America's Videogame Expo: Who Needs E3?

The second annual “America’s Video Game Expo” took place on October 27-29, 2006, at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. The event is one of a rare few of its kind, covering many aspects of the growing video game culture while providing a gathering place for vendors, competitors, students and costumed nerds alike. The VGXPO is meant as a commemoration of video games as a whole, according to founder Ed Fleming. "America's Video Game Expo promises three days packed full of videogame celebrations. VGXPO is a destination where gamers can come together to celebrate videogames and the culture that games are helping to define."

I was able to attend this year’s VGXPO, and experienced this ‘celebration’ firsthand as I mingled among scores of fellow gamers. Since the expo took place right around Halloween time, attendees were encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters and compete for Best Costume at the show. But even plain-clothed gamers found plenty to love at the event. Said one attendee, “I’ve played the Sonic game on the Dreamcast, got in on the Guitar Hero tournament- lost on the first round- I’ve been playing [Duck Hunt] for about an hour straight, I’ve looked at the Japanese stuff they’ve got, and I’ve been at some of the old arcade games"

The show floor covered a sizable area and was divided into several main areas. The game room, which covered the most floor space, contained dozens of arcade machines and kiosks spanning every type of game imaginable, from the very first Pong arcade unit to modern console setups and even several Dance Dance Revolution arcade iterations. All of these attractions were completely free of charge, and provided me with plenty to do as I went door to door trying my luck at each game. The old-school cabinets drew quite a few nostalgic gazes from the older bunch, as well as some curious glances from younger gamers. I’ll never forget what happened while waiting my turn for one particular machine: the man ahead of me, who was obviously old enough to have played this game when it was first released some 25 years ago, was racking up an impressive score and drawing an interested crowd. One kid squeezed in among the onlookers, and it was obvious he had never seen this ancient game being played before. His reaction? “Huh. That’s new."

The BYOC –or Bring Your Own Computer, for the uninitiated- LAN area was open for the duration of the expo, and participants were invited to hook up their heaps into the provided broadband connections to test their skills against fellow players. Adjacent to this area was where the competitions were held on both days, spanning a number of popular games including Guitar Hero, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Halo 2, and others. There were several trophies up for grabs, and of course bragging rights- as in any athletic competition. I took some advantage of this area myself, placing sixth in a 16-player Melee tournament; as it turns out, the unspoken “no camping near ledges” rule doesn’t extend to players using Samus.

Also in the competition area was the demo unit for the soon-to-be-released Guitar Hero II for PlayStation 2, sequel to last year’s surprise hit. After a lengthy hands-on with the title, I can attest that as fun as the original was, this version will truly tunnel some carpals when it hits stores, with its intuitive new Co-op mode, a slew of new tracks, and other surprises. Beyond the competition and LAN areas was the stage, where the Battle of the Videogame Bands, a game show-style trivia contest, and the costume contest award ceremony all took place. Adjacent to the stage was the massive vendor area, which housed dealers offering countless games, accessories, systems and other merchandise spanning decades of gaming history; from the early days of Atari right up to current platforms.

Vendors have always been a key feature of any gaming-themed expo, according to Mike Chassin of Collector’s Cards & Games, a local game store that has participated in both VGXPOs. Chassin has been in many similar shows over the years and has seen their popularity grow. “I’ve always done well [at these shows]. The first one was in a student center basement, and I paid $20 for a table. This year I paid $1000 for a spot. That’s the big change. Otherwise, it’s the same- it’s just that the class of the shows has moved around to different hotels, different places. But it’s still a great show.”

I truly enjoyed myself at this year’s Video Games Expo, which offered a welcome alternative to the bloated, business-oriented E3 convention and gives gamers an accessible, fan-centric event they can call their own- like I-CON, but with less blinking. Shows like these also help the struggling mom-n-pop game shop defend themselves in the face of super-chains like EB Games and GameCrazy. I myself made off with more than a few neat trinkets by the show’s end, and left behind a hefty wad of green in Philly. I also had to bum toll fare off another car on my way back across the Jersey Turnpike, but I’m sure that’s completely unrelated. They must have changed the rates on me.