2024 PRGE Panel Descriptions

We have some returning favorites and lots of new presenters and topics! The descriptions below are subject to updates, so please check back often!

Cancelled panels are at the bottom of the page!

Presenter: Atari Co-Founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari VP of Games Ethan Stearns, Digital Eclipse editorial director Chris Kohler, and Atari creative director Tim Lapetino
Panel Title: Atari at 52: Digital Eclipse and Atari Continue the Story of the Original Game Company
Panel Description: Through recent releases like Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection Expanded Edition, Digital Eclipse and Atari continue to keep the legacy of Atari alive. Their interactive documentaries tell the stories of video games, through the playable medium of games themselves. Nolan Bushnell, who co-founded Atari in 1972, joins Atari's current VP of Games Ethan Stearns and Digital Eclipse editorial director Chris Kohler, with Atari creative director Tim Lapetino moderating.

Presenter: Eugene Jarvis, George Petro, Tim Kitzrow, Joshua Tsui
Panel Title: Insert Coin: Arcade Games Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Panel Description: Eugene Jarvis (Defender, Robotron, Cruis'n USA), George Petro (NARC, T2, Big Buck Hunter) and Tim Kitzrow (NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, ESPN) band together for a raucous panel about their amazing work in the videogame industry. From the ‘80s and ‘90s with Williams Bally Midway into the modern era with Raw Thrills and Playmechanix, these three have stories to tell! Topics include the wild west days of early game development to the future of location based entertainment and adapting to emerging technologies. Moderated by the director of the feature documentary "Insert Coin" and Director of Innovation at DePaul University, Joshua Tsui.

Presenter: Jeremy Parish / NES Works
Panel Title: Dragon Warrior Reconsidered, 35 Years On
Panel Description: Dragon Quest set the world (or least Japan's console market) ablaze when it arrived on Famicom in 1986. Three years later, Nintendo tried to make lightning strike twice by localizing the game as Dragon Warrior. It didn't go so well. Now, take a look back to the summer of 1989 to explore what went wrong, what went right, and how things could have been different.

Presenter: Pat Contri
Panel Title: Pat Contri - NES Punk, Game Collecting, Books, and More!
Panel Description: Pat Contri celebrates 15 years of being a retro gaming YouTuber! Pat will discuss his history of being a retro gaming "influencer," talk about his projects and the new N64 book, do a Q&A, and maybe have a surprise or two, including the “famous” Play the Punk Challenge!

Presenter: Ken Gagne
Panel Title: The Apple II Origins of Today's Games
Panel Description: The Apple II is known for its impact on the workplace (VisiCalc) and education (Oregon Trail) — but it was also an iconic games machine that launched and inspired franchises that continue to these days. From the early stealth action of Castle Wolfenstein to the strategic depth of Ultima and the revolutionary platforming of Prince of Persia, our panel will delve into how these classic titles laid the groundwork for today's blockbuster games.

Presenter: Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman and Jon Peterson
Panel Title: Dungeons & Dragons: 50 Years of the World's Most Influential Game
Panel Description: Reality is often stranger than fiction, and such is the case with the story Dungeons & Dragons. From its humble beginnings to its controversy-laden rise to stardom, the game's true history is nearly as harrowing as that of its make-believe dungeons. Called "the most influential game," by DOOM co-creator John Romero, 2024 marks the pioneering RPG's 50th anniversary and the game seems to be as big as it's ever been. Join authors and D&D historians Jon Peterson, Kyle Newman and Michael Witwer as they discuss the game's history and its lasting impact on gaming and pop culture.

Presenter: Jack Rudo, Steve Irvin
Panel Title: From Page to Pixel: Everything Frankenstein with Sam Irvin
Panel Description: Join host Jack Rudo; Stapled Spine Horror Fanzine's editor and special guest Sam Irvin; Hollywood director, author and two time Rondo Hatton horror award winner at PRGE! Sam and Jack will take you on a guided tour of all things Frankenstein! From the printed page to the programmed pixel, you won't want to miss this!

Presenter: Jack Rudo
Panel Title: Stapled Spine Horror Fanzine Talk Horror Gaming
Panel Description: HorrOregon's Stapled Spine Fanzine staff writers welcome you to a round table conversation. We're focusing on our favorite Horror video games, pinball tables and more! Join our group of year-round Hallowe'en heads to tromp through the pumpkin patch of grisly games!

Presenter: Chris Chamberlain
Panel Title: Life in the trenches as a Test Lead on Xbox, Xbox 360, Kinect, and Beyond...
Panel Description: We all hear from the VP's and high ups on life at major AAA game studios, but what about the people living in the trenches, working crazy hours to find bugs, hit dates, and get polished games out for the holiday each year? Come hear the ups and downs of a $10 an hour tester who rose in the ranks to become a Test lead from Nintendo 64 to Xbox, to Xbox 360, Kinect, Xbox One, and beyond.

Presenter: Tim Lapetino
Panel Title: Exploring Marvel Video Games of the Bronze Age!
Panel Description: Believe it or not, there was a time when Marvel DIDN'T rule the pop culture landscape! But it's fascinating to see how this comic book company brought its characters to life in pixels long before the MCU was a glimmer in Kevin Feige's eye. Pop culture historian and author Tim Lapetino will take attendees on a visual history tour through a variety of early, amazing, and sometimes painful Marvel video games, showcasing translations of iconic Marvel characters in consoles, arcades, and home computers. The journey will illuminate the successes and challenges of bringing superheroes to the world of games.

Presenter: Dan Molina, Jeff Etter, Lorna Cook, Gary Goldman
Panel Title: Lead on Adventurer: The Dragon's Lair and Space Ace Phenomena
Panel Description: When Dragon's Lair and Space Ace came on the scene in 1983, gamers could hardly believe their ears and eyes. With arcades full of games with pixelated, 8-bit graphics, how could one all of a sudden play a game with visuals that rivaled a Disney animated feature film with top-notch voice performances? Well, it had something to do with gifted creators, artists and laser discs! Join the games' producer Gary Goldman and iconic voice talents Dan Molina (Dirk the Daring), Jeff Etter (Ace), and Lorna Cook (Kimberly) in a panel moderated by New York Times bestselling author Michael Witwer as they discuss how this extraordinary phenomenon came to be.

Presenter: Ralph D’Amato, Nolan Nelson, Chris Rausch, Darren Thorne
Panel Title: The THPS Effect - 25 years of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Panel Description: The overall impact the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series had on the video game, skateboarding and music industries with some behind the scenes stories and Q/A with original developers of the game.

Presenter: NoahTheOtter
Panel Title: Retrogaming on the Spectrum
Panel Description: This panel is dedicated to discussing the comforts of diving into past generations of gaming from the perspective of neurodivergent people! Join NoahTheOtter, the self proclaimed Ott' with Ott-ism, as he discusses his experiences as a neurodivergent person who found many comforts in retrogaming. Noah is a firm believer in gaming actually serving as a tool to connect neurodivergent individuals, and help them find true acceptance.

Presenter: Johnny Millennium
Panel Title: The Love of Retro Gaming
Panel Description: Happy Console Gamer panel Q&A

Presenter: Brett Weiss
Panel Title: I Survived The Great Video Game Crash of 1983
Panel Description: In 1983, I was a teenager with a car, disposable income, and a quickly growing video game collection, thanks in large part to the home console industry crash. I would drive around to various stores, buying Atari 2600, Intellivision, and ColecoVision games for as little as 99 cents each. My panel will cover this fun, but ultimately disastrous time period and provide some lesser-known reasons for the crash. It will be an informal panel with stories and a Q&A.

Presenter: Retro Bird
Panel Title: Get ON My Lawn: Passing Retro Gaming onto the Next Generation
Panel Description: How will retro gaming live on through the younger generations? Retro Bird discusses the obstacles that could prevent this and what current retro gamers can do to help! Bananas are optional, but we encourage families to bring their kids!

Presenter: Phillip Tanner and Andrea Subissati
Panel Title: 30 Years of Atmosfear
Panel Description: Launched in 1991 by a few enterprising game-makers, ATMOSFEAR (known in North America as NIGHTMARE) was a board game sensation, breaking sales records and ushering in a new era of interactive gaming via the inclusion of a VHS tape. Now, after 30 years and several sequels, join Phillip Tanner, the game's creator along with Rue Morgue's Andrea Subissati for a look at the continuing legacy of ATMOSFEAR / NIGHTMARE.

Presenter: Yasmina Ketita, Rue Morgue Magazine
Panel Title: Long Live VHS!
Panel Description: Remember immersing yourselves on Friday nights with renting VHS, eating pizza, and drinking copious amounts of Pepsi clear? While the ‘80s have come and gone, VHS tapes are still admired, collected, and watched. Bust out the VCR and join Rue Morgue’s Yasmina Ketita on a nostalgic look back with a presentation on all things VHS.

Presenter: NTGames Brasil
Panel Title: Tectoy - Sega Lives in Brazil !
Panel Description: If you believe that Sega is dead when we are talking about consoles, you are wrong. Brazil still carries the Sega Master System making the console the longest console living of all generations. Do you want to know how. I'll tell you everything on my panel.

Presenter: SHIRO! Media Group
Panel Title: SEGA: A Company (Too Far) Ahead of Its Time
Panel Description: SEGA was many things, but more than anything, they were always a few steps ahead of where the consumer market actually was. They were practically the antithesis of their conservative rival, Nintendo, reckless and innovative to a fault... They pushed the limits of console gaming with 3-D Glasses, Mega Modem, Lock-On Technology, Sega Channel, Saturn NetLink, PlanetWeb Browser, Online MMORPGs and so much more... Yet the one thing these all have in common is that they came far too early to be appreciated and successful in their time, yet they left ripples throughout the console game industry that can be seen today!

Presenter: Kelsey Lewin
Panel Title: A Wonderversary Celebration: 25 Years of the Wonderswan
Panel Description: The Wonderswan turns 25! …What is the Wonderswan, anyways? And why is it the coolest handheld you don’t have yet? This panel will walk you through Wonderswan history and its coolest features!

Presenter: Scott Adams
Panel Title: That was Then This is Now
Panel Description: In the late 70ies, Adventure Games (also known as Interactive Fiction) made the leap from the computer labs to home computers. Here is a view into the dawn of the computer gaming industry by one of its earliest founders. A look at the success and failures of industry legend Scott Adams, founder of Adventure International and Clopas.

Presenter: Adam Koralik
Panel Title: Prototype & Obscure Console History
Panel Description: Join Adam Koralik and guests as they discuss and show off legendary prototypes like the Sega Pluto and Atari Jaguar Hot Rod Dental Unit, as well as super rare limited edition consoles. Learn about their histories, funny stories, and who knows what else may show up?

Presenter: G To The Next Level
Panel Title: Growing Up... SEGA! - The Impact of Sega's Console History
Panel Description: Join Sega enthusiast, G to The Next Level, as they cover the importance of the house that a hedgehog built with a dive into Sega's full console history, share crucial titles and hidden gems for each system, and chat about personal memories, along with a Growing Up Genesis project update and Q & A!

Presenter: Ted Tahquechi with Jeff Minter and Carrie Tahquechi
Panel Title: SuperZapper Recharge!: Exploring Tempest 2000's Legacy
Panel Description: Tempest 2000, the psychedelic and frenetic follow-up to the classic arcade game Tempest, remains a beloved title for Atari Jaguar enthusiasts. This classic tube shooter, originally developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation, has left an indelible mark on gaming history. Join us as we delve into the creation, impact, and enduring legacy of this exhilarating title. This panel discussion brings together the key figures behind the game for a deep dive into its development and design. Panel guests include Jeff Minter, programmer and designer of Tempest 2000, Carrie Tahquechi, who provided the iconic “SuperZapper Recharge” and “YES! YES! YES!” voices and Ted Tahquechi who was an associate producer for the game and created the male voices. Discussion topics will include: the Birth of Tempest 2000, Jeff Minter’s journey from the original arcade Tempest to the Jaguar remake, challenges faced during development — including adapting to the Jaguar’s hardware, the creation of Tempest 2000's unique visual style and gameplay mechanics, and bringing the game's voice elements to life.

Presenter: James 'Purple' Hampton
Panel Title: Making Alien vs. Predator on the Atari Jaguar - 30th Anniversary
Panel Description: Alien vs. Predator was released on the Atari Jaguar in 1994, and became one of the console's leading exclusive games that gave Players to choose Atari in the emerging console wars. What started as an Atari sub-license deal through Activision and 20th Century Fox, was turned around from being port of a previous Super Nintendo AvP, the Jaguar became a mission based first-person shooter with the unique twist of being able to play all three sides. (the Colonial Marine, the Alien and Predator roles). This panel goes behind the scenes and shares photos and the story of what it took to make and publish the game.

Presenter: Cabel Sasser, Greg Maletic, Neven Mrgan, James Moore
Panel Title: Inside Playdate: The Making of the Quirky Yellow Handheld with a Crank
Panel Description: Join Panic (http://panic.com) co-founder Cabel Sasser, project lead Greg Maletic, creative lead Neven Mrgan, and manufacturing lead James Moore as they reminisce about how their retro-inspired console, Playdate (http://play.date), came about. They'll go in-depth on the challenges they faced, the experience of collaborating with renowned Swedish firm Teenage Engineering (http://teenage.engineering) on Playdate’s industrial design, and the current state of the project that has inspired developers to create nearly 1,000 games in its first two years. (After the session, come meet the panelists and try out Playdate at the Playdate booth! [Show floor location TBD])

Presenter: Ted Tahquechi
Panel Title: Test Drive: Offroad 26 years of Offroad madness
Panel Description: "Dust off your driving gloves and fire up your nostalgia engines! The Test Drive Offroad panel celebrates the classic off-road racing game that dominated PC and PlayStation consoles in the late 90s, featuring its creator and Senior Producer Ted Tahquechi. Gearheads and casual gamers alike can take a trip down memory lane, reliving the thrill of navigating rugged terrain behind the wheel of virtual monsters like the Hummer, Land Rover Defender 90, Jeep Wrangler, and Chevrolet K-1500 Z71. Ted will talk about the creation of the title, and how being one of the first games to feature both licensed music and vehicles set industry trends for years to come. Join us and get ready to revisit the glory days of off-road racing!"

Presenter: Jeff Minter
Panel Title: History of Lamasoft
Panel Description: After having written over 20 commercial games for the most popular 8-bit home computers at the time (Atari, Commodore, Sinclair) Jeff Minter founded Llamasoft in 1982. Legendary games such as 'Attack of the Mutant Camels' for home computers and 'Tempest 2000' for the Atari Jaguar followed. Besides shooters and games involving camelids and ruminants, Jeff has focused on light synthesizers, creating programs such as VLM, Neon and others for game consoles and computers. He has recently appeared in Digital Eclipse's 'Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story'.

Presenter: Faran Thomason with RJ Mical, James "Purple" Hampton, Steve Mitchell and Ted Tahquechi
Panel Title: Handheld Heaven: Atari Lynx and the Pioneers of Portable Gaming
Panel Description: This panel covers topics such as the cult classic Atari Lynx, Edutainment Handhelds, Virtual Pet MMOs, Pac Man Game Watches, as well as other innovative oddities from the toy shelves of gaming history. Panelists will discuss their unique behind the scenes experiences in the world of portable gaming...from a time before everyone had a mini computer in their pocket. Take a fantastic voyage through the miniaturized world of handheld video games. This petite realm of pocket sized fun features a variety of game types from pop culture cash ins to micro versions of arcade classics. While small in size, handheld games were designed to provide big entertainment! (or at least keep kids quiet on a car ride...) In addition to familiar faces this panel will also feature never before seen demos of unreleased handheld games and hardware!

Presenter: Gregory Smith, Charlie Kraslavsky and Eric Pirius
Panel Title: The Making of Resident Evil 1 Bio Hazard Live Scenes
Panel Description: The story behind the making of Resident Evil 1 and the roles of the cast.

Presenter: Howard Scott Warshaw
Panel Title: You Are What You Play
Panel Description: Insights from the industry pioneer turned psychotherapist, with heavy emphasis on the psycho. Howard shows how the games we choose reveal our personality. Also fun stories from the birth of video gaming.

Presenter: Retronauts and Gary Butterfield
Panel Title: History of Bowser
Panel Description: Since his inception nearly 40 years ago, Bowser's gone through several forms, a name change, and has even become a playable character—yet he's still without a game to call his own. And, given that he's firmly in the mid-life crisis stage of his existence, Bowser's biography is vast and rich (and just the tiniest bit pathetic). On this panel, join your friends from the Retronauts podcast as they enlighten you about this very large lizard.

Presenter: Rawson Stovall
Panel Title: Growing Up "Vid Kid"
Panel Description: In 1981 then 9-year old Rawson Stovall played video games on his Atari 2600 and realized that buying games was a bit of a gamble. Unlike movies and TV shows, the video game industry remained uncovered by professional reviewers. After his mother suggested writing reviews himself, Rawson started what ultimately turned into a nationally syndicated video-game column dubbed "The Vid Kid". He met such industry legends as Nolan Bushnell and David Crane, worked with companies like Activision, Imagic and Nintendo and even appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As an adult, Rawson has worked as a game developer and producer for Sony, Activision, Electronic Arts and others. Come join and hear the story of what it was like, growing up "Vid Kid".

Presenter: Jeff Libengood
Panel Title: Street Fighter II: The story of the first live-action Guile
Panel Description: Jeff Libengood has had many accomplishments from his 38 years in Japan. Most notably, his time with Capcom as the first live-action Guile. Making his convention debut at PRGE, Jeff will share amazing stories including starring in the Japanese version of the  "Rocky Horror Picture Show", various Japanese shows and his time as a strength and conditioning coach for a major Japanese baseball team! SONIC BOOM

Presenter: Hosts from Debate This!, The Mass Effect Lorecast, The Witcher Lorecast, and Two Girls One Ship
Panel Title: A (Family) Feud Between Podcasts
Panel Description: It's everybody's favorite game show that isn't Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune. Yep, the Steve Harvey one. It’s a pod-v-pod Family Feud showdown where the hosts of Cyberpunk Lorecast and Mass Effect Lorecast will show off their gaming knowledge against the hosts of Debate This! Survey says…hopefully something assuming we can figure out how surveys work.

Presenter: Metal Jesus Rocks & Radical Reggie
Panel Title: Game Prices & Tips for Collecting
Panel Description: Metal Jesus & Radical Reggie share their knowledge of video game collecting in a challenging market. Learn how to navigate high priced games and get tips on building your game collection.

Presenter: Frank Cifaldi, Video Game History Foundation 
Panel Title: Video Game History Foundation: Prototypes, Explained
Panel Description: Collectors and archivists alike are enthralled by the allure of prototype games, hoping to find lost levels, cut characters, or even entire games that never got released. But what are these things, really? And what should we expect from them? Frank Cifaldi from the VGHF draws on over 25 years of experience handling literally thousands of prototype games to present a unique and entertaining lecture suitable for audiences of all ages and levels of expertise.

Presenter: Bethan Walker & Colin Ryan
Panel Title: Final Fantasy XIV: A Role Reborn - A Conversation with Bethan Walker and Colin Ryan
Panel Description: What goes into voicing a character with an established history and past portrayal? Join us as we speak to Bethan Walker and Colin Ryan about taking up the mantle of Alisaie and Alphinaud after the success of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. And, we'll also be discussing Bethan and Colin's experiences with Final Fantasy, video games, and what place voice acting has in their careers as film and television actors.

Presenter: Brian Volk-Weiss and the Nacelle Team
Panel Title: How Gaming Influenced 'The Toys That Made Us'
Panel Description: Brian Volk-Weiss and the Nacelle team join us to talk about how retro games will be covered in the new episodes of the beloved docuseries, The Toys That Made Us. The series is set to take deep dives into Pokemon, Ghostbusters, Hot Wheels, Fast Food Toys, Polly Pocket, American Greetings, Super Hero Toys and Nerf in seasons 4 and 5.

Cancelled Panels

Presenter: RJ Mical
Panel Title: The History of the Amiga - How it was designed and developed, and its origins as a game system
Panel Description: Released in July 1985, the Amiga computer was a revolutionary computer with phenomenal multi-media graphic and sound capabilities. Originally developed as a game machine, it had a bumpy start but ultimately become the most popular 16/32-bit home computer before being loosing market share to PC compatibles. RJ Mical created the user interface for the Amiga and contributed to hardware design and will dive into the history of this amazing machine.

Presenter: Kelly Bartlett
Panel Title: LEGO & Gaming: The Perfect Pair
Panel Description: From Atari to NES and the games played on modern day consoles, come learn about the ways in which The LEGO Group has incorporated gaming into their sets. Find out what LEGO sets are based on popular video games that anyone can build at home. And take a look at how LEGO hobbyists around the world have built custom models of their favorite gaming moments.