-=< Ovge 2k9 >=- !

[-^Cro§Bow^-]

Many have sent e-mail asking and everyone has been waiting most patient. So it is my pleasure to finally announce...

Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition 2009!

Tulsa, OK – August 1, 2009– Classic video games will once again rise from history as mid-America's one and only OVGE returns for the sixth Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition.

On October 24, 2009 video game collectors and enthusiasts from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and even further will come together at the Spirit Bank Event Center in Tulsa to celebrate the history of the video gaming industry. “Before the OVGE, people from the surrounding states had to travel across the country for an event such as this,” said Jesse Hardesty, founder and organizer of the OVGE. Doors will open to the public at 9:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. Cost of admission for ages eight and above will be $5 dollars at the door.

In 1972, the video game industry began with the release of the Odyssey by Magnavox, the first multi-video game system for the home. However, in the early ‘80s an overflow of games and poor sales forced many companies to close resulting in drastic drops in prices for their merchandise. Companies still in business could not compete with the low pricing and lost money from their over stocked inventory causing the great crash of the video game industry in 1983. Since the rebirth of the industry in 1985, with the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System, video game sales have flourished.

Still, many video game players are returning to classic video games. With the advanced graphics of today’s video games, why are so many people fascinated with the classics? “Even though modern game systems have amazing graphics and sound, the most important aspect of any video game is that it actually be fun to play. Because classic game systems, like the Atari 2600, had very simple graphics, game designers had to focus on the game-play. Those same games that were fun in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s are still just as much fun today,” stated Albert Yarusso, modern video game programmer and co-founder of AtariAge.com.

"With video gaming being today’s main form of home entertainment, the history behind it should not be forgotten,” said Hardesty. “The Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition is providing the youth and their parents a chance to visit and interact with that past.” Numerous video game systems, computers, and arcade machines, will be set up for the public to play. Vendors and exhibitors will have memorabilia on display with many items for purchase.

The OVGE is organized by a group of gaming enthusiasts who want to share their hobby and passion for classic and modern video games with the public.

This is our largest venue to date and there is plenty of space available, so contact us now to reserve your space at the show!

Look to the website for the latest information as we get it! See you in October!

[Atarian76]

I hope I can make this years event. I flew in for the day last year from St Louis, but SWA change their schedule to where I cant do that this year.

[yummysmokedham]

I sent you an e-mail to ovge@cox.net the other day but have not heard back, put me down for two tables.

[-^Cro§Bow^-]

Jordan,

I did get your e-mail. I have many to reply to. My apologies, I have my boys with me this week and we literally just got back about 30min ago from White Water Bay. Point is, I've been rather busy with them this week and haven't really been up on my e-mail as I should

Just shoot me another e-mail if you could with what you plan to bring to display so I can finally get some exhibitors on the site.. hehe

[yummysmokedham]

Sounds good, I was just concerned that my e-mail may have hit the spam filter. For some reason I have a lot of trouble with that. Are we going to be able to setup the night before like in the past? From the wording on the website it did not sound like that was going to happen.

[-^Cro§Bow^-]

No there isn't any setup the night before. All setup will have to be done the morning of the show this year. None of the venues really have Friday available in addition to Saturday, and the one venue we do have wants twice as much money for Friday night. Just too cost prohibitive this year. But I have made arrangements to have the room opened as early as about 5am if need be.

[Pantechnicon]

What's the deadline if I want to pay for an exhibitor table?

[8bitgamer]

OVGE 2009 was a blast. Kudos to Jesse Hardesty for putting on a fun show. It was great catching up with Flack, dstone, Earl, PaceCar, SteveW, and the rest, and the attendees were enthusiastic and ready to spend money.

You can see photos and read more here:

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

[obliterator918]

(I hardly ever post here, so for you guys who aren't sure who I am, I'm the guy who was selling "retro gamer" t-shirts.)

We (me, my wife, and my 10 year old son) had a lot of fun at OVGE 2009. Although turnout was kind of low, we still managed to sell some stuff, and it was fun talking with the other vendors/exhibitors. Even though I picked up some good stuff (I even managed to find something for my Star Trek game collection), somehow I managed to leave with more money than I came with, so I'll count that a win.

I agree with everyone else about the music. Me and Holt were *right up against* the set, so it was probably harder for us. The music definitely drove people down to the other end of the room, and made holding conversations impossible. It wasn't the music itself that was a problem, it was the volume. If there will be music again next year, I hope that the sets can be broken up to be much, much shorter and that the volume will be much lower.

I set up the night before and there was an empty table next to me. Jesse said to fill it if I could, so the next morning I brought my Star Trek videogame collection, which took up a full table. I'm glad I did, because a lot of people got a kick out of seeing it and commented on how diverse the collection is. It made me want to get back to finding more stuff to add to it. And I just love telling people "not for sale" when they say "how much for this one?"

I set up an Amiga CD32 and had Chaos Engine running on it, which seemed to draw a lot of people in to sit and play for a while. One guy actually read the instructions screen and played for a solid 15 minutes.

I also had my Commodore 64 with 1541U expansion cart, which has a custom paint job, that brought some comments as well. For most of the show I had Archon running on it with two controllers hooked up, and to my satisfaction, several times two people were playing against each other. Later I switched to Ghosts 'N Goblins which was a hit.

My last exhibit was my custom pained SX-64. A few people commented that they never knew Commodore sold red ones. :-) The SX-64 always gets a lot of comments, with its tiny built-in color monitor...

I will definitely be coming back in 2010. Spirit Bank Event Center is a great venue. Hopefully we can work on getting more people next time, but honestly, I don't go for the public, I go to meet and hang out with other people who love classic gaming, and by that measure, OVGE 2009 was a smashing success.

[obliterator918]

I've posted some pics. Sorry, no captions.

OVGE 2009

[neist]

[snip...]

I set up an Amiga CD32 and had Chaos Engine running on it, which seemed to draw a lot of people in to sit and play for a while. One guy actually read the instructions screen and played for a solid 15 minutes.

[snip...]

That may have been me. I know I sat there for a while. I think I got into the third or forth level. I was honestly quited amazed to find Chaos Engine there. I'm a pretty big fan of the "top-down-shoot-things-that-move" sort of games. I have both SNES and Genesis ports, but never played the CD32 port. They remind me a lot of Dungeon Explorer, and I love me some Dungeon Explorer.

At any rate, getting to play that CD32 Chaos Engine was one of the highlights of my trip.

I've posted some pics. Sorry, no captions.

OVGE 2009

Hah, there's me. Far left, standing up with the unshaven face.

http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon....80271088093458

[obliterator918]

That may have been me. I know I sat there for a while. I think I got into the third or forth level. I was honestly quited amazed to find Chaos Engine there. I'm a pretty big fan of the "top-down-shoot-things-that-move" sort of games. I have both SNES and Genesis ports, but never played the CD32 port. They remind me a lot of Dungeon Explorer, and I love me some Dungeon Explorer.

At any rate, getting to play that CD32 Chaos Engine was one of the highlights of my trip.



Hah, there's me. Far left, standing up with the unshaven face.

http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon....80271088093458

Yes, I remember you. I love it -- it's always nice when someone gets some enjoyment out of what I bring to the exhibit.

[Deadman]

Hah, there's me. Far left, standing up with the unshaven face.

http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon....80271088093458

Ah yes, I remember you quite well. You played a few different times on my Vectrex and we talked for a few minutes as well.

[Steve W]

Who was the person who put out the Vectrex? I'd like to know where he got those great homebrews.

Here's my photos...

Pure Energy's table, with the awe inspiring neon Pac-Man lights and the reproduction Colecovision controllers, along with a sah-weet assortment of homebrews to play.


Our own Pantechnicon's Godzilla themed table and tournaments, picture 2.


Another shot of his table from the front.


Icbrkr's table with an Atari ST running Bubble Bobble and an Amiga 600 running Creatures. Cut off on the left side is a Commodore 116 running Mr. Do.


A shot of various board games based on arcade titles, and on the right is our own Phosphor Dot Fossils sitting down and Ubik standing next to him.


Brett Weiss's table, and I guess TV Death Squad was playing in the background (the picture can't capture the incredibly high volume of his music, although it was still not as loud as the music at the Houston Arcade show I went to a couple years ago).


98PaceCar's table. How often do you see Laseractive games? Or Gizmondo games? Or even boxed NGPC games?


Some arcade cabinets, with a cocktail cabinet style Joust obscured at the far right.


The other arcade cabinets, unfortunately Star Wars Arcade must have died on the trip. And the kid was blocking my view of the Frogger cabinet.

[Deadman]

Who was the person who put out the Vectrex? I'd like to know where he got those great homebrews.

That would be me. For the most part, I try to hit a few of the online Vectrex fan forums and sites, and typically if there's a homebrew in development I will check it out and either pre-order one, or get one when they come out.

[slapdash]

@PureEnergy: Who made those controller sets? Got better pics?