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Saturday, April 1
Saturday Morning Cartoons: Animaniacs!
Speakers: Doug Rice and Greg Peters, Moderated by Charles Moisant
Greg Peters and Doug Rice both worked the incredible Anamaniacs cartoon series and both won emmy’s for their incredible work… but they worked at different studios, and they never met! Find out how this can be possible with this unique peek behind the curtains where you’ll find out more about what else they have done in the industry, and what their careers have been like! Moderated by artist Charles Moisant, and then meet all three artists and purchase their art in the Featured Artist Alley section of the show!
Foo Fighters: This Pin ROCKS!
Speakers: The Stern Pinball Team
What happens when you take a legendary band, mix it with an incredible art package, and sprinkle some aliens on it? You get a game that ROCKS! Find out what went into the design of the latest cornerstone title for Stern Pinball, Foo Fighters! This Pin Rocks! Join Jack Danger, Tanio Klyce, Zombie Yeti, Phil Gullett, Zac Stark, Raymond Davidson as they tell the tales of how this rockin’ pin came to be! 🤘
Book It: Gaming Stories On Paper
Speakers: Mark Flitman and Tim Lapetino
What’s it like to write incredible books on gaming? Join a pair of authors who have approached the topic from different ways! Tim Lapetino has created award winning books that dive deep into individual topics behind gaming, such as the Art of Atari and Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon. Mark Flitman is about to publish his autobiography It’s Not All Fun and Games: My Life In Film Production, Video Games and Toys, which will document his personal story as he moved from company to company to work on many of the most iconic game titles in the 90s from developers like Konami, Acclaim, Mindscape, Midway and Atari before moving on to Hasbro to create toys. Find out how each author has approached their work, and the differences and similarities that these two authors have found while documenting their own gaming journeys!
Galactic Tank Force: A World Under Glass
Speakers: The American Pinball Team
Creating a new world under glass with the makers of American Pinball’s sensational new game Galactic Tank Force! What was it like having this pinball machine that looks like no other come together into such an incredible package? Find out!
Mortal Kombat II: 30 Years of Brutality
Speakers: Philip Ahn, Richard Divizio, Anthony Marquez, John Parrish, Carlos Pesina, Daniel Pesina and Katalin Rodriguez Ogren
The actors behind all of the characters in Mortal Kombat II take to the stage to discuss what went into making a sequel to the smash hit original. Tasked with topping a game that made parents and politicians squirm, together they created a sequel that is often held up as the best entry in the series. Find out the stories behind the moves, the fatalities and even the friendships with this incredible panel as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Mortal Kombat II! FIGHT!
Retronauts Podcast: The History Of Food Mascot Games
Speakers: Bob Mackey, Gary Butterfield, Kole Ross
Description: Not long ago, corporations employed colorful cartoon characters to lure hungry and impressionable children into their dens of corn-based products. And, since this time period happened to overlap with the rise of video games, several representatives from the world of poor nutrition ended up starring in their very own interactive experiences. On this panel, join your friends on the Retronauts podcast as they chase the chuck wagon, avoid various Noids, and trace the sordid history of food mascot games.
Gaming Trends: Real World Versus the Video World
Speakers: Coury Carlson, Marc Duddleson, John Hancock, Adam Koralik, John Riggs, Steven Wright Jr
Join our all star cast of Youtubers as they discuss the different gaming trends that they have seen over the last year in real life, as well as the trends that they have noticed happening in the digital world! Did it seem like a new console became the new hotness, or did everyone start caring about the Atari Jaguar for some reason again? Find out with a group that has an eye on the pulse of the gaming world as they discuss all this and more!
EGM Reunion: Reflections on Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine
Speakers: Terry Minnich, Ken Williams, Mike Vallas and Ray Price. Moderated by Frank Cifaldi
Electronic Gaming Monthly was one of the most influential gaming publications for years, with writers like Trickman Terry and the mysterious Sushi-X being discussed in revered tones on schoolyard playgrounds everywhere. Hear what it was really like to do what seemed like the best job ever – playing and writing about all the latest and greatest games for EGM with Terry Minnich, Ken Williams, Mike Vallas, and Ray Price. Also, look forward to hearing the back story of the famous Sheng Long April Fools Joke that lives on to this day! Moderated by Frank Cifaldi, this panel is can’t miss!
Sunday, April 2
Video Game Music: From Bits to the Stage
Speakers: Many Video Game Musicians
Video game music can inspire you, scare you, surprise you, or tug at your nostalgia. What is it like to hear that performance and decide to make your own take on it? If you love music, you won’t want to miss this panel where many of our performers throughout the weekend will discuss what it is like to create their own takes on beloved music!
Gamers (Who Happen to Be Women)
Spakers: Imoto “Arcade” Harney, Jess Hutfless, Kelsey Lewin, Erika “Verika” Philipp, Rachel Ristow
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, Kelsey Lewin, one of founders of the Video Game History Foundation, Erika “Verika” Philipp, who helps run the tabletop group MILCOG and has modeled for many board games, and Rachel Ristow, who has become one of the driving forces behind pinball in Wisconsin and the host of our Midwest Pinball Championship! We’ve also now confirmed that Jess Hutfless, an influencer who makes videos about video games, pinball, and TTRPGs will join too! 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!
Becoming a Youtuber
Speakers: Coury Carlson, Kris Carlson, Marc Duddleson, John Hancock, Adam Koralik, John Riggs, Steven Wright Jr
Ask a kid what they most want to do when they grow up, and “Youtuber” is one of the most common answers today! Join our panel of Youtubers as they discuss everything from how to get started, building an audience, making a name for yourself, and more! Find out what is easy, and what is hard! Whether you have a young one who is interested in this as a career, or you’re just curious about how easy or hard it is to do, this is a panel you won’t want to miss!
Gaming Goes Hollywood
Speakers: Phil Moore, Jonah Ray, and Christopher Sean
It turns out… everyone likes to play games! We’ve got three incredible actors who wanted to come to the Midwest Gaming Classic to play in the world of gaming, and so we’re going to ask them… how does gaming reflect the world of Hollywood! With drastically different backgrounds, hear as Phil Moore (Nickelodean Arcade, You’re On), Jonah Ray (Mystery Science Theater 3000), and Christopher Sean (Star Wars Resistance, Days of Our Lives, Gotham City Knights) discuss topics ranging from how video games might influence camera angles, storylines, shows… or nothing at all! Discover what they are up to today – some of it will blow your mind – and see what happens when gaming goes Hollywood!
Preserving Our Past with the Video Game History Foundation
Speakers: Frank Cifaldi and Kelsey Lewin
Retro games are more than just our memories, they’re a part of our cultural DNA. So why is it that libraries don’t have them, companies barely sell them, and we know almost nothing about the people who made them? VGHF co-directors Kelsey Lewin and Frank Cifaldi are here together for the first time at any MGC to answer those questions, show off cool stuff from the archives, and tell behind-the-scenes stories about just what it takes to save video game history.
