pac-Man, Galaga and X-Men to modern games and rarities like a complete Atomiswave collection! Heroes Venture will be bringing some of their games to the show to share with people! Visit their location in Two Rivers and find out more about them by visiting our Heroes Venture Arcade page!

iMac Quake LAN

Networked LAN computers were a big thing in the 1990s, and games like Quake were all the rage… but how often did you ever see the game networked on Apple computers? Don’t just see it, play Quake with others in the Guys, Games and Beer room in this unique LAN network!

OG Xbox LAN

Relive the classics at Midwest Gaming Classic, April 4-6! Game Together MKE is hosting a FREE original Xbox LAN party with 16 consoles system-linked in the Game Together MKE room (1st floor, Community Zone). Halo 2, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Call Of Duty 3, Conker: Live & Reloaded, and Counter-Strike — all weekend + Saturday after party!

Steel Battalion LAN

Want to check out one of the largest setups of Capcom’s Steel Battalion controllers on the original Xbox in the world? Play Steel Battalion the way it was meant to be played on a full networked 10 rig setup. Check it out in the Guys Games and Beer room.

Super Mario 64 Community Challenge

Join Game Together MKE at the Midwest Gaming Classic, April 4th-6th, in our dedicated room on the first floor in the Community Zone! We’re hosting a fun community challenge: can we collectively grab all 120 stars in Super Mario 64? Stop by the Game Together MKE Room to contribute! We’ll have a custom banner featuring 120 stars-earn a star, sign your name, and leave your mark. After the event, we’re taking the banner back to our Milwaukee store to display proudly. Bring your skills, join the fun, and let’s game together!

Virtual Boy Exhibit

The Virtual Boy, you say? Yes! A complete US Virtual Boy collection in box, many of the Japanese boxed games and boxed homebrew titles. Additionally, check out promotional material including pins, figures, books, and magazines. But don’t just look, play! Also on site will be a working store kiosk unit and two systems modded into consoles with two player head-to-head play.

Xbox 360 LAN

Call of Duty, HALO, Rainbox Six, who knows what we will be playing on this massive Xbox 360 system link setup?! Maybe we get lucky and dig up 10 copies of Gears of War 3 or 8 copies of Armored Core 4! Swing by the Video Game Museum area to see what we get up to with this massive power hog of an idea!