Classic Gaming Expo Explained

Classic Gaming Expo
Location:	Las Vegas
Status:	Inactive
Genre:	Video games
Country:	United States

Classic Gaming Expo was a gaming convention dedicated to the people, systems and games of the past, with an emphasis on old video games.^[1] The Expo was founded in 1999 by John Hardie, Sean Kelly and Keita Iida, In 2000, Joe Santulli replaced Iida as the show's co-organizer.^[2]

The conventions have typically been held in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, but have sometimes been held in Silicon Valley.^[3] One of the focus areas were visits and panels by industry alumni such as Ralph H. Baer and Nolan Bushnell.

In addition to the expo, Kelly, Hardie and Santulli founded the Videogame History Museum, a traveling museum of classic video games and equipment that is on display at events like E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) and GDC (Game Developers Conference). In April 2016, the traveling museum celebrated the building of a permanent facility known as the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas. Currently, as of May 2020, Hardie is the resident curator.

History

In October 1995, videogame collectors Hardie, Iida and Mike Etler, founded North Atlantic Videogame Aficionados (NAVA) at Video Game Connections, Etler's videogame store in Howell, New Jersey. The purpose of the quarterly event was to provide a meeting place where videogamers could meet and discuss videogame collecting as well as a place to buy, sell and trade games. The group was a hit and attracted collectors from all around the north east from Canada to South Carolina.

In 1998, Hardie and Iida decided to make NAVA national. They teamed up with Richard Tsukiji to include classic gaming memorabilia at Tsukiji's annual World of Atari show.^[4] The show was held in Las Vegas at the Holiday Inn Boardwalk Hotel and Casino on August 21–23, 1998. The event was such a success that Hardie and Iida decided to break away from World of Atari and, along with Sean Kelly, created their own show, Classic Gaming Expo.^[5]

Classic Gaming Expo has been held at the following dates and places:

• 1999 – August 14–15 – Las Vegas – Plaza Hotel
• 2000 – July 29–30 – Las Vegas – Plaza Hotel
• 2001 – August 11–12 – Las Vegas – Plaza Hotel^[6]
• 2002 – August 10–11 – Las Vegas – Plaza Hotel
• 2003 – August 9–10 – Las Vegas – Plaza Hotel
• 2004 – August 21–22 – San Jose – McEnery Convention Center
• 2005 – August 20–21 – Burlingame, California – San Francisco Airport Hilton
• 2007 – July 28–29 - Las Vegas - Riviera Hotel
• 2010 – July 31-August 1 – Las Vegas – Tropicana
• 2012 – August 11–12 – Las Vegas – Plaza Hotel
• 2014 – September 12–14 - Las Vegas - Riviera Hotel

Notes and References

1. Web site: Classic Gaming Expo 2003. Dick Estel's World . 13 October 2014.
2. Web site: J C Herz. In a Time Warp With Pac-Man and Pong. New York Times. 13 October 2014. August 26, 1999.
   - Web site: Jeff Cork . Classic Gaming Expo Growing For 2014 . Gameinformer . October 13, 2014 . August 8, 2014 .
   - Web site: Classic Gaming Expo 1999. Digital Press. October 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141017221126/http://www.cgexpo.com/media_1999.php. October 17, 2014. dead.
   - Web site: Blue Sky Rangers at the 1999 Classic Gaming Expo . Intellivision . October 13, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141104193701/http://intellivisionlives.com/media/stories/vegas.shtml . November 4, 2014 . dead .
3. Web site: Classic Gaming Expo 2004 . Dick Estel's World . 13 October 2014.
4. Web site: Hans Reutter. World of Atari 1998 Video. Hans Reutter. May 30, 2020. Youtube. May 30, 2020.
5. Web site: Hans Reutter. CGE Founders Session 2007 Video. Hans Reutter. May 30, 2020. Youtube. May 30, 2020.
6. Web site: Edward Burns. CGE 2001 Video Montage. Edward Burns. June 9, 2017. Youtube. August 11, 2001.