Game On Expo

Game On Expo
Game On Expo
Status	Active
Genre	Video Games, Anime, TCG, Arcade, Tabletop gaming, Cosplay,
Frequency	Annual
Venue	Phoenix Convention Center
Location(s)	Phoenix, Arizona
Country	United States
Years active	2015-current
Inaugurated	2015
Founder	Collector's Marketplace, Gamester81 Enterprises LLC, Heine House Entertainment
Website	gameonexpo.com

Last updated October 16, 2023

Game On Expo is a multimedia gaming convention that began in August 2015, and is the largest gaming and anime convention in Arizona. It covers all types of gaming from video games and arcades to board games and tabletop games. The expo boasts a large vendor hall, video game lounge area, free-play arcades, tournaments (both video and card games), cosplay contests, panels, and a variety of special guests.

The most recent Game On Expo 2022 event had over 12,000 attendees, and Game On Expo has seen significant growth year over year for every event.

The Game On Expo is also host of the annual event "Retro World Championships". This event is organized by Dorion Whitlock (Nintendo PowerFest '94 finalist), Mike Iarossi (Nintendo PowerFest champion, Chris Tang (Sega's Rock the Rock champion), and Thor Aackerlund (original Nintendo World Championships champion. The Retro World Championships is sponsored by RetroUSB who provides a limited edition special Game On Expo edition cart as the main prize.

In 2016 the Game On Expo expanded to the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the Mesa Convention Center. It introduced live music for the first time, and video game voice actors, including Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, and Darin De Paul.

In 2017 the Game On Expo expanded and moved to the Phoenix Convention Center. During that year the Game On Expo featured a Mortal Kombat 25th Anniversary reunion featuring Daniel Pesina (Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Scorpion), John Parrish (Jax), Lia Montelongo (Sindel, Sareena, Tayna), Brian Glynn (Shao Kahn), Kerri Ann Hoskins (Sonya Blade), and Dr. Phillip Ahn (Shang Tsung). It also featured significantly larger vendor hall, freeplay arcade, and had voice actors from games including: Overwatch, The Walking Dead series, the Mass Effect series, The Orange Box, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and more.

In 2018 Game On Expo saw continued growth and expanded the overall space for the event. It figured the first Maid Cafe event at Game On Expo in 2018, and there was a Pachinko room added.

In 2019 Game On Expo saw a 30% increase in attendance from 2018, and expanded the guest lineups to include the first ever original Pokemon guest reunion, which was created and organized by that year's Game On Expo program coordinator Amena Kamel, as well as featured the voices of Mario, Bowser, and Peach.

In 2020 Game On Expo didn't happen at the Phoenix Convention Center, however Game On Expo hosted the Game On Mega Drive-In which held at on August 8, 2020, at WestWorld of Scottsdale. There was a Super Smash Ultimate tournament, live music, and featured the movies The Wizard and Max Reload and the Nether Blasters.

In 2021 Game On Expo didn't happen because of the COVID pandemic.

In 2022 Game On Expo returned to the Phoenix Convention Center and experience a 50% growth over the 2019 event. It also expanded on both the anime and tabletop gaming content, and returned the Classic Tetris World Championship qualifiers. It also introduced both the Art of Nintendo Power Exhibit as well as bringing Altered Combat which hosted laser tag for the first time. Also in 2022 Game On Expo introduced the first Gamonathon gaming tournament which put sixteen lucky attendees competing against each over selected retro games. The winner won a box Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch OLED with games.

Game On Expo 2015 inaugural at the Mesa Convention Center

Event history

Date	Location	Special Guests	Musical Performances
August 28–30, 2015	Mesa Convention Center	Mark Soderwall, Keith Robinson, Rob McCallum, Brenda Huff, Jirard "The Completionist" Khali, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Norman Caruso, John "Gamester81" Lester, The Game Chasers, Retroliberty, Jason Heine, William "Willie!" Culver, Mike Kennedy, CollectorVision Games, Joe Granato, Mike Iarossi, Angelica Danger Dawn, Luluko Cosplay, Courtney Leigh, Firelight Cosplay, Kiba the Cosplay Corgi
August 5–7, 2016	Mesa Convention Center	Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, Darin De Paul, Al Lowe, ProJared, Jirard "The Completionist" Khali, AlphaOmegaSin, Metal Jesus, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Johnny Millenium, Norman Caruso, Alex Faciane, Pete Dorr, John "Gamester81" Lester, The Game Chasers, Scottsquatch, 8-bit Eric, RetroLiberty, Rob McCallum, Thor Aackerlund, Chris Tang, Chris Pope, Mike Iarossi, Jason Heine, Courtney Leigh, Amber Brite, CollectorVision Games, Kiba the Cosplay Corgi.	Tropical Girls, Adventureface the Obsidian Image, Amplitude Problem w/ Max James, Gran Turismo オーバードライブ 89, Militia Joan Hart, Minibosses, Syntax, Dratini on the Rocks, Robots With Rayguns, VoidBreaker, The Warhorse, The Gothsicles, Future Holotape, Jason Heine, Dungeon Destroyah, Ichi Sound, WOLFZiE
August 11–13, 2017	Phoenix Convention Center	Dave Fennoy, Melissa Hutchison, Patricia Summersett, Carolina Ravassa, Anjali Bhimani, Josh Petersdorf Mark Meer, Ellen McLain, John Patrick Lowrie, Quinton Flynn, Master Daniel Pesina, Brian Glynn, Kerri Ann Hoskins, Dr. Phillip Ahn, Lia Montelongo, John Parrish, Phil Moore, Mark Crowe, Andre Meadows, Metal Jesus, Norman Caruso, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Ian Ferguson, Game Sack, AntDude, The Game Chasers, Wood Hawker, 8-Bit Eric, Chris Pope, Amanda Hosler, Thor Aackerlund, John "Numbers" Goldberg, Courtney Leigh, Mike Iarossi, Dorion Whitlock, Chris Tang, Amber Brite, Brenda Huff, Jeffrey Wittenhagen, Kirby the Cosplay Corgi, Kama Bree aka Khainsaw	Wolfie, Super MadNES, C.O.R.Y., Dungeon Destroyah, Kawaii Robot Shark, Robots with Rayguns, Sergio & the Holograms, DreamReaper, LNDRMN, Bit Mortis, The Gothsicles, FYGAR, Neuron Spectre, Mega Ran, Buried for a Day, ^[1]
August 10–12, 2018	Phoenix Convention Center	Troy Baker, Jennifer Hale, Steve Downes, Jonny Cruz, Greg Bryk, Carlos Ferro, Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil, Andre Meadows, Master Daniel Pesina, Anthony Marquez, Elizabeth Malecki, Richard Divizio, Brian Colin, Eric Wile, Tom Filsinger, Wood Hawker, Pat "The NES Punk" Contri, Alex Faciane, Jimmy "Lots of Games" Graham, Bill & Jay from The Game Chasers, Chris Pope, Chris Tang, 8-Bit Eric, John Riggs, Reggie Williams, Erik Pierson, C.J. Wilson, White & Fonda, Tyler Esposito, Joe Granado, Jack "Dead Flip" Danger, Imoto Arcade, Terry and Dan Diebold, Brett Weiss, Jeffrey Wittenhagen, Jacob Ross, Sid Seattle, Jaded, Jared Thorbahn	Kawaii Robot Shark, Sergio and the Holograms, 8-Bit Zero, Super MadNES, Bit Mortis, Mega Ran, Mercuruis FM, Minibosses
August 9–11, 2019	Phoenix Convention Center	Charles Martinet, Kenny James, Jen Taylor, Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Tara Sands, Rachael Lillis, Megan Hollingshead, Hellena Taylor, Mary Gibbs, Tim Kitzrow, Paul E Niemeyer, Master Daniel Pesina,, Eric Wile, Bill & Jay from The Game Chasers, Chris Tang, 8-Bit Eric, John Riggs, Reggie Williams, Erik Pierson, Jeffrey Wittenhagen,	Sergio and the Holograms, Super MadNES, Bit Mortis, Mega Ran, Snailmate Mercuruis FM, Minibosses
August 7th-8th, 2020	WestWorld of Scottsdale	The first Game On Mega Drive In was held at the WestWorld of Scottsdale, and featured live music, movies, and gaming tournaments all on a huge digital screen in the comfort of a car.	Played The Wizard movie, as well as Max Reload and the Nether Blasters movie debut.
2021		No Game On Expo due to COVID-19.
August 5th-7th, 2022	Phoenix Convention Center	Steve Burton, George Newbern, Kira Buckland, Casey Mongillo, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Mela Lee, Kellen Goff, Roger Craig Smith, Laura Faye Smith, Cherami Leigh, Tim Kitzrow, Paul E Niemeyer, Master Daniel Pesina,, Metal Jesus Rocks, Radical Reggie, Chris Tang, David Kaye, John Riggs, Ho-Sung Pak, Erik Pierson, Joel Vallie, Michelle Ruff, Lauren Landa, Landon McDonald, Jirard The Completionist, FANTAVISION	Super Smack Mega Ran, Mega Ran Mercuruis FM, Minibosses

Related Research Articles

E3 is a trade event for the video game industry in the United States. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publishers, hardware, and accessory manufacturers use to introduce and advertise upcoming games and game-related merchandise to retailers and to members of the press. E3 includes an exhibition floor for developers, publishers, and manufacturers to showcase their titles and products for sale in the upcoming year. Before and during the event, publishers and hardware manufacturers usually hold press conferences to announce new games and products.

Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first weekend of July, spanning the course of four days. Anime Expo is regularly hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center but has also been held in other cities such as Anaheim, San Jose, New York, and Tokyo.

A gaming convention is a gathering centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three business days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel.

MomoCon is a fan convention held in March or May in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tekko is an annual four-day anime convention held during July at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The convention has been held in various locations around the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and is run by a non-profit organization, the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society (PJCS). Tekkoshocon's name was a blend of the Japanese word tekkosho, meaning steel mill, and adapting the suffix "-con", which is a common nomenclature archetype among such conventions.

PAX is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia in the United States; and Melbourne in Australia. PAX was previously held annually in San Antonio in the United States.

Otakuthon is Canada's largest anime convention promoting Japanese animation (anime), Japanese graphic novels (manga), related gaming and Japanese pop-culture. It is held annually for 3 days in downtown Montreal during a weekend in August. It is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention that was initiated by Concordia University's anime club, named Otaku Anime of Concordia University. The name "Otakuthon" is a portmanteau of the Japanese word "otaku" and "marathon". Otakuthon strives to be a bilingual event, having programming, the masquerade and the program book in both official languages. The first edition of Otakuthon was held in 2006 in mid-June, but later moved to early-mid August / late July from 2007 onward. The most recent edition, Otakuthon 2023, was held on August 11–13, 2023 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. As of 2023, Otakuthon surpassed Toronto's Anime North to become Canada's largest Anime convention.

MAGFest is an annual festival held in the Washington metropolitan area that celebrates video games and video game music, as well as their surrounding culture. MAGFest's primary features are a large open video gaming room, a hall of arcade cabinets, concerts by chiptune artists and video game cover bands, and a bring your own computer (BYOC) LAN party.

Zenkaikon is a multi-genre convention held during spring at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The convention was formerly based around King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Zenkaikon's name is a portmanteau of Zentrancon and Kosaikon, created when they merged in 2006. The convention has an all-volunteer staff.

AVCon, abbreviated from Adelaide's Anime and Video Games Festival, is an Australian anime and video games festival held in Adelaide, South Australia and organised by the registered not for profit charity Team AVCon Inc. The festival is traditionally held annually in July, spanning three days, first at the University of Adelaide, then at the Adelaide Convention Centre since 2009. The festival was not held between 2020 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but returned in 2023 at the Convention Centre.

The Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show is an annual pinball and arcade game festival held in Tacoma, Washington, United States.

L.A. Comic Con is a three-day multi-genre convention held annually in downtown Los Angeles, California. L.A. Comic Con is one of the largest independent conventions in the United States and encompasses several categories, including comic, horror, sci-fi, anime, gaming, and pop culture, with a particular focus on the local Los Angeles community.

UK Games Expo (UKGE) is tabletop-game convention and trade fair held annually at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

The Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) is a video game competition series, hosted by the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. The competition launched in 2010, during the filming of Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters to determine the world's greatest Tetris player. The champion of each tournament receives the Jonas Neubauer Memorial Trophy, named after the seven-time record setting champion who died in 2021. In its first two years, the competition was held in Los Angeles, California, but was moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2012, and has been held there annually since.

Thy Geekdom Con is a multi-genre convention held annually at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, PA. The convention has a wide array of activities that feature panels, live performances, video game tournaments, artist alley, dealers room, and celebrity guests.

Glass City Con X Midwest Media Expo was a two-day multi-genre convention held during July at the SeaGate Convention Centre in Toledo, Ohio. The convention was created by the merger of Glass City Con and Midwest Media Expo. This event only lasted a year before becoming inactive with an uncertain future.

Crunchyroll Expo (CRX) is an annual three-day anime convention held during August/September at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California over Labor Day weekend. The convention is organized by anime licensor Crunchyroll and LeftField Media.

Comic Con Liverpool is a fan convention held twice a year in the city of Liverpool, United Kingdom attracting 44,000+ attendees across two large venues situated along the Liverpool waterfront, that celebrates films, popular culture, cult television, video gaming, anime, cosplay and comic books which is organised by UK Events company Monopoly Events.

References

↑ Leatherman, Benjamin (8 August 2018). "Everything You Need to Know About Game On Expo 2018". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 16 September 2018.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Leatherman_2018-1] Leatherman, Benjamin (8 August 2018). "Everything You Need to Know About Game On Expo 2018". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 16 September 2018.

[1]