Meet

The Midwest Gaming Classic hosts dozens of industry professionals each year! Here are the guests that are expected for 2024!

 

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Adams is known as the “father of adventure games” for being the first person known to create an adventure-style game for personal computers with his first game, Adventureland. His company, Adventure International, released games for many major computer platforms throughout the 80s. Recently, Scott founded Clopas, the “Puzzle Us Adventure!” company in 2017.
Philip Ahn

Philip Ahn

Philip Ahn

Philip Ahn

Dr. Phillip Ahn, MD. holds a 5th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Phillip is not an actor by profession, but by starring as Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat 2 video game, he gained fame with gamers!
Brian Allen

Brian Allen

Brian Allen

Brian Allen

Brian is a professional artist who runs an illustration studio out of Pennsylvania. For the last several years, Brian has been re-imagining classic pinball artwork by creating officially licensed Williams Translites, Side Art Blades, and art prints. Brian grew up in the Arcade and loves to revisit classic retro pinball and arcade games and pump new life into the characters. Brian has worked with companies such as Metallica, Activision, Marvel, Adult Swim, Hulk Hogan, Chick-Fil-A, and many more. He is most recently known for his work designing Gritty, the new  Philadelphia Flyers mascot that became an internet phenomenon.
Caleb Ashton

Caleb Ashton

Caleb Ashton

Caleb Ashton

We asked Caleb to write us a bio for himself and we got this.

Caleb has been a fake gamer since 1999, and has been a YouTube poser since 2019. On weekends you may find him scalping, faking video game finds for views, and manipulating the market for retro video games. His greatest strengths include creating trashy clickbait, and lowballing children at yard sales. 

We think he’s pretty cool though.

Matthew Beaumier

Matthew Beaumier

Matthew Beaumier

Matthew Beaumier

Matt, also known as Bearcade on YouTube, is an avid gaming enthusiast whose passion has evolved into crafting custom home arcade cabinets. Beyond gaming and vintage tech, Mark is also into music. Whether gathered around a pinball machine or enjoying an immersive gaming or cinematic experience, I cherish the bonds formed through shared moments. Engaging with fellow enthusiasts is such an amazing thing. As I continue to explore these passions, joy is found in building my personal arcade, but also in the connections made within the pinball community. Matt also shows up on tvMGC our Twitch channel.

Edward Bosco

Edward Bosco

Edward Bosco

Edward Bosco

Edward is originally from Chicago, IL and his first professional voice over job came in 2010 when he provided the voice for Eddie in the Xbox Live Arcade game Sequence. Since that time he has lent his voice to the Alastor in the pilot of Hazbin Hotel, Striker in season 2 of Helluva Boss and Ed in Street Fighter. Other characters you can hear him as are Chipp in Guilty Gear Xrd Sign and StriveKan-Ra and Gargos in Killer Instinct. Edward is also an avid gamer and streamer. He plays in a weekly Dungeons and Dragons campaign called The Unexpectables on Wednesday nights as well as streaming a weekly wrestling show, MNW Flashbang, every Friday, Throwback Thursday, and weekly Halo nights to name a few of his streams.
Don and Liz Caldwell

Don and Liz Caldwell

Don and Liz Caldwell

Don and Liz Caldwell

Don and Liz have been ambassadors for MGC since the early days. Don has authored various pinball articles and is always ready to share his knowledge and Liz is a keen competitor. Together they are very active in the Milwaukee pinball scene and often host league nights.

Coury Carlson

Coury Carlson

Coury Carlson

Coury Carlson

Coury Carlson truly fell in love with video games the moment he laid eyes on the vivid world of Sega’s Space Harrier in a Fun-N-Games arcade. Although a “Sega kid” at heart, he’s found an endless number of games to love across all console generations. Coury launched the YouTube show “My Life in Gaming” with his friend Marc “Try4ce” Duddleson in 2013 as a way to share their interest in video games and the technology behind them. Their most popular series is the “RGB Master Class,” which breaks down the complex topic of getting the best picture out of retro consoles into easy-to-understand episodes.
Kris Carlson

Kris Carlson

Kris Carlson

Kris Carlson

GameDad, Kris Carlson, is a Content Creator who loves collecting and playing games. On his YouTube channel you will find Console Repairs & Mods, Game Reviews, Pickups Videos, Unboxings and more. With a focus on all things retro & modern, this channel features a little bit of everything gaming and tech related.
Tamara Chambers

Tamara Chambers

Tamara Chambers

Tamara Chambers

Tamara Chambers is an actress and comedian from California. She studied Acting at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in California but now lives in Chicago where she hides from the snow. Tamara is on the internet show The Nostalgia Critic alongside Doug Walker and Malcolm Ray and is known mostly for her Character “Hyper Fan Girl”. You can find her on Chicago stand up stages, on YouTube, on her couch in a onesie playing Fallout, in commercials for milkshakes and pharmaceutical companies, and other extremely fun places like that.

Chase (After the Right Price) Clifford

Chase (After the Right Price) Clifford

Chase (After the Right Price) Clifford

Chase (After the Right Price) Clifford

Chase has been going to yard sales and flea markets in search of video games and collectibles for as long as he can remember. He buys and sells games and loves to make YouTube content about the journey of running an online business at Chase After The Right Price. He loves getting to know other collectors and resellers, so be sure to come meet Chase at Midwest Gaming Classic!
Brian Colin

Brian Colin

Brian Colin

Brian Colin

Creator of such video game classics as Rampage, Xenophobe and General Chaos, Brian F Colin is a vastly experienced Game Designer, Artist, Animator and CEO with over 80 video game titles to his credit…. including the creation of some of the most-popular, highest-earning & best-selling titles in video game history!Recently inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame, Brian is well-known for sharing enthusiastic, first-hand, anecdotal insights into over three decades of game design and development; from creating Arcade classics in the early 80’s right up to stories straight from the sets and locations of the recent Rampage Movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Archie Cunningham

Archie Cunningham

Archie Cunningham

Archie Cunningham

Archie Cunningham is a comic book artist and creator, painter, and art teacher who brings dynamic story telling to the page or canvas. Archie will be creating a number of original pieces for the show!
Scott Danesi

Scott Danesi

Scott Danesi

Scott Danesi

Pinball designer, mechanical engineer, sound and music programmer and software engineer… Scott did it all on Total Nuclear Annihilation and is the designer behind Rick & Morty pinball! Scott built Total Nuclear Annihilation just to create a semi-simple custom machine. The result was so good, Spooky Pinball worked with Scott to start production of the machine in 2017!
David "LameDad" Daniel

David "LameDad" Daniel

David "LameDad" Daniel

David "LameDad" Daniel

The Saw is the Law with LameDad! David, has been critiquing video games on YouTube for years now and when he finds a bad game, he uses total destruction from his sawblade and other power tools to destroy it. David loves to discuss sports games, Resident Evil and The Terminator franchise. He helps cohost the Bonus Stage at the Midwest Gaming Classic.
Patrick "Patman QC" Davis

Patrick "Patman QC" Davis

Patrick "Patman QC" Davis

Patrick "Patman QC" Davis

Patrick Patman QC Davis is a lifelong videogame fan. He has been around pinball and arcade machines all of his life. He has also been collecting video games from the Atari 2600 to the Xbox one with literally everything in between. In 2018 he started the YouTube channel PatmanQC history of arcade game documentaries which has amassed almost 200 short documentaries on various arcade and console games. In 2015 he lost his hands and feet due to complications from pneumonia but that didn’t stop his love for video games which continues to this day.

Christian A. Deitering

Christian A. Deitering

Christian A. Deitering

Christian A. Deitering

You may know Christian as the “Ferris Bueller” of the Internets, owner of the unorthodox Dragon Warrior collection, producer of the Earthbound documentary Mother to Earth, and/or the cofounder of the Let’s Play Gaming Expo. A lifetime collector of Nintendo, his most recent achievement was acquiring the NES SimCity prototype and creating its first GameFAQ.
Richard Divizio

Richard Divizio

Richard Divizio

Richard Divizio

Richard Divizio is best known for portraying Kano in Mortal KombatMortal Kombat 3Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. He also portrayed Quan Chi and Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Baraka in Mortal Kombat II, Kabal and Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat 3 and provided some of the motion capture for Mortal Kombat 4.

Marc “Try4ce” Duddleson

Marc “Try4ce” Duddleson

Marc “Try4ce” Duddleson

Marc “Try4ce” Duddleson

Together with Coury Carlson, Marc launched the YouTube show “My Life in Gaming” in 2013 as an outlet for sharing their interest in video games and the tech behind them. My Life in Gaming has gone on to showcase unique retro games, interview industry figures, and more. Their most popular series is the “RGB Master Class,” which breaks down the complex topic of getting the best picture out of retro consoles into easy-to-understand episodes.
Andrew Eloff

Andrew Eloff

Andrew Eloff

Andrew Eloff

COO of Raw Thrills studios. We are told that he is the man, you want to make sure you talk to him.
Mark Flitman

Mark Flitman

Mark Flitman

Mark Flitman

Mark Flitman worked at top video game publishers including Konami, Acclaim, Mindscape, Midway and Atari producing dozens of titles: WWF Royal Rumble, WWF RAW, Maximum Carnage, X-Men, Wolverine, Spiderman, MLB Slugfest, NFL Blitz, Boxing, Dragon Ball, Simpsons, Batman, TMNT, Mission Impossible, Zoids, Yu Yu Hakusho, Steel Harbinger, Kings Quest, Pirates, Carmen Sandiego, Dirty Harry, Tiny Tunes and more. He then moved to Hasbro Entertainment to create toys over a wide variety of brands. Throughout his career he continued to write stories and screenplays as an additional outlet for his creativity. His autobiography, It’s Not All Fun and Games: My Life in Film Production, Video Games and Toys was released by Limited Run/Press Run in January 2024. Mark will also be featured in an upcoming episode of Collector’s Call on MeTV in the Spring of 2024.

Justin Flores

Justin Flores

Justin Flores

Justin Flores

Justin Flores started playing competitive air hockey in Houston but now represents Chicago Air Hockey. He enjoys breaking down strategy and teaching new players, and runs a YouTube channel about air hockey to grow the community. His other hobbies include photography, live music, and traveling (while scouting for new tables of course).
Gary Flower

Gary Flower

Gary Flower

Gary Flower

Gary is an author and historian for the hobby of pinball, perhaps most well known for his outstanding book “The Lure of the Silver Ball.” Gary has also done countless presentations and seminars to help share his knowledge and keep the history of pinball alive, including helping to invite many of our pinball VIPs to the show this year!
Jason Gares

Jason Gares

Jason Gares

Jason Gares

Jason C. Gares is the Programming Director, Panel Director and Videographer at the Midwest Gaming Classic. He is also the host of the Midwest Gaming Classic Podcast, which can be streamed on SpotifyApple PodcastsYouTube Musicand Twitch platforms. You can find out more about Jason at his website JasonGares.com which showcases his original documentary films and series that can be viewed on many video streaming platforms worldwide! His most popular works includes Beyond the Comic Panels, a great documentary discussing how to break into the comic book field with various comic book artists, Video Workbench, a classic how-to model kit hobby series, and Building Large Scale Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models, a 473-page eBook brimming with information about how to create award-winning plastic model kits and dioramas.

Martin Goldberg

Martin Goldberg

Martin Goldberg

Martin Goldberg

A former writer and programmer in the video game industry, Goldberg has had a lifelong fascination with all things electronic entertainment since first playing PONG and Tank as a child at his local arcades in the 70’s. As the former site director of IGN/GameSpy’s ‘ClassicGaming.Com’ and a current freelancer for Retro Gamer magazine, Goldberg has been writing about video games for 20 years. Along with Dan Loosen and Gary Heil, Goldberg is also a co-founder of the Midwest Gaming Classic, one of the largest electronic entertainment expos in the United States open to the general public. In 2004, Goldberg also founded the Electronic Entertainment Museum (E2M), a non-profit archive whose mission is to help preserve the history and artifacts of the video game and home computer industries. In line with this goal, he’s also a member of the International Game Development Association’s (IGDA) Game Preservation SIG, a hub and community for those interested in digital game preservation and history.  Whew!
John Hancock

John Hancock

John Hancock

John Hancock

John is a longtime collector of video games.  As one of the original organizers of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, John went on to establish a YouTube channel where he uploads weekly content that covers everything from Atari to Xbox. He loves to share his passion about video games with others.

Imoto (Arcade) Harney

Imoto (Arcade) Harney

Imoto (Arcade) Harney

Imoto (Arcade) Harney

Imoto does it all! As the face of MarcoTV, Imoto helps introduce the world of pinball to new players and educate pinballers of all ages! A positive force in the community, Imoto Arcade is there to cover it and share her love of all things arcade!

Ben Heck

Ben Heck

Ben Heck

Ben Heck

Ben is a master hacker, engineer and tech hobbyist who has done things that touch nearly every aspect of the show… including naming it in 2002! Ben has hacked consoles to create portable versions of them, created pinball machines that were then manufactured by Spooky Pinball, talked with Dan and Terry Diebold to help fix the Nintendo Playstation Prototype and runs a popular online show, the Ben Heck Show, while he’s at it all!
Steve "Tower" Henneberry

Steve "Tower" Henneberry

Steve "Tower" Henneberry

Steve "Tower" Henneberry

Steve started as a bodybuilding model but was soon starring in popular television shows, including Married With Children and the WB kick-off sitcom, Muscle; however it was his stint as TOWER on The American Gladiators that made him a household name. Steve enjoyed the opportunities that accompanied The American Gladiators’ popularity; from touring the U.S., Europe and Asia, to endorsing his favorite products, participating in philanthropic events, serving as a fitness advisor, and mentoring his successors
Dan Houser

Dan Houser

Dan Houser

Dan Houser

Dan is currently the line artist for the ENNIE Nominated Superhero RPG ICONS and has worked for several companies in the RPG industry, such as Green Ronin, Gaming Paper, and Vigilance Press. Dan also has written a number of ICONS modules and also co-created the Stark City line of superhero products. Come hang out with Dan and see what ICONS is all about as well as learn to play D&D, ORK, and other games! You can see Dan on his channel Retrostation1989 on Twitch or at YouTube – youtube.com/@jellycakelap


Matteau Isbill

Matteau Isbill

Matteau Isbill

Matteau Isbill

One of the lead announcers of the Monster Jam Triple Threat series Matteau Isbill has been hosting for 7 years.  He is also the owner of Overdrive Reality Productions producing the Midwest Gaming Classic After Party, videos, voice overs, and so much more!
Eugene Jarvis

Eugene Jarvis

Eugene Jarvis

Eugene Jarvis

Eugene designed many landmark arcade video games including Defender, Robotron 2084, Narc, Smash TV, and the Cruis’n series. He also worked in pinball, helping to bring designs like Firepower, Pinbot, Space Shuttle, High Speed, and F-14 Tomcat to life. If that isn’t enough, he owns Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix, the premier modern arcade developer with hits such as the Walking Dead, Jurassic Park, Injustice Arcade, the Big Buck Hunter series, and more!

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson

Legendary game designer Harold Johnson will be at MGC. Harold started with TSR in 1978 as a copy editor on the original Dungeon Masters Guide! Since then, he has designed modules for popular role-playing games like Dragonlance and Indiana Jones, as well as working on countless D&D projects!
Brad Jones

Brad Jones

Brad Jones

Brad Jones

For the past 13 years, Brad Jones has been the creator and star of the popular YouTube and Channel Awesome series The Cinema Snob, a satirical look at exploitation cinema throughout the decades. As well as portraying The Cinema Snob on a weekly basis, Brad also keeps very busy, having created the animated series Lloyd, the movie review show Midnight Screenings, and is also the writer of the feature films The Cinema Snob Movie and the religious parody film Jesus Bro.

Ka$h Money Karl

Ka$h Money Karl

Ka$h Money Karl

Ka$h Money Karl

Ka$h Money Karl is one of the most memorable comics in the Wisconsin Comedy Scene. Every where he goes, he makes it rain his cold, hard, Ka$h. You may also know him as Wisconsin’s resident Mini Golf expert or saw him win the hearts of America as the fan favorite of season two of ABC’s prime time hit show Holey Moley. He’s done a bit of everything and anything so you are always in for a good time. He’s performed from host to headliner and worked with many comics over his two year comedy career.
Mike Katzenberger

Mike Katzenberger

Mike Katzenberger

Mike Katzenberger

Katz has had a storied history with TTRPGs. He was TSR pinnacle events Coordinator for GenCon Milwaukee 1991 to 1994, has writing credits on GURPs Horror 2nd edition, co-created Fantasy Legend Miniatures Rules, and was staff at Pegasus Games for over three decades.
Tim Kitzrow

Tim Kitzrow

Tim Kitzrow

Tim Kitzrow

TIM KITZROW is the iconic voice of your favorite sports franchises — NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz and MLB Slugfest — and over a dozen classic pinball games. With NBA JAM, which grossed over $2 BILLION to date, Kitzrow introduced BOOMSHAKALAKA to the NBA lexicon and earned pop culture immortality. For 25 years, Kitzrow has enjoyed a legendary run as the signature voice of classic games like NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz and Wayne Gretzky Hockey, MLB Slugfest and Big Hurt Baseball, and NCAA College Slam.
Jeremy Klinger

Jeremy Klinger

Jeremy Klinger

Jeremy Klinger

Jeremy Klinger is a bigger Super Mario fan than you. He’s been playing the games since he was in diapers and loves collecting, discussing, and screwing around with them every waking second. Jeremy runs a YouTube channel documenting it all and sharing his love of gaming and Nintendo with millions of people.
Jared "ProJared" Knabenbauer

Jared "ProJared" Knabenbauer

Jared "ProJared" Knabenbauer

Jared "ProJared" Knabenbauer

ProJared has been a longtime YouTube retro game reviewer with an affinity for all things RPG. He is covering every Final Fantasy game alongside some nostalgic oddities from DOS to GameCube. He is also the host of “Now in the 90s”, a historical look at the game releases of exactly 30 years ago every single week. He’s appeared in commercials for Final Fantasy XV: New Empire and had cameo appearances on Nickelodeon television. He’s also a Wisconsin native, having been born and raised in Green Bay!
Adam Koralik

Adam Koralik

Adam Koralik

Adam Koralik

Adam Koralik is a content creator who has been producing videos for thirteen years on YouTube. Whether he’s unboxing a PS5, cleaning and restoring a Sega Saturn, or just giving an engaging history lesson on previous console generations; Adam’s videos are a must-watch for any gamer. He is a video game console expert known Keep Dreaming, Console Retrospectives, and PlayLoad. He features consoles from different generations of gaming and provides many videos detailing how to repair them. He even has whole videos with incredible access to one of a kind prototypes like the Sega Pluto and Nintendo PlayStation!

Charlie Kraslavsky

Charlie Kraslavsky

Charlie Kraslavsky

Charlie Kraslavsky

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Charlie Kraslavsky is an actor/voice over artist who is best known for portraying Chris Redfield in the live action video cut scenes of the smash hit video game ‘Resident Evil 1 Biohazard, from 1996.
Tim Lapetino

Tim Lapetino

Tim Lapetino

Tim Lapetino

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. He resides in Chicago with his wife and two kids.

Erik "Shado_Temple" Lawrence

Erik "Shado_Temple" Lawrence

Erik "Shado_Temple" Lawrence

Erik "Shado_Temple" Lawrence

Shado_Temple is a voice actor most known for his role as the spunky Pierce on the popular YouTube channel Aphmau! He’s also done voice work for indie horror games, commercials, and narration for geek-themed psychology books. You can also find him on his own YouTube (building WILD things in Minecraft in less than 30 minutes) and/or his Twitch channel where he lends his voice to narrative-based experiences!
Bob Mackey

Bob Mackey

Bob Mackey

Bob Mackey

Retronauts is perhaps the most well known retro gaming podcast, and Bob Mackey is one of the people behind it! Having worked in gaming journalism for sites like IGN and USGamer, Mackey brings his vast knowledge of gaming history to every project he participates in.
Cassie Mareno

Cassie Mareno

Cassie Mareno

Cassie Mareno

Cassie (she/they) is an award-winning tattoo artist out of Greenfield, Wi and has been tattooing since 2019. She uses all vegan friendly tattoo equipment and prides herself on creating a safe, inclusive and comfortable environment for all clients and plus one’s alike. Recently opened her own private studio, Alderaan Ink and is now going to be the first tattooer working at Midwest Gaming Classic 2024! They look forward to meeting and working with you, or just chatting about tattoo questions you may have!

John Mares

John Mares

John Mares

John Mares

John Mares is a DM with Over 10 years of experience and has run mostly Dungeon and Dragons both official adventures and homebrew at a variety of convention and game stores which the majority have shut down. His games usually are a mix of horror and comedy (but no puns). He also runs a homebrew LEGO-based war game called Brick Battle Royale for all ages (this is not to justify buying more LEGOs)
Anthony Marquez

Anthony Marquez

Anthony Marquez

Anthony Marquez

Anthony Marquez is an American actor and martial artist. He is best known as Kung Lao in the Mortal Kombat video game series
Ian McCranor

Ian McCranor

Ian McCranor

Ian McCranor

Ian is a former British karate champion and a commonwealth silver medalist with a background in boxing and kick boxing, Ian worked as a nightclub bouncer in some of the toughest clubs in the UK but became a US citizen in 2014 and made a living as a full time fitness coach and personal trainer at his own gym in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ian’s goal is to now bring Angus MacGregor back to life via trade shows and conventions and would love to have a new game made called Angus MacGregor V everyone
Travis "TiKevin83" McGeehan

Travis "TiKevin83" McGeehan

Travis "TiKevin83" McGeehan

Travis "TiKevin83" McGeehan

A full stack mobile app developer by day, Travis “TiKevin83” McGeehan is an official Ambassador for tasvideos.org, a site that archives Tool Assisted Speedrun records. He also is an Administrator for TASBot, demonstrating those Tool Assisted Speedrun records on original console hardware at conventions internationally. He got his start speedrunning on Pokemon Yellow in 2016 and over the years found new glitches and set new multiple new TAS records for the game, while improving Game Boy emulators by making the new TASes verify on console as part of the TASBot team.
Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer is currently ranked 18th in the world in competitive air hockey. He loves sharing his excitement for this amazing sport. He can be found every Wednesday night hosting an air hockey tournament at Emporium in Chicago. When not playing air hockey, he spends his time throwing at the disc golf course, practicing kinbaku, and upping his Beat Saber skills.
Charles D Moisant

Charles D Moisant

Charles D Moisant

Charles D Moisant

Charles is a comic book publisher, artist, writer, and creative director of Silver Phoenix Entertainment (a 100% female-owned company). He also teaches parttime. Charles is also developing custom handmade dice. Board games and Educational comic book as well as Fantasy, horror Sci-Fi and super hero comics. Charles’ Latest works “The Cockrel’s Fist” is soon to be a board game and comic web series under development.
Phil Moore

Phil Moore

Phil Moore

Phil Moore

Emmy Award winner Phil Moore has hosted several shows but is most known as the energetic host of Nickelodeon’s “Nick Arcade” and “You’re On”.  He’s also made guest appearances on Nickelodeon’s “Figure It Out” and “All That” and has produced games shows for producers for Twitch, E! Entertainment, and NBC.
Seth "Tiger Chainsaw" Newman

Seth "Tiger Chainsaw" Newman

Seth "Tiger Chainsaw" Newman

Seth "Tiger Chainsaw" Newman

TigerChainsaw is host of the Bonus Stage at the Midwest Gaming Classic. He’s a lover of physical video game collections, and loves to produce retrospectives, interviews, and countdowns on YouTube. His channel features interviews with many big names in the gaming industry from David Jaffe, to Manami Matsumae.
Brian Niebuhr

Brian Niebuhr

Brian Niebuhr

Brian Niebuhr

Brian Niebuhr has been playing with Chicago Air Hockey since 2017, and is currently ranked #47 in the world.  In 2023, he defeated former world champion Mark Robbins to claim #31 in the world.  He’s taught high school physics in Chicago Public Schools for 17 years, and enjoys music, video games, amateur lawn care, and being with his family.
Paul E. Niemeyer

Paul E. Niemeyer

Paul E. Niemeyer

Paul E. Niemeyer

Paul E. Niemeyer is probably best known for being the artist of the first Mortal Kombat the game cabinet, control panel, and header, including illustrating the Mortal Kombat logo. Other work includes TRON, Tapper, Satan’s Hollow, Spy Hunter, Wacko, Super PacMan, PacMan Plus, Professor PacMan, Demolition Man Pinball, sculpts for the American Pinball game “Legends of Valhalla”. Paul also worked in the big ad agencies on movie licenses like Jurassic Park 2, Men in Black, Star Trek 6, Little Mermaid, Hercules, Star Wars Phantom Menace, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more. From 2000-2005 he was part owner of Eagle Games Board Game company, which is now Eagle-Gryphon Games. Paul designed and illustrated many games in Europe and the US, including the very popular “Through the Ages” and the hugely successful PopCap games, Peggle and Bejeweled 2. Paul owned and ran ABYSS Haunted House, a top 10 haunted attraction in the Chicagoland area, from 2006-2014 and has recently done packaging artwork on 7 Nintendo Switch Games (Super Blood Hockey, Pigeon Dev Games Bundle, Demons Tier +, A Robot Named FIGHT, Cathedral, and Rack ‘n Ruin, Super Dungeon Maker) for Premium Edition Games.

Nadia Oxford

Nadia Oxford

Nadia Oxford

Nadia Oxford

A lifelong game-lover, Nadia Eisner Oxford learned how to warp in Super Mario Bros. long before she learned how to do long division. She’s worked in the games media since 2003, and she currently co-hosts the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast. Incidentally, she still doesn’t know how to do long division.

Jeremy (Zombie Yeti) Packer

Jeremy (Zombie Yeti) Packer

Jeremy (Zombie Yeti) Packer

Jeremy (Zombie Yeti) Packer

Jeremy, better known as “ZombieYeti” in the pinball world, is an artist working with Stern Pinball.It has had the pleasure to work with top tier companies such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Hasbro, DC Shoe Co., Rossingol, Metal Mulisha, EA, and many more. It has also produced works with many greats in the music world such as Foo Fighters, DeadMau5, Deftones, Kid Rock, Incubus, Paul McCartney, Primus, Faith No More, Melvins and many more. Most recently, it created the art packages for the Ghostbusters, Iron Maiden, Deadpool, and Primus Pinball Machines with Stern Pinball, Inc as a World Class Pinball Illustrator.
Ho-Sung Pak

Ho-Sung Pak

Ho-Sung Pak

Ho-Sung Pak

Ho Sung Pak is a Korean-American film actor, martial artist, action choreographer, writer, and producer. He is best known for portraying Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. He also played as Shang Tsung in the original MK. Pak is also known as the stunt double for Raphael in both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

Jeremy Parish

Jeremy Parish

Jeremy Parish

Jeremy Parish

Jeremy Parish is one of the foremost video game historians, sharing his knowledge through the podcast Retronauts as well as through various books. Make sure to catch his great presentations throughout the show!
John Parrish

John Parrish

John Parrish

John Parrish

John is the Northern Kung Fu expert who portrayed Jax in Mortal Kombat II, 3, 4, Trilogy, Advance, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat! John now runs two companies in the Chicago area including an IT consulting company and a fitness company.

Carlos Pesina

Carlos Pesina

Carlos Pesina

Carlos Pesina

Carlos Pesina is an American martial artist and works for NetherRealm Studios. He played Raiden in Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. When you see him, ask him about his nickname, One Take, and how many Mortal Kombat games he’s really been in.
Daniel Pesina

Daniel Pesina

Daniel Pesina

Daniel Pesina

Daniel played Sub Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Noob Saibot, Smoke and Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat I and II. He also was one of the Foot Soldiers in Teenage Mutant Ninjas II!

Greg Peters

Greg Peters

Greg Peters

Greg Peters

Greg Peters is an internationally renowned animation artist who has won 4 daytime Emmys! Peters has worked at many of the greatest animation studios including Hanna Barbara, Amblin, Warner Bros, Sony, Disney, and Nickelodeon! Specializing in character design, some of Peters work includes Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs, Rugrats, Dilbert, Family Dog, Timon & Pumbaa, and Mickey’s House of Mouse! He also worked as an animator for Sega video games in the 1990s. Today, Peters is part of Wacool Animation School.

Erika Phillips

Erika Phillips

Erika Phillips

Erika Phillips

A nerd-girl with a fashion modeling background, Erika “Verika” Phillips found a way to combine two of the things she loves by becoming a published model in the board gaming industry. She enjoys promoting the value of gaming through the products she has appeared in. In a predominantly male hobby, she aims to break down the perceptions of typical female gaming stereotypes by showing females can be smart, strong, funny, and anything else they want to be for themselves. She hopes her example leads to females becoming increasingly interested in gaming!
Brian Quezada

Brian Quezada

Brian Quezada

Brian Quezada

Brian Quezada, “Q”, has been playing competitive air hockey regularly for the last 14 years, finishing 11th in the 2023 World Championships. Along with his teammate, Dan Meyer, Q is a two time doubles world champion. Brian enjoys discussing strategy and tips for air hockey with anyone who wants to learn more about the sport.
Malcolm Ray

Malcolm Ray

Malcolm Ray

Malcolm Ray

From telling you about the new McCafe items at McDonald’s to tormenting the Nostalgia Critic as Satan, Malcolm Ray is an actor, and voice actor. His skills go beyond acting with professional training in film and video as his major at Columbia College Chicago. In the span of his Bachelor career at Columbia, Malcolm has successfully completed his Interdisciplinary Film Degree, been the casting director for a practicum film, interned at O’Connor Casting, and has begun a professional acting career. He’s also studied courses in Columbia’s Radio and Theatre Departments including; Voice Over, Voice Acting For Animation, Radio Production, Stage Voice and more. Malcolm is represented as talent at the Stewart Talent agency in Chicago. As a freelance actor, he is currently hired talent for the online production company Channel Awesome. For three years today, he’s appeared alongside Doug Walker in many episodes of “Nostalgia Critic”.

Heather Reusz

Heather Reusz

Heather Reusz

Heather Reusz

Heather is the resident Channel Awesome Twitch Queen and can be seen on camera throughout the week in addition to running tech behind the scenes for the live-streams. She first joined the cast of Channel Awesome in 2016 for the show Awesome Comics. Since then, she has also appeared in and written for Orbit Report, Top 5, and Nostalgia Critic. In addition to Channel Awesome, she has her own Twitch variety channel (twitch.tv/heatherreusz) focusing mainly on story-driven games. When not gaming, Heather enjoys watching movies, TV shows, and anime and drinking craft beer with her friends. Find her on Twitter (@heatherreusz) or Instagram (@hreusz).

Doug Rice

Doug Rice

Doug Rice

Doug Rice

Doug worked with FIRST COMICS on an original comics title, DYNAMO JOE, a giant-robot series which he created and penciled. Then freelanced on STARBLAZERS (for Comico), PLASTIC MAN and MANHUNTER (for DC Comics), TOXIC AVENGER and WHAT THE–?! (for Marvel), ROGER RABBIT (for Disney Comics), TALES OF THE TMNT (for Mirage Comics), and STUPID (for Image Comics), among others.  Doug did storyboarding and background layouts for “Steven Spielberg presents The Animaniacs” which, in turn, led to him being handed an Emmy certificate and ‘letter-of-congratulations’ from the head of WB animation a little over two years after he started.
John Riggs

John Riggs

John Riggs

John Riggs

John Riggs started his YouTube channel in November 2014 as means to showcase his love for video games and breakfast cereal. It features a variety of topics including how to edit your own Nintendo games, how to clean and ‘fix’ your old carts with ‘Open Cart Surgery’ and showcases new technology that most may not have known about. He also gets a lot of help from his daughters who are featured in his videos regularly. John’s a regular guest on the Metal Jesus Rocks channel, is “taller than I expected” and is looking forward to returning to MGC!
Mark Robbins

Mark Robbins

Mark Robbins

Mark Robbins

Mark Robbins was the president of Gold Standard Air Hockey, and he will be on hand to play and chat about the industry! On top of that, Mark is one of the best air hockey players in the world! Are you ready to be schooled in the way of the puck at the Wisconsin Center?
Katalin Rodriguez Ogren

Katalin Rodriguez Ogren

Katalin Rodriguez Ogren

Katalin Rodriguez Ogren

Katalin Rodriguez Ogren is the Owner of The POW! Gym Chicago & the Parisi Speed School of Chicago for over 22 years. She offers adults and kids combat sports, speed, strength and sports performance training classes.  Katalin is a 4 time black belt, with over 40 years of martial arts training experience.  Her career highlights include playing the role of the original Kitana, Mileena and Jade in Mortal Kombat 2, starring in 17 dvds, author of The Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Martial Artists , as well as 100s of training manuals and magazine articles.  You can follow her at @powgymchicago @katalinKMoriginal
Bill Rogers

Bill Rogers

Bill Rogers

Bill Rogers

Since his debut in 2001, Bill has been providing voices to some of your favorite characters in some of your favorite shows and games. He is best known for his roles in “Pokemon” (Brock + over 64 creatures), “HunterXHunter” (Majitani, Meleoron and Monta), “Transformers: War for Cybertron” (Wheeljack), “Demon Slayer” (Muscle Mouse), “Zom 100” (Naoki Atenbo), and numerous other roles. Gamers will recognize Bill as the voice of Urien in “Street Fighter 5”, the King of Hyrule in “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Age of Calamity”, Lucien in “Mr Love: Queen’s Choice”, Brad McMaster in the “Detective Pikachu” series and Lucario in “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” and many more.
Raymond Rosario

Raymond Rosario

Raymond Rosario

Raymond Rosario

Lead Artist and 3D ModelerKing Kong of Skull Island VR, Jurassic Park, TMNT Arcade, Nicktoons Nitro, Fast & The Furious series, Crusin Blast, Super Bikes series, XGames Snowcross, Target Terror
Sara Rose

Sara Rose

Sara Rose

Sara Rose

The pinball machine, Total Nuclear Annihilation, has amassed a cult following since its release in 2017 (Spooky Pinball). Creator, Scott Danesi, and his wife, Sara Rose Danesi, co-wrote the storyline of an impossible one-way mission to the future. You will recognize the heroine, Scarlett, as drawn in the likeness of Sara Rose.

Christopher Sean

Christopher Sean

Christopher Sean

Christopher Sean

Japanese American Actor. Very proud son to a Navy veteran and Mother born and raised in Japan. Known for Star Wars Resistance, Hawaii Five-0, Days of Our Lives, Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (voice of Hiro Okamura/The Toyman). Cultured through living in many countries but Southern California is considered home. Studied martial arts, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and wrestling.

Upcoming roles include Ultraman: Rising (Ken Sato/Ultraman) on Netflix.

Greg Smith

Greg Smith

Greg Smith

Greg Smith

Greg Smith, best known as the original Barry Burton in Resident Evil 1 Bio Hazard, has left a lasting impact on the world of gaming entertainment. The live scenes of this iconic game were filmed in Tokyo in 1995, coinciding with Greg’s teaching tenure in the city. His portrayal of Barry Burton was not just a role but a passion, endearing him to fans who consider him the definitive Barry Burton.

Jon St. John

Jon St. John

Jon St. John

Jon St. John

Jon St. John is best known as the voice of the first famous FPS – Duke Nukem, over his 45-year broadcast and voice-acting career Jon has provided voice-overs for countless commercial, infomercial, multi-media, and video game projects. Jon is heard on games such as: World of Warcraft, Half-Life: Opposing Force, Sonic Adventure, Counterstrike: GO, DoTA 2, Star Trek: Online, Rad Rogers, POSTAL4: No Regerts, and ION FURY to name just a few
Mark Valuch

Mark Valuch

Mark Valuch

Mark Valuch

Love pinball? Learn how it works with Mark’s Basement Arcade! Mark has an incredible YouTube channel where he shows how to fix and maintain older, electro-mechanical pinball machines. Want to ask questions while you learn? Mark hosts Mark’s Basement Arcade Chat and Repair every Sunday at 2 pm CST on tvMGC on Twitch!

Aiyanna Wade

Aiyanna Wade

Aiyanna Wade

Aiyanna Wade

Aiyanna is a comedic performer and writer. She loves to perform various sketch and improv shows at Second City Training Center and The Annoyance. You may recognize her from Nostalgia Critic Reviews (including Harley Quinn in NC’s Suicide Squad and Beverley in NC’s It Chapter 1 & 2) or Channel Awesome’s Top 5. She also voices Becky and Sunny in the animated series Multiplex 10.

Doug Walker

Doug Walker

Doug Walker

Doug Walker

Doug is best known for his character The Nostalgia Critic from ChannelAwesome.com, who reviews movies and TV shows connected to childhood. He’s also noted for having a long standing “rivalry” with The Angry Video Game Nerd.  He’s appeared on PBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, 20/20, Rifftrax, Honest Trailers, Cinema Sins, and was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Mashable Awards as well as one of the Best Youtube Critics by WatchMojo.com. 

Rob Walker

Rob Walker

Rob Walker

Rob Walker

From Santa Christ to the Executor, Rob Walker always plays a big role in the creation of the show Nostalgia Critic.  He co-writes each episode, plays several hilarious characters, and also co-hosts the blog series Sibling Rivalry with his brother Doug.  Always having a quick comeback (except when he doesn’t), he’s there to entertain.

Ben Wolf

Ben Wolf

Ben Wolf

Ben Wolf

Ben Wolf is an award-winning author of fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and children’s books. When not writing, he plays video games and chokes his friends in Brazilian jiu jitsu.

You can follow him on Facebook in the Ben Wolfpack or check out his author website, www.benwolf.com.

Steven Wright Jr.

Steven Wright Jr.

Steven Wright Jr.

Steven Wright Jr.

Mr. Wright Way is Retired United States Navy Veteran who has always had a passion for video games, collectibles and photography. He has photographed for all the major pro wrestling companies like WWE, AEW, NJPW and more. You can catch his bi-weekly videos as he shows you his tips and tricks on how to Game Hunt, Video Game Collection Videos, and how to get Wright deals, The Wright Way.

D.M. Zwerg

D.M. Zwerg

D.M. Zwerg

D.M. Zwerg

Despite rumors to the contrary, the nickname of “Dwarf” comes from his first AD&D GM back when a sophomore in high school rather than being born in a cave deep under some mountain in Wisconsin. Best known for volunteering at gaming conventions practically every year since high school. Spent a few years as Miniatures Manager for Kenzer & Company starting around late 2001 during which time he also placed every town and road on the Kalamar Atlas, co-authored Lord Flataroy’s Guide to Fortifications, and contributed to a number of other books. After that he spent a few years as K&C’s HMA Manager (organized play). Currently the “Lead Dwarf” at Amalgamated Research Gaming Hub mangling HJfor4e magazine and writing Heroes & Henchmen RPG, a licensed derivative of K&C’s out-of-print HM4e (which in turn was a derivative of a game known as both “Advanced” and “1st Edition”).

 

Alumni

Below are some guests from past shows

 

 

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Adams is known as the “father of adventure games” for being the first person known to create an adventure-style game for personal computers with his first game, Adventureland. His company, Adventure International, released games for many major computer platforms throughout the 80s. Recently, Scott founded Clopas, the “Puzzle Us Adventure!” company in 2017.
Arlo

Arlo

Arlo

Arlo

Arlo is a Youtuber who strives to create a friendly, upbeat environment where discussion is greatly encouraged and bad puns run rampant. This includes reviews, opinion pieces, let’s plays, analyses, nostalgia talk, comedy bits, and anything else he feels like cooking up. Whether he’s offering a positive reaction or an honest criticism or a pained lament, lighthearted comedy is at the heart of everything Arlo does. His main focus is Nintendo, but he dabbles in PC gaming and other consoles as well.
Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff

As Executive Vice President of WCW, Eric Bischoff took WCW from a distant second to the leading wrestling company in the world for a time, while also serving as a major on screen character. After WCW folded, Eric shocked the world by agreeing to serve as the WWE RAW General Manager. Today, he records the popular 83weeks Podcast with Conrad Thompson about his time in the industry.
Ted DiBiase

Ted DiBiase

Ted DiBiase

Ted DiBiase

Often regarded as the greatest villain in pro wrestling, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase played the Million Dollar Man to great affect, headling Wrestlemania IV and the first SummerSlam! His character was also featured in numerous wrestling video games, and is fondly remembered to this day.
Ernie Hudson

Ernie Hudson

Ernie Hudson

Ernie Hudson

Perhaps best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters series (including voice work for the video game and pinball machine!), Hudson has appeared in countless movies and shows, and is currently producing and starring in The Family Business on BET.
Eugene Jarvis

Eugene Jarvis

Eugene Jarvis

Eugene Jarvis

Eugene designed many landmark arcade video games including Defender, Robotron 2084, Narc, Smash TV, and the Cruis’n series. He also worked in pinball, helping to bring designs like Firepower, Pinbot, Space Shuttle, High Speed, and F-14 Tomcat to life. If that isn’t enough, he owns Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix, the premier modern arcade developer with hits such as the Walking Dead, Jurassic Park, Injustice Arcade, the Big Buck Hunter series, and more!

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson

Legendary game designer Harold Johnson will be at MGC. Harold started with TSR in 1978 as a copy editor on the original Dungeon Masters Guide! Since then, he has designed modules for popular role-playing games like Dragonlance and Indiana Jones, as well as working on countless D&D projects!
Jeff Lee

Jeff Lee

Jeff Lee

Jeff Lee

@!#?@! Perhaps best known as the creator of Q*Bert, Jeff Lee is an artist who created great work for many of Gottlieb’s video arcade games, as well as games on the Macintosh and Genesis.