PRGE tickets still available at the door!

posted on 10-19-2018

We're coming close to wrapping up our first day at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, but the biggest day is yet to come! Doors open Saturday morming at 9:00 AM for the combined arcade and exhibitor floor, plus tons of amazing tournaments, panels and our famous live auction.

Admission is still available at the door with cash, credit, Apple Pay and Android Pay accepted. Come on down and join us at the Oregon Convention Center for the country's largest retro video game expo!

Win a trip to the National Videogame Museum!

Naional Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas

posted on 10-11-2018

In 2016, the National Videogame Museum (NVM) opened in Frisco, Texas. This was the culmination of a dream for three friends, John Hardie, Joe Santulli and Sean Kelly. It was their decades of planning, research and accumulation of thousands of industry artifacts and memorabilia that made the museum possible. The NVM's mission of education ensures the history of the video game industry will be accessible to the public for years to come.

On Sunday October 21 at 3:00 PM in Auditorium C, John, Joe and Sean will share the backstory behind their lifelong obsession with video games and the foundations of the NVM. As a special treat they will award an all-expenses paid trip to the NVM to one lucky panel attendee!

National Videogame Museum Giveaway Details

Entry line for the NVM panel will be cut off when the line reaches capacity of the auditorium.
Attendees will receive a ticket as they enter the room. Ticket distribution will stop fifteen minutes after the posted start time of our presentation.
At some point during or after the presentation, one winner will be chosen at random. Winner MUST BE PRESENT to claim the prize.
The winner will receive one round-trip airline ticket to Dallas-Fort Worth airport. The maximum value of this ticket is $400.
A $100 Uber voucher to be used for transportation to and from the airport.
One night at a local hotel to be selected by NVM.
Exclusive behind-the-scenes access and personal tour of the museum.

Construction at Convention Center during PRGE

Oregon Convention Center renovations

posted on 10-7-2018

The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) will be under renovation during the weekend of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. This work is part of the preparations for the January 2020 opening of the Hyatt Regency Hotel just across NE Holladay Street from OCC.

Attendees of PRGE may experience some of the effects of the construction. While most of the work will be centered at the north end of the building away from us, attendees may be diverted from their usual traffic patterns. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience during the weekend due to this construction. OCC will remain ADA-compliant with regard to access within the facility throughout the construction period.

What to expect:

Most of the construction will be centered around the northeast plaza which lies between the Max station and the Convention Center itself. From the Max station, please proceed south on MLK past the constructon area and toward the main entrance of the Convention Center.
The parking garages beneath the OCC building will remain open, although they generally fill up quickly. We recommend, as with any PRGE weekend, you plan to use public transportation or take advantage of a ridesharing service.
On-site ticket sales will take place right at the PRGE entrance outside Hall E instead of at the main entrance of the Convention Center as in previous years.

About OCC renovation project »

Bumblebash 3 Killer Queen World Championship

posted on 9-18-2018

Bumblebash 3 is the third annual two-day Killer Queen world championship at Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Bumblebash 3 takes place on the same weekend as PRGE.

What to expect:

The first ever one-player-take-all BumbleBash Battle Royale world tournament.
A new additional scoring system that allows for competitive inclusion of all skill levels to play and contribute for their city.
The traditional prize system that includes the opportunity for one team to be named world champions and have their name immortalized on the Founders Cup.
Grand prizes for top-scoring scenes to share, such as trophy KQ marquees, a Black Emperor cabinet, and streaming computers.
Individual grand prizes for top-scoring teams.
Four Killer Queen cabinets & four simultaneous streams, with every match of the two-day event being put live online.
Two tournament venues, including the recently expanded Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade as well as the privately rented Siren Theater, separated by only a parking lot.
An early peek at the next wave of BumbleBear games and features, including but not limited to Killer Queen Black and the next Killer Queen arcade map(s).

Join us for a BumbleBash welcome event at the PRGE arcade on Friday, October 19!

Ground Kontrol will have a Killer Queen on site in the arcade at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo all weekend! Join us on Friday for a special BumbleBash welcome event. BumbleBear will be showing some new maps and may show some player-made videos.

Learn more at BumbleBash.com »

Help Don Russell's Family

posted on 9-18-2018

On July 14, our friend Don Russell passed away from cancer, leaving behind his wife Jolie and son Skylar. You may know Don as a regular attendee of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo over the past 10 years or more. In addition to medical bills, Don's family is now facing several other expenses that need to be paid.

As a lifelong collector of classic video games, Don was a fixture in the game collecting community. He was also as generous as he was kind: In his collecting, he would occasionally find rare prototype copies of unreleased video games, and instead of keeping them for himself would make them available to the community, and to history.

Games that Don has saved include the Sega Saturn versions of 'Heart of Darkness', 'Prize Fighter', and 'Armed'.

Although he was only recently diagnosed with cancer, Don struggled with severe medical issues for much of his life. He had severe diabetes that led to dual kidney failure and years of dialysis. Jolie, like Don, also has a disability, and their combined needs resulted in bills adding up over the years, since neither of them were able to address several issues. She now needs help raising funds for a variety of necessities.

Most urgently, she has recently found that $9,000 in property taxes are owed on the family's home. Since there has been an amount due for years, it is possible that the home will be repossessed and auctioned unless she is able to pay off the taxes.

We ask that you please consider making a donation in Don's memory to help his family recover from this urgent financial need.

Don Russell GoFundMe page »

Intellivsion Entertainment President
Tommy Tallarico to deliver Keynote address

Posted on 9-12-2018

We are also very excited that Intellivsion Entertainment President, Tommy Tallarico will be delivering the keynote address, and will reveal extensive details about their upcoming new family home video game console. Don’t miss it! Saturday Oct, 20th at 3:00pm. Seating will be limited.

Official Press Release

Tickets on sale now for 2018

Posted on 4-6-2018

Tickets to PRGE are now on sale. As in previous years, all ticketing fees are built into the online price. What you see is what you pay! In addition, presale ticket buyers enjoy these benefits:

Purchasing admission online will save you over the door price
Your attendance at PRGE is guaranteed in the event of a sellout. We were very close to capacity in 2017 and this may be the year where we have to close ticket sales due to a sellout crowd.

Purchase PRGE 2018 tickets! »

Best Volunteers in the Business!

posted by RecycledGamer on 5-31-2017

At PRGE you will notice people with these awesome logos on the back of their shirts (right).

Who are these people? They are the 1-Ups: our awesome army of volunteers.

Feeling lost, confused, need directions to nearest castle or maybe want to show someone your latest score from a vendor? Find one of them, scattered throughout the show hall, and they will help you right away.

The show's staff would sincerely like to thank them with the utmost gratitude and sincerity. Plain and simple, the show would not work without them.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR 1-UPS!

Learn about volunteering at PRGE »

Apply to be a PRGE 1-Up volunteer »

PRGE Announces Collector Cards for 2018

Posted on 4-6-2018

PRGE could not have become one of the country's largest classic video game conventions without the help of our region's fantastic local game stores. In recognition of their support of retro video games, we have created a set of 20 collector cards that will be available for free at the local game stores and conventions listed below. Each 4" x 6" card design is done in the style of a vintage 80's collector trading card and features a different video game console on one side with "console stats" on the other.

Gotta catch 'em all

Each of these participating stores and conventions will have a different trading card design available at their participating locations:

Video Game Wizards - Portland, Molalla and Silverton, OR
Legendary Games - Vancouver, WA
Game Star - Gresham, McMinnville, Oregon City, Newberg, Aloha and Tigard, OR
CD Game Exchange - 3 Portland locations, Gresham and Milwaukie, OR
Billy Galaxy - Downtown Portland
Another Castle - Edmonds, Lynwood, Bellingham, Bremerton and Marysville, WA
Super Smash Games - Tacoma and Olympia, WA
Classics and Oddities - Kelso, WA
Back in Time Gaming - Bremerton, WA
Retro Game & Toy Exchange - Kent, WA
Retro Game Trader - Beaverton, OR
Game Over Videogames - Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma, WA
Pink Gorilla Games - 2 locations in Seattle, WA
Guardian Games - Portland, OR
Epic Gaming - Milwaukie, OR
Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade - Portland, OR
Game Over Arcade • Bar • Grill - Lincoln City, OR
AtariAge.com - Online Store
Midwest Gaming Classic - Milwaukee, WI
California Extreme Arcade Expo - Santa Clara, CA

In the 1980's, collector card sets would often come with a checklist card where you could check off each card in the set as you acquired it. Each store will have a limited supply of "checklist cards" that we specially designed for the hardcore collectors out there. Be sure to ask if you don't see them on display.

The 20 trading card designs available are:

Pong
Magnavox Odyssey
Atari 2600
Intellivision
Nintendo Game & Watch
Colecovision
Vectrex
Atari 5200
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Sega Master System
Nintendo Gameboy
NEC Turbo Grafx 16
Sega Genesis
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Atari Jaguar
Sega Saturn
Playstation 1
Nintendo 64
Sega Dreamcast
Nintendo Gamecube

Want to know which stores have which designs? You'll have to visit them and find out!

We appreciate your support of these local businesses who help make PRGE possible. We'll see you in October!

PRGE 2017 Highlights

Updated by RecycledGamer on 11-13-2017

PRGE 2017 is over, but not forgotten! Here are some links to reviews, photos and videos from the Expo.

Impressions of PRGE 2017 - A 5-minute video medley of the sights and sounds of the 2017 Portland Retro Gaming Expo.

2017 PRGE Panels

Media

Portland Retro Gaming Expo delivers the industry's rarest, weirdest stuff - Ars Technica, Oct. 29, 2017
Pixel perfect: Portland's Retro Gaming Expo is back for another year - The Oregonian, Oct. 14, 2017
Love for the classics: Thousands gather in Portland for annual retro gaming expo - Herald and News, Oct. 24, 2017
On the Go with Joe at Retro Gaming Expo - KPTV Fox 12, Oct. 17, 2017
Mortal Kombat, new merch & retro gaming with the Unipiper - KGW TV, Oct. 12, 2017
Kohr Harlan at Portland Retro Gaming Expo - KOIN 6 TV, Oct. 19, 2017
Finding the First Video Game ROM - Kotaku, Oct. 25, 2017

Photos

PRGE On October 19-21, 2018

posted by RecycledGamer on 10/31/2017

Oregon Convention Center

The 2017 Portland Retro Gaming Expo will take place at the Oregon Convention Center on October 19-21, 2018.

Our Friday arcade opening has been wildly successfull so, for the third year, we will be opening our doors at 3:00 PM on Friday. The arcade will open at 3:00 PM on Friday, October 19 and remain open until 10:00 PM. There will be a limited number of exhibitors open in the arcade on Friday, but the main exhibitor hall will open on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM for pre-sale ticket holders and 10:00 AM for the general public. All panels are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

PRGE 2018 will be held in Oregon Convention Center halls D & E at the north end of the Convention Center. Panels will take place in the D and E series auditoriums.

PRGE Celebrates 40 Years of Atari 2600!

posted by RecycledGamer on 8-17-2017

On September 11, 1977, Atari released the Video Computer System (VCS) console, more commonly known today as the Atari 2600. It was slow to be accepted by consumers, selling less than a million units in 1977 and 1978 combined. Eventually Atari began to license popular arcade titles such as Taito's Space Invaders, driving sales to over 30 million units for the life of the console. Ultimately the Atari 2600 was sold from 1977 until 1992 and there were over 550 game titles created for the system.

Everyone who grew up in the 1980s remembers the iconic wood grain look of the Atari 2600 and the feel of its black rubberized joysticks. This was the console that showed the world that their television could be more than just a passive "boob tube". The 2600 ushered in a whole new industry that was unimaginable just a few years before. While Atari and the 2600 stumbled a few times in the early years, they ultimately lead to the start of a $100 billion industry that has more than doubled the revenue of the film industry.

We at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo recognize the contributions of the industrial designers, programmers and artists who brought this tenacious game console into the living rooms of the world. For the 40th anniversary of the Atari 2600 VCS, we have planned a special series of panels covering the hardware, games and history of the system. We are bringing industry experts and alumni from Atari and other third-party companies to share the rich history of the system with our attendees. In addition, we will have an arcade full of Atari 2600 systems that our guests can touch, play and enjoy throughout the weekend.

And we have a special surprise.

One of the most iconic things about Atari games was the incredible hand-painted artwork that was used on the game boxes and cartridges. While the games themselves were primitive due to the limitations of the technology, Atari used the package artwork to tell the story of each game and draw users into new worlds. The visual storytelling on the box allowed a few pixels to become a medieval knight or a blocky duck-looking thing to become a fierce dragon. One of the original artists behind the Atari package art is Steve Hendricks. He created the artwork behind such classic Atari 2600 titles as Defender, Haunted House and Warlords.

We were fortunate enough to host Steve at PRGE last year and he will be returning this year to hosting a panel discussing his time working for Atari. In addition, PRGE has commissioned Steve to create a new piece of custom art in the style of the original Atari package artwork to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 2600. His artwork, seen on the right, will be shared wth our attendees on our show badges, on the show program, on t-shirts and on special limited-edition die-cut posters designed to resemble point-of-sale posters for Atari 2600 games in the early eighties. Every attendee will get a badge and the programs are free with paid admission while supplies last. The t-shirts and posters will be for sale at the PRGE information booth in the arcade on the weekend of the Expo.

2017 will mark our 12th annual Portland Retro Gaming Expo. If there is any single game system that is most responsible for this event and its popularity, it's the Atari 2600. We've seen a lot of game consoles come and go during PRGE's lifetime, but there has always been the VCS. So we invite you to come down to the Oregon Convention Center and join us. Pull up a chair. Slap your favorite game into the cartridge slot, power up and hit reset. Before you know it, you'll be transported back in time to re-live the dawn of gaming.

Atari 2600 on Wikipedia
List of Atari 2600 Games
AtariAge - a website focusing on classic Atari video games
Steve Hendricks

History of PRGE Flyers, Badges & T-Shirts

updated by RecycledGamer

T-Shirt from PRGE 2009

Over the past decade we have create a wide variety of marketing materials, shirts, badges and show programs for each of our events.

Visit our new PRGE museum page and look back at some of these materials we produced and learn about the history of the Northwest's largest retro gaming convention. See the evolution of the Expo as we moved to larger venues each year and enjoyed ever increasing attendance.

Portland Retro Gaming Expo Flyer, Badge and T-Shirt Archive

Join Our Mailing List for the latest Expo News

by RecycledGamer on 1-13-2011

PaperBoy Get the latest classic video gaming news by joining our email mailing list. We send out information on our show as well as other events in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We generally send emails every month or so and more frequently as we get closer to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in September.