[EAST] The official American Classic Arcade Museum @ PAX-East Thread

mps

The American Classic Arcade Museum in Weirs Beach, NH is pleased to announce that we will be appearing at PAX-East again this year. As usual, we will be bringing our traveling museum exhibit of classic arcade games. All of our games will be set for free play.

We will also be hosting some panel sessions as well. Keep an eye out in this thread over the next few days & weeks for announcements.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

tvethiopia

last year was my first pax, and this was one of the many things i wanted to get to but missed. will definitely be checking it out this year!

mps

The American Classic Arcade Museum to present seminar on Pinball at PAX-East



WEIRS BEACH, NH – 2/22/2012 The American Classic Arcade Museum (ACAM), the leading museum facility dedicated to the preservation & play of classic coin-operated arcade games, is pleased to announce a panel discussion on the Pinball industry to be held during the 3rd Annual PAX-East Expo in Boston, MA. The session will take place on Friday, April 6th at 4:30pm in the PAX-East “CAT” Theatre.

The session will focus on the revival of the Pinball industry, and some of the new pinball games that are currently being manufactured. Over the last 20 years, all but one of the pinball manufacturers has gone out of business. However, a new company has recently been formed that is focused on creating pinball games that look, sound & play like the games of the past. Retro Pinball LLC. of York, PA has recently released their first pinball machine, and ACAM’s panel session will examine the development of their current & future products, the manufacturing process, and the state of the industry.

“We are excited that the team from Retro Pinball will be participating in ACAM’s panel discussion at PAX-East,” said Mike Stulir of The American Classic Arcade Museum Board of Directors. “Our facility is focused on the games from the 1960’s through the 1980’s. The Retro Pinball crew is actively developing new pinball games based on the technology and play mechanics of pinball from that same era. Retro Pinball is a great fit for us, and they will bring a unique perspective to our session about the state of the pinball business.”

“We are very happy to team up with The American Classic Museum,” said Gene Goodman of Retro Pinball LLC. “We think our game is a perfect match for ACAM’s pinball panel discussion. What better place to show a new retro pinball game then at PAX-East. We are looking forward to meeting everyone and showing our new pinball product during the panel session. The ‘King Of Diamonds’ is a 1967 classic Gottlieb original available new for the first time in over forty years. It is a true ‘players’ pinball, with classic retro style appeal.”

PAX-East, an annual gaming convention that attracts over 70,000 attendees, will take place on Friday, April 6th through Sunday, April 8th at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, MA. In addition to this pinball panel session, ACAM will also be holding a panel session on coin-operated video games, and as in prior years, will host a free arcade of coin-op classics at the expo.

Hailed as “The Mecca of Classic Gaming” by MSNBC and "One of the shrines every sports fan should visit" by ESPN: The Magazine, The American Classic Arcade Museum at Funspot is the first 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and displaying vintage coin-operated amusements. Located on the third floor of the largest arcade in the world, the immense Funspot Family Entertainment Super Center, the museum celebrates the origins of the arcade industry with popular games from the past. Asteroids, Pac-Man, Centipede and Gorgar are just a few of the over 300 games currently on display & available for play in the Museum.
The American Classic Arcade Museum at Funspot is open year-round.

More information can be found at http://www.ClassicArcadeMuseum.org.

darren66

Please bring more multiplayer and head-to-head games. You guys bring a lot of the great classics, but the best thing about PAX is playing games with other people - and thus we need more games like this. Last year it pretty much fell onto Warlords and Karate Champ to fit this criteria.

I know you guys don't like games where people kick, shoot or punch each other - but how about some Street Fighter 2?

Also please bring Keith Apicary's Neo Geo - that would be awesome.

adias.angel

Just wanted to say how excited I was when someone told me that there would be classic arcade games at PAX. I have already told my husband this is a must not miss!

ottoman673

Stopped up to see the ACAM setup last year. Cool stuff!

I'm a bit of a younger gamer and never had much experience with the arcade games, but it's fun to check them out now and then. Had a blast, actually.

mps

darren66 wrote: »

Please bring more multiplayer and head-to-head games. You guys bring a lot of the great classics, but the best thing about PAX is playing games with other people - and thus we need more games like this. Last year it pretty much fell onto Warlords and Karate Champ to fit this criteria.

We did have more than what you mentioned at the show last year. Smash TV comes to mind off of the top of my head. I am in agreement that more head-to-head & co-op games would be nice, but keep in mind that most of those games are significantly larger than a standard arcade game. Something like a Gauntlet or Smash TV takes up twice as much space in the truck than a standard upright cabinet...which means we end up bringing fewer games. In any event, I will see what we can do.

darren66 wrote: »

I know you guys don't like games where people kick, shoot or punch each other - but how about some Street Fighter 2?

It isn't that we "don't like" those games, per se. This is an issue with our non-profit status, and a lot of people don't really understand it. As part of our charter for our 501c3, we have to declare a time period that we work within for our donations & preservation efforts. In our case, we set our cutoff for games prior to 1988. The overwhelming majority of fighting games were released after our cutoff date, so we don't really have any games of those type.

darren66 wrote: »

Also please bring Keith Apicary's Neo Geo - that would be awesome.

We already had a request from Keith himself that we bring it. Since he spends so much time with us during the show, we will be bringing it.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

mps

adias.angel wrote: »

Just wanted to say how excited I was when someone told me that there would be classic arcade games at PAX. I have already told my husband this is a must not miss!

This is our third year at PAX-East and our room is typically pretty mobbed. I hope you enjoy our display.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

Cabadrin

I just want to say this is one of the coolest spots at PAX East. I'm excited to see this come back!

vttym

I loved this room last year, and since this year I'm bringing friends, I look forward to showing them the incredible display you guys had. That it was all free to play was fantastic. On a side note, hopefully Karate Champ was fixed.. I was a sad panda to see the joysticks not working when I tried it (though with the abuse these machines get at an event like this, I certainly understood).

This room was a flashback to my childhood.. I look forward to doing it again!

darren66

Sorry if my first message seemed a bit demanding - I love you guys and am truly thankful for what you guys do and the fact that you bring this stuff down to PAX. I plan to have some more money to donate again this year at PAX.

mps wrote: »

darren66 wrote: »

Please bring more multiplayer and head-to-head games. You guys bring a lot of the great classics, but the best thing about PAX is playing games with other people - and thus we need more games like this. Last year it pretty much fell onto Warlords and Karate Champ to fit this criteria.

We did have more than what you mentioned at the show last year. Smash TV comes to mind off of the top of my head. I am in agreement that more head-to-head & co-op games would be nice, but keep in mind that most of those games are significantly larger than a standard arcade game. Something like a Gauntlet or Smash TV takes up twice as much space in the truck than a standard upright cabinet...which means we end up bringing fewer games. In any event, I will see what we can do.

That's cool. IMO it's just that Gauntlet and Smash TV can be a bit boring because they are credit feeders, and so when it's on freeplay they lose a lot of it's dynamic.

mps wrote: »

darren66 wrote: »

I know you guys don't like games where people kick, shoot or punch each other - but how about some Street Fighter 2?

It isn't that we "don't like" those games, per se. This is an issue with our non-profit status, and a lot of people don't really understand it. As part of our charter for our 501c3, we have to declare a time period that we work within for our donations & preservation efforts. In our case, we set our cutoff for games prior to 1988. The overwhelming majority of fighting games were released after our cutoff date, so we don't really have any games of those type.

I didn't know that, thanks for the clarification.

If that's the case, why does your website list Street Fighter 2 CE in your collection?

mps

darren66 wrote: »

If that's the case, why does your website list Street Fighter 2 CE in your collection?

The list on the web site is generated off of the tournament scoring software that was written for us by David Hernly at Aurcade.com. That list has a few newer titles (Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Daytona, Star Wars Trilogy, etc.) that are in the building, but do not belong to us. Those games belong to Funspot, but since they have been used in competition, they are listed in our scoring inventory.

Remember, Funspot and ACAM are not the same thing. I do understand why that is confusing, so let me clarify. Funspot is a for-profit family entertainment center run by Bob Lawton & his family. The American Classic Arcade Museum is a non-profit volunteer-run organization that occupies space within Funspot that has been donated to us.

Regardless, those games are not ours and we cannot bring them.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

darren66

mps wrote: »

Regardless, those games are not ours and we cannot bring them.

Ok, cool.

So any thoughts on running a tourney at PAX?

pureval

Love Funspot and the ACAM, we go up there several times a year. Please if at all possible bring Q*bert this year. It is my all time favorite arcade game and I am so disappointed every time I go up that it is not out for play. But I know whatever you bring I will love it.

mps

darren66 wrote: »

So any thoughts on running a tourney at PAX?

We will never do that at PAX-East. We have a tournament at our facility on May 31st-June 3rd. If you want a tourney, that is the place to be. Details will be posted on our web site after PAX-East has concluded.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

mps

pureval wrote: »

Love Funspot and the ACAM, we go up there several times a year. Please if at all possible bring Q*bert this year. It is my all time favorite arcade game and I am so disappointed every time I go up that it is not out for play. But I know whatever you bring I will love it.

We get a ton of requests like this for PAX-East. Unfortunately, there is no way to make everyone happy. We try to pick a group of games that were popular, unique, or have some kind of historical significance. We do mix the titles up a bit from year to year.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

jdixon1972

I have to say, I can't wait for the classic arcade at PAX East!!!! I have spent most of my time there the last two PAX East's. I don't mind what games you bring, but the rarer the game the better. I couldn't remember the last time I saw Dragon's Lair or Space Ace in an arcade. I also loved getting to check out the prototype Ms. Pac Man that was either at East 11 or East 10. Classics FOREVER!!!!!

cocowoushi

Wow I didn't realize you guys were from Weirs Beach! I remember going past a huuuuuge arcade up there when I'd go with my family to a summer vacation home near Lake Winnipesaukee. If we ever head up that way again I'll need to check you guys out at your homebase!

septagon

Im so happy to hear that you guys will be back. What are the chances that you'll have the lights dim and some pounding 80s music in the background of your space to really bring that arcade feel back? Remember the arcade scene in From Legacy? Just like that!

Volaro

Awesome, glad you guys will be here again. Never had time to check out the room last year, always regretted it.

mps

septagon wrote: »

What are the chances that you'll have the lights dim and some pounding 80s music in the background of your space to really bring that arcade feel back?

I take it you have never seen our room at PAX-East before? Here is a photo I took before we opened the doors on the first day of the show last year.



That is exactly what we do. We turn off all of the overhead lights and rely on the glow from the monitors and some "disco" style club lighting. We also bring a couple of laserdisc games and blow them up on a wall. Dragon's Lair is on the left.

We had the music pretty loud in 2010. Our room was a bit off the beaten path and we were able to be as loud as we wanted to be. Last year, we were right next to a panel discussion theatre and we had to tone it down a bit. Music volume this will depend on our location. That has not been set in stone yet.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

septagon

mps wrote: »

septagon wrote: »

What are the chances that you'll have the lights dim and some pounding 80s music in the background of your space to really bring that arcade feel back?

I take it you have never seen our room at PAX-East before? Here is a photo I took before we opened the doors on the first day of the show last year.



That is exactly what we do. We turn off all of the overhead lights and rely on the glow from the monitors and some "disco" style club lighting. We also bring a couple of laserdisc games and blow them up on a wall. Dragon's Lair is on the left.

We had the music pretty loud in 2010. Our room was a bit off the beaten path and we were able to be as loud as we wanted to be. Last year, we were right next to a panel discussion theatre and we had to tone it down a bit. Music volume this will depend on our location. That has not been set in stone yet.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

Actually I spent hours in your room last year. I liked the atmosphere so much I just wanted to know if it would be like that again. Keep up the good work guys!

zombiechron

I go to Funspot a few times a year since I live somewhat close by, and I thought about skipping out on this part of the expo. Then I came into this thread and saw the pictures of the rad lighting, and read the text about the LOUD MUSIC and now I have to check it out.

Cyant

yay a seminar on pinballs! Thats the thing I missed last year No pinballs. Hopefully there are a few this year like the first PAX-East. I understand the logistic of moving those but I can still hope!

pureval

mps wrote:

pureval wrote: »

Love Funspot and the ACAM, we go up there several times a year. Please if at all possible bring Q*bert this year. It is my all time favorite arcade game and I am so disappointed every time I go up that it is not out for play. But I know whatever you bring I will love it.

We get a ton of requests like this for PAX-East. Unfortunately, there is no way to make everyone happy. We try to pick a group of games that were popular, unique, or have some kind of historical significance. We do mix the titles up a bit from year to year.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

I hope you do not think I was complaining about what you bring to PAX, I know you are limited there and I love whatever games you decided to bring. When I mentioned being disappointed I meant the actual arcade location at Funspot.

wonderpug

Was there ever an arcade cabinet version of Karateka?

mps

Cyant wrote: »

yay a seminar on pinballs! Thats the thing I missed last year No pinballs. Hopefully there are a few this year like the first PAX-East. I understand the logistic of moving those but I can still hope!

In 2010, all we heard was "Bring more videogames next year." In 2011, we eliminated pinball to accommodate all of those requests, and then heard nothing but complaints about it. We will have some pinball this year, and I encourage people to check out the new "King of Diamonds" pinball that our friends at Retro Pinball LLC will be bringing. Even if you cannot make their panel (and believe me, you should not miss it) you will be will be able to play that machine in our arcade.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

mps

pureval wrote: »

I hope you do not think I was complaining about what you bring to PAX, I know you are limited there and I love whatever games you decided to bring. When I mentioned being disappointed I meant the actual arcade location at Funspot.

I didn't think that at all. We have significantly more games at ACAM than we have floor space, so games tend to get rotated in and out.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

zerzhul

yeah, clamoring to the needs of the loud will usually end up in more loud The reality is that unless you could bring your entire collection, you'll not please all comers.

karmacappa

It's quite appropriate to have pinball at PAX this year, as one of the people that really revolutionized pinball, Steve Kordek, just died at the age of 100. Without him, there would not be drop targets, multiball, or the two flippers at the bottom of the playfield.

BigDumbHippy

please have dragons lair and space ace again. I've been practicing

bakasama

This room has been the major catalyst in my own re-ignited passion for collecting and restoring arcade cabinets, it's nothing but a good thing! Looking forward to seeing this year's lineup!

kropotkin

On e of my personal highlights of PAX East and one of the first places I head to when the main expo hall starts to do my head in a bit. Thank you so much for making it happen.

bushisprez

I think you guys an air conditioned room at pax east or maybe you need more fans. Of course what arcade isn't that warm/hot.

bushisprez

The original Donkey Kong cabinet was one of my favorite moments at Pax East last year.

mps

The American Classic Arcade Museum is pleased to announce the recent delivery of games acquired from the winter fundraiser. The games were purchased from a New England-area collector. The titles include Discs of Tron, Solar Fox, Space Dungeon, Mad Planets & Black Widow. In addition, the collector also donated three games to the ACAM collection. Those games are Minefield, Stratovox and Armored Car.

These games will make their ACAM debut at the PAX-East show in Boston April 6th-8th, 2012. PAX-East 3-day passes have been sold out for some time, but a few single-day passes are available. Details can be found at http://www.classicarcademuseum.org



A number of ACAM volunteers rode with ACAM President Gary Vincent in the ACAM truck to help pick up the games. They include (from left) John Zabel, Derek Litton & Glenn Perras.



To everyone who generously donated to this fundraiser, ACAM wishes to express a sincere "Thank you."

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org

pureval

Sweet, I have been hoping you would get Discs of Tron for a while now. I may be able to cross that off my video game bucket list.

sillyzombie666

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ombivkhCc&list=UUvhUnyTY9QXDpzwi2VUVSLg&index=68&feature=plcp

lasts years room

sillyzombie666

alsoi hope you guys bring the smash tv cab again i loved it

roserevolution

I am so excited for the pinball panel, it's definitely on my list. Will you have pinball machines this year? I always end up spending a lot of time in the ACAM area of PAX East, thanks so much for making it happen!

gigabrain

I foresee spending quite a bit of time in your room this year.