Agreed. And just because of the difference in the internet at the time, I think that a lot of the significant events would be lost to time. I'll toss one in here that I basically never hear mentioned... (admittedly, I haven't finished the story that is linked to, although I've been reading it, but I figure this isn't in there...)

2003 was the first time I met Gene Cunningham. I had been put in touch with him because I had run a tiny convention - the Midwest Classic - the year prior and had drawn 100 people to it after a previous video game show the year before. That convention, our pinball selection featured a single game - a Space Station. Anyway, I was given Gene's contact information and told that he really enjoyed going to conventions and as we fought to expand might be interested in coming to ours. I called him and we worked out a deal for him to vend at our show.

To say our 2003 show was underwhelming is an understatement. We took out tons of what we thought was sure to hit ads, did tons of in town promotion, and busted our butts trying to put the convention together. We had told the vendors we were hoping for 1000 people or more. In the end, just slightly more than 200 showed up. Not just was this a disaster for us, as we needed about 800 to show up to break even, it was also obviously a disaster for our vendors, who hadn't sold nearly anything they were hoping for. Gary and I went around and actually refunded every vendor, making the disaster for our own pocketbooks even worse but at least feeling like we could hold our heads high and do everything we could. Gene was gracious in his acceptance of the money back, but did tell us he was going to lose a lot of money on the show, the most of all the vendors and he doubted he would ever do it again. And I'm certain he was right as he traveled the furthest, and definitely didn't have tons of sales.

Because of that, when we were trying to decide if the show would continue, after we decided to go for it one more time, we decided that Gene was the first person we needed to convince because if he thought our plan to attract more people was solid, then the rest of the vendors would probably follow along. I met him at Pinball Expo, laid out our plans, and he said if you do all that, I'm in. We'll try it again.

If it wasn't for Gene Cunningham that weekend, there would be no Midwest Gaming Classic in a couple weeks.

But that isn't the part of the story that has to do with BBB. That part comes the next year at the show.

At the same meeting at Pinball Expo, Gene told me a few stories about how he had purchased the rights to all the parts from the various companies. His story was fascinating and I told him so. He told me that he would be happy to discuss it at the show if we wanted him to, and that he was interested in making machines. I told him no problem.

When the show came around, I made myself available to be in the room when Gene spoke. He stood in front of the room, which probably had about 20-30 people in it total only - while the show was much better attended that year, our presentations were not - and Gene explained with his usual bombast and style how he had got the rights to all the games. He then dropped what was absolutely shocking to me, he said that he had decided that he had the parts to make more copies of Big Bang Bar from Capcom. He explained all of the same stuff that was in the announcement at Pinball Expo about three months later - about him getting the first, 10 prototypes, cost, needed "about" 55 people to sign up before he would start production, just wanted names, etc.

I spoke with him immediately following it and really wrestled with trying to get one. I believed based on the stories that he had told me about buying the parts businesses that he could pull something like this off. And I asked him to sign me up, as the first person (according ot him) after he had announced about the remake to hold a slot for.

Unfortunately, the Midwest Gaming Classic didn't end the weekend very well for us. The hotel we had worked with absolutely screwed us with the contract that they had created, and for the second year in a row, we lost thousands of dollars - which both years came directly from our pocketbooks. I could no longer afford a BBB like I had expected I would have been able to pull off, so when the announcement came at Expo and the first deposit slips were sent out, I had to opt out of it.

What else is interesting about this is that I'm not actually positive we were the first show that he announced it at. I know that he had been to a number of other pinball shows before us and after that point before the official Expo announcement, and had minimally floated the idea of it past people in attendance. There was even the Pool Player game that was Breakshot with... well, basically no modifications that he said he was going to make and would show flyers for at various places. But, until I hear something from someone else about an earlier show, I was the first person on the list.

I'm sure when he announced at Expo that he was doing it, he did it the same way that he did it in front of me at the MGC, and he was so good at explaining his vision that I can also easily see why so many people hopped on board. And, he was so determined to do it that I also get why he delivered exactly what he said he was going to, even at a huge personal loss.

The game is interesting. Even with the resale market being what it is, I don't regret my choice not to purchase - there was simply no way that I could have done it back then. But I love the fact that I got to be part of that story

Ha! Thanks! It really doesn't though, it continues because of everyone else who is part of the story

Having said that, I super appreciate that I have gotten to stop in and play your BBB multiple times!