Never heard of it. Do tell!

If anyone is thinking about coming to MGC next year and bringing a game (or more), please drop me an email at [email protected]. Include your name and we'd like a phone number as well (optional). I'll add you to our list so you get our informational emails that go out in the spring.

Thanks!

When I found out Killer Queen was coming, I had to research what it was. I initially thought it would be a cool think for MGC. Boy was I wrong.

It was a GREAT thing. I remember when we were setting up on Friday and Eric and I jumped on, holy crap was that addictive and fun. It was played solid all weekend long.

Jaz

Hello everyone!

I'd like to apologize for it taking so long for this email to go out. Too many other things at work and home have prevented me from dedicating any time to MGC and/or pinball.

First, I'd like to thank everyone who helped make the arcade hall at last years Midwest Gaming Classic such a success. We set a new record for number of games. In addition, the quality of games you guys bring is totally amazing. We couldn't do this without support from all of you.

We're only about 1 1/2 months away from this years show and preparations are in full force. Information about setup times and other details will go out in about 3 weeks. If you have other questions that need answers in advance of that, please feel free to ask. I'm going to highlight a few of the important changes to be made aware of coming up in advance of this years show.
http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/bring-your-arcade-machines/

If you are joining us again this year and bringing a game, please drop us a note at [email protected] and let us know what you're bringing. This really helps us with planning for each year and ensures you get our email info for setup and the like.

1. As most of you are aware, the arcade hall is located in the largest space in the hotel. You guys have responded in amazing fashion and filled that room the last two years. As such, we've had to make a few tweaks in how we handle some game types. First, nothing changes for pinball machines and upright arcade cabinets (including caberets). Counter top games (these would be your Megatouchs and mini-arcade cabinets) will only be considered for partial (1/2) game registration. In addition, in order to qualify for that, it must be an original manufacturer (ie: non-MAME) machine that was intended to used in a coin-operated/money making fashion. Some have suggested that we simply don't allow them at all, but we didn't want to totally eliminate them since some people would like to be able to sell them. As such, we will do our best to accomodate games of this type but there is no guarantee that we will be able to find a playable, powered space for them. But, we will do our best. If you have any questions about a specific game you want to bring, please contact us at [email protected].

In addition, for cocktail machines (applies to both pinball and video type), those will continue to receive full registration credit. However, like countertop machines, these are a challenge to accomodate in our space. So, we are not able to guarantee that we will be able to find a playable, powered spot for them. Again, if you have any questions on this, please contact us at [email protected].

2. Unfortunately, Tom Taylor's Arcade Open House on Friday afternoon is already sold out. In addition, so is the hotel. But, if you haven't gotten lodging setup for yourself yet, there is still reduced rate rooms available at a partner hotel just a couple blocks to the south of the Sheraton.
https://bookings.ihotelier.com/Brookfield-Suites-Hotel-and--Convention-Center/select_rooms.jsp?hotelId=73150

3. On Friday night, we are one again offering a bunch of activities including dinner, drinks, pinball tournaments and more. In addition, a small portion of arcade hall will be open for those with VIG passes. There are still a limited number of ticket available if you are interested in participating. Note, your weekend pass for bringing a game does not include the Friday night VIG.
http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/get-vig/

4. The famous (in-famous?) arcade hall after party continues to be a highlight of show for many (including myself). As with prior years, you are not able to buy tickets to this party. So if you want to attend, you need to bring a game. This party exists to thank you for bringing your games to share and allow you to interact with your fellow hobbiests. The party includes food, drinks, best-of-show voting and more! It will take place after the official close of the show on Saturday night starting at approximately 8:30pm and go until 3am.

5. We remain a collector friendly environment and understand that the MGC is a great way to market and sell your game. We continue to offer this without any fee or commission. However, as a reminder, once a game is setup and registered, it must remain available for free-play until at least 11am on Saturday. If a machine is sold and powered down or removed from the floor before that time, you will be required to pay a $100 early removal penalty. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks!

NICE!

Well, we're not really talking restaurants (although they are certainly an option for sure). We're really referring to the food court at the mall. Food trucks have really become quite gourmet. There are many of them in the MKE area who would be a far superior choice to anything in the food court.

But, it's not an option anyway so the point is moot.

Jersey Mikes is on-site in the hotel.

Jaz

Hey guys - If you're coming and planning on bringing something (and haven't already contacted us via email or the web site), please let us know at [email protected].

***********************************************
The 2016 Midwest Gaming Classic is rapidly approaching!
Honestly, I can't believe how fast it got here. I hope
everyone is getting excited. As in previous years, the
new information is at the top for those who have previously
brought games to the show. If you're new to bringing
games to MGC, you're probably going to want to trudge
through and digest all the good info in this whole email.
If you have further questions that aren't answered here,
then feel free to reply back and ask away.

We look forward to seeing you in two weeks!

*VIG: Reminder, the Friday night VIG even is not part of
the arcade party nor part of the free weekend admission.
This year, a small portion of the arcade hall will be open
for those with VIG tickets. But, as in previous years,
the majority of the hall will be open for setup only. Note,
VIG was limited to 250 tickets and is already sold out.
Sorry.

* Will your game survive the whole show?
Are you one of those people who stick around until the very
end of the show? Then we've got a special surprise for
you this year. The details of this will be revealed at the
after-party. If your machine is still setup, operating,
AND playable at the end of the show, we've got a special
gift for you. If you're game goes down right at the end
of the show, we'll evaluate that on a case-by-case basis.
Basically, as long as you're making a good faith effort to
keep it going until the lights come on Sunday evening, you're
keeping with the spirit of what we're to accomplish.

* Passes for setting up in the arcade hall:
There are a bunch of official activities
taking place on Friday night at the MGC. However, the arcade
hall will not yet be open to the public. In order to
control access to the arcade hall, passes will be required
to get into the hall to setup. When you bring your
game in to setup (see below for setup times and load-in
location), security at the door will provide you with a
pass. In addition, you may also get a pass from one of
the arcade hall staff. We ask for your patience with
this process as there will inevitably be some kinks that
we will need to work. As is usual, the arcade staff will
be around and can address any issues or concerns that may
arise. So, just locate one of us if you have any issues.

* Countertop and cocktail games (repeated from 2/22/16 email)
As most of you are aware, the arcade hall is located in
the largest space in the hotel. You guys have responded
in amazing fashion and filled that room the last two years.
As such, we've had to make a few tweaks in how we handle
some game types. First, nothing changes for pinball
machines and upright arcade cabinets (including caberets).
Counter top games (these would be your Megatouchs and
mini-arcade cabinets) will only be considered for partial
(1/2) game registration. In addition, in order to qualify
for that, it must be an original manufacturer (ie: non-MAME)
machine that was intended to used in a coin-operated/money
making fashion. Some have suggested that we simply don't
allow them at all, but we didn't want to totally eliminate
them since some people would like to be able to sell them.
As such, we will do our best to accomodate games of this type
but there is no guarantee that we will be able to find a
playable, powered space for them. But, we will do our best.
If you have any questions about a specific game you want
to bring, please contact us at
[email protected].

In addition, for cocktail machines (applies to both pinball
and video type), those will continue to receive full
registration credit. However, like countertop machines,
these are a challenge to accomodate in our space. So,
we are not able to guarantee that we will be able to
find a playable, powered spot for them. Again, if you
have any questions on this, please contact us at
[email protected].

* After-party - As in past years, the show will close
on Saturday night at 8pm. At that time the lights will
come up and we will clear out the hall. The
after-party will start at approximately 8:30pm and
go until 3am. There will be some changes to the areas
around the arcade hall to make the party a better
experience for everyone. The party includes food,
drinks, best-of-show voting and more! There is an
effort in place to do a silent auction just for you
guys with the proceeds helping to make the party and
game-bringer benefits even greater. You'll have to wait
for more details on that!
NOTE: This party is for you guys as a thank you for
bringing games. As the show has been gaining
popularity and the party has gained notoriety, we have had
issues with people sneaking in and thinking it's OK.
It isn't. We will be taking additional steps again
this year and will be strictly controlling access.

* Early removal fee: We've been forced to implement an
early removal fee for games that are sold and leave the show
floor prior to 11am on Saturday morning. Basically,
once you setup your game in the hall, you cannot take your
game out of service nor remove it from the hall prior to
11am on Saturday unless you pay a $100 penalty. The
MGC does not charge a sales commission on games sold during
the show nor do we intend to change that. In addition,
we do not prevent games from being removed from the arcade
hall floor while the show is going on. We feel that
this is much more generous and flexible than other shows
allow and we would like to keep it that way. In the
past, we have had games come to the show on Friday, get
setup and registered thereby receiving the benefits we offer
to game bringers. Then, that game might be sold and
removed on Friday night before the show even opens.
So, the show did not receive the benefit of having the game
there for people to enjoy nor the revenue from the admission
that the buyer would normally have paid. So, we feel
this is a good compromise between other options we could
have employed. We believe that most people will
understand the reason for this, but feel free to contact us
if you wish to discuss it further.

* Grounding and game safety: Once again this year, we
will be checking for safety ground connections on all
games. If a machine was designed to have a grounded
lug on the power cord connected to the metal on the game,
that must be intact and functional. If that is not the
case, you're machine will not be allowed on the floor of the
arcade hall. We will try to have cords and personnel
available to assist you with repairs if necessary for a fee,
but we cannot guarantee availability. So, please check
your power cords for ground connections as you shop and
prepare your games for the show.

A really good article on game safety was written by Matthew
Sell of the Seattle collectors group. There's a ton of
good information there and I encourage you to read it.
I've attached a copy of the file here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yol59fn7nryuqa1/Arcade%20Game%20Electrical%20Safety%C2%A0.docx?dl=0

* Setup times: The hall will be open for setup with staff to
assist you starting at 1pm on Friday afternoon. We ask that
you try to be there no later than 9pm if you plan to setup
on Friday night. However, if you think you'll be later
than that, please let us know and we'll do our best to
accomadate you. Also, if you need to drop off a game
prior to 1pm, let us know and we'll work that out. If
you are unable to setup on Friday, we ask that you make
every effort to arrive at 8am on Saturday to setup. We do
understand that it may not be possible for some due to
travel distances, so please let us know if you plan to
arrive after 9am. We will do our best.
NOTE: There has been some confusion in the past, so we would
like to clarify this. On Friday and Saturday morning
(prior to 10am), access to the hall is for drop-off and
setup only. Once your machine(s) are ready to go, we
ask that you leave the arcade hall. There is no
pre-party in the arcade hall. We really need your
cooperation with this as it helps us do our job of getting
the hall ready to go for everyone's enjoyment.

* Setup Location: The arcade hall is now located
where the vendor hall used to be which is on the northeast
corner of the hotel. The best load-in doors will be
the entrance on the east side of the hotel, north of the
main entrance. I don't recommend trying to come in the
main hotel entrance nor the north doors.

* Registration: Once you get setup in the hall,
we will get your game registered. At that point, you
will also get your reward tickets and party passes.
You can use your rewards for a weekend pass at that point if
you choose to do so. This year, in addition to the
show serial number, we will be requiring a telephone number
to be on each machine so we can contact you via text or
voice if your machine has an issue. Here's a
suggestion... if you're like me, you aren't thrilled to have
to stick a label to your nice game. What I do is bring
a couple 3x5 cards or scrap paper. I stick the serial
number and phone number to that and then tape that to the
apron under the glass. After the show, you just toss
it.

If this wasn't long enough and you want to read more, you
can find more at the links here:
http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/bring-your-arcade-machines/
http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/arcade-after-party/

PM sent. As indicated previously, anyone that wants early drop off needs to contact me. It's so I can swap contact info and figure out times. The general, free-for-all setup starts at 1pm.

Keith

Nice!

Good ideas. But it's also important that it's easy enough to manage. The more complex things get, the harder it is to manage, the more likely mistakes get made, and people get pissed.

KISS...

Jaz

I'm not sure what other incentives should be or how to manage it yet. I don't think show cash is the answer, but maybe it is.

I made a point of checking every game on Saturday AM before the show opened. With one exception (not DM), everything worked or was working by noon. Some things didn't last long (Dan's Stargate that I brought, for example, that had a weird coil variant cook) but they were working. If we had a staging area, those would be candidates to move out and other stuff in. But we don't. By the time we found room for everything on Saturday AM (by the way, AMAZING job guys... pleasure working with all of you), if something went down there was really no reason to start getting in the way to move things around. But, all in all, I think it was a banner year for the quality of games brought and the number of them that stayed up!

As far as vids, what you're suggesting is simply not going to happen. First, we're not strictly a pinball show... we're a gaming show. Vids are part of that experience. I'm a pinhead at heart now, but I was a child of the video generation. Plus, vids are a b***h to move and haul. My observations also differ greatly from yours. The vids get very regular play. Plus, it certainly adds to the ambience of the room!

Pins get a vast majority of the square footage we have in the arcade hall and I don't see that changing. But we aren't going to start discouraging people from bringing vids.

Jaz

Been discussed ad-nausea in past years (ie: selling after-party tickets)...

Short answer, not gonna happen.

Jaz

We have offered this type of option to people in the past as an alternative and, for the most part, people don't take us up on it.

Jaz