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Game On Expo is a multimedia gaming convention that began in August 2015, and is the largest gaming and anime convention in Arizona. It covers all types of gaming from video games and arcades to board games and tabletop games. The expo boasts a large vendor hall, video game lounge area, free-play arcades, tournaments (both video and card games), cosplay contests, panels, and a variety of special guests.
| Game On Expo | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Video Games, Anime, TCG, Arcade, Tabletop gaming, Cosplay, |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Phoenix Convention Center |
| Location(s) | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 2015-current |
| Inaugurated | 2015 |
| Founder | Collector's Marketplace, Gamester81 Enterprises LLC, Heine House Entertainment |
| Website | gameonexpo |
The most recent Game On Expo 2022 event had over 12,000 attendees, and Game On Expo has seen significant growth year over year for every event.
The Game On Expo is also host of the annual event "Retro World Championships". This event is organized by Dorion Whitlock (Nintendo PowerFest '94 finalist), Mike Iarossi (Nintendo PowerFest champion, Chris Tang (Sega's Rock the Rock champion), and Thor Aackerlund (original Nintendo World Championships champion. The Retro World Championships is sponsored by RetroUSB who provides a limited edition special Game On Expo edition cart as the main prize.
In 2016 the Game On Expo expanded to the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the Mesa Convention Center. It introduced live music for the first time, and video game voice actors, including Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, and Darin De Paul.
In 2017 the Game On Expo expanded and moved to the Phoenix Convention Center. During that year the Game On Expo featured a Mortal Kombat 25th Anniversary reunion featuring Daniel Pesina (Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Scorpion), John Parrish (Jax), Lia Montelongo (Sindel, Sareena, Tayna), Brian Glynn (Shao Kahn), Kerri Ann Hoskins (Sonya Blade), and Dr. Phillip Ahn (Shang Tsung). It also featured significantly larger vendor hall, freeplay arcade, and had voice actors from games including: Overwatch, The Walking Dead series, the Mass Effect series, The Orange Box, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and more.
In 2018 Game On Expo saw continued growth and expanded the overall space for the event. It figured the first Maid Cafe event at Game On Expo in 2018, and there was a Pachinko room added.
In 2019 Game On Expo saw a 30% increase in attendance from 2018, and expanded the guest lineups to include the first ever original Pokemon guest reunion, which was created and organized by that year's Game On Expo program coordinator Amena Kamel, as well as featured the voices of Mario, Bowser, and Peach.
In 2020 Game On Expo didn't happen at the Phoenix Convention Center, however Game On Expo hosted the Game On Mega Drive-In which held at on August 8, 2020, at WestWorld of Scottsdale. There was a Super Smash Ultimate tournament, live music, and featured the movies The Wizard and Max Reload and the Nether Blasters.
In 2021 Game On Expo didn't happen because of the COVID pandemic.
In 2022 Game On Expo returned to the Phoenix Convention Center and experience a 50% growth over the 2019 event. It also expanded on both the anime and tabletop gaming content, and returned the Classic Tetris World Championship qualifiers. It also introduced both the Art of Nintendo Power Exhibit as well as bringing Altered Combat which hosted laser tag for the first time. Also in 2022 Game On Expo introduced the first Gamonathon gaming tournament which put sixteen lucky attendees competing against each over selected retro games. The winner won a box Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch OLED with games.
After the 2023 event, Game On Expo announced that the convention would move to March instead of August and would shift over from the South Building to the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center to accommodate the larger audiences. The 2024 event will be held March 15-17, under the tagline "Bigger, Better, Cooler."
Game On Expo 2015 inaugural at the Mesa Convention Center
Event history
edit| Date | Location | Special Guests | Musical Performances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28–30, 2015 | Mesa Convention Center | Mark Soderwall, Keith Robinson, Rob McCallum, Brenda Huff, Jirard "The Completionist" Khali, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Norman Caruso, John "Gamester81" Lester, The Game Chasers, Retroliberty, Jason Heine, William "Willie!" Culver, Mike Kennedy, CollectorVision Games, Joe Granato, Mike Iarossi, Angelica Danger Dawn, Luluko Cosplay, Courtney Leigh, Firelight Cosplay, Kiba the Cosplay Corgi | ||
| August 5–7, 2016 | Mesa Convention Center | Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, Darin De Paul, Al Lowe, ProJared, Jirard "The Completionist" Khali, AlphaOmegaSin, Metal Jesus, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Johnny Millenium, Norman Caruso, Alex Faciane, Pete Dorr, John "Gamester81" Lester, The Game Chasers, Scottsquatch, 8-bit Eric, RetroLiberty, Rob McCallum, Thor Aackerlund, Chris Tang, Chris Pope, Mike Iarossi, Jason Heine, Courtney Leigh, Amber Brite, CollectorVision Games, Kiba the Cosplay Corgi. | Tropical Girls, Adventureface the Obsidian Image, Amplitude Problem w/ Max James, Gran Turismo オ ー バ ー ド ラ イ ブ 89, Militia Joan Hart, Minibosses, Syntax, Dratini on the Rocks, Robots With Rayguns, VoidBreaker, The Warhorse, The Gothsicles, Future Holotape, Jason Heine, Dungeon Destroyah, Ichi Sound, WOLFZiE | |
|
August 11–13, 2017 |
Phoenix Convention Center | Dave Fennoy, Melissa Hutchison, Patricia Summersett, Carolina Ravassa, Anjali Bhimani, Josh Petersdorf Mark Meer, Ellen McLain, John Patrick Lowrie, Quinton Flynn, Master Daniel Pesina, Brian Glynn, Kerri Ann Hoskins, Dr. Phillip Ahn, Lia Montelongo, John Parrish, Phil Moore, Mark Crowe, Andre Meadows, Metal Jesus, Norman Caruso, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Ian Ferguson, Game Sack, AntDude, The Game Chasers, Wood Hawker, 8-Bit Eric, Chris Pope, Amanda Hosler, Thor Aackerlund, John "Numbers" Goldberg, Courtney Leigh, Mike Iarossi, Dorion Whitlock, Chris Tang, Amber Brite, Brenda Huff, Jeffrey Wittenhagen, Kirby the Cosplay Corgi, Kama Bree aka Khainsaw | Wolfie, Super MadNES, C.O.R.Y., Dungeon Destroyah, Kawaii Robot Shark, Robots with Rayguns, Sergio & the Holograms, DreamReaper, LNDRMN, Bit Mortis, The Gothsicles, FYGAR, Neuron Spectre, Mega Ran, Buried for a Day, | |
| August 10–12, 2018 | Phoenix Convention Center | Troy Baker, Jennifer Hale, Steve Downes, Jonny Cruz, Greg Bryk, Carlos Ferro, Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil, Andre Meadows, Master Daniel Pesina, Anthony Marquez, Elizabeth Malecki, Richard Divizio, Brian Colin, Eric Wile, Tom Filsinger, Wood Hawker, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Alex Faciane, Jimmy "Lots of Games" Graham, Bill & Jay from The Game Chasers, Chris Pope, Chris Tang, 8-Bit Eric, John Riggs, Reggie Williams, Erik Pierson, C.J. Wilson, White & Fonda, Tyler Esposito, Joe Granado, Jack "Dead Flip" Danger, Imoto Arcade, Terry and Dan Diebold, Brett Weiss, Jeffrey Wittenhagen, Jacob Ross, Sid Seattle, Jaded, Jared Thorbahn | Kawaii Robot Shark, Sergio and the Holograms, 8-Bit Zero, Super MadNES, Bit Mortis, Mega Ran, Mercuruis FM, Minibosses | |
| August 9–11, 2019 | Phoenix Convention Center | Charles Martinet, Kenny James, Jen Taylor, Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Tara Sands, Rachael Lillis, Megan Hollingshead, Hellena Taylor, Mary Gibbs, Tim Kitzrow, Paul E Niemeyer, Master Daniel Pesina,, Eric Wile, Bill & Jay from The Game Chasers, Chris Tang, 8-Bit Eric, John Riggs, Reggie Williams, Erik Pierson, Jeffrey Wittenhagen, | Sergio and the Holograms, Super MadNES, Bit Mortis, Mega Ran, Snailmate Mercuruis FM, Minibosses | |
| August 7th-8th, 2020 | WestWorld of Scottsdale | The first Game On Mega Drive In was held at the WestWorld of Scottsdale, and featured live music, movies, and gaming tournaments all on a huge digital screen in the comfort of a car. | Played The Wizard movie, as well as Max Reload and the Nether Blasters movie debut. | |
| 2021 | No Game On Expo due to COVID-19. | |||
| August 5th-7th, 2022 | Phoenix Convention Center | Steve Burton, George Newbern, Kira Buckland, Casey Mongillo, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Mela Lee, Kellen Goff, Roger Craig Smith, Laura Faye Smith, Cherami Leigh, Tim Kitzrow, Paul E Niemeyer, Master Daniel Pesina,, Metal Jesus Rocks, Radical Reggie, Chris Tang, David Kaye, John Riggs, Ho-Sung Pak, Erik Pierson, Joel Vallie, Michelle Ruff, Lauren Landa, Landon McDonald, Jirard The Completionist, FANTAVISION | Super Smack Mega Ran, Mega Ran Mercuruis FM, Minibosses |
References
edit- ^ Leatherman, Benjamin (8 August 2018). "Everything You Need to Know About Game On Expo 2018". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 16 September 2018.