Memories Come Alive at Midwest Gaming Classic

With technology changing so fast that some gadgets almost seem obsolete before they're out of the box, relics of “outdated” technology still draw enthusiastic crowds.

Thousands of video gamers reveled in the new and old at the Midwest Gaming Classic this weekend at the  in Brookfield.

“The festival has really evolved into a celebration of the games we all enjoy and remember,” said Dan Loosen, co-founder of the Midwest Gaming Classic. “People come out because they want to reconnect and reminisce those memories, as well as meet other people doing the same.”

The annual video game festival sprouted from groups of gamers recognizing lesser-known consoles, most notably the Atari Jaguar.

“It was one of the more publicly recognized consoles that never reached its full potential in terms of game development,” Loosen said. “Whether it was the system’s engine or perhaps just that it had the Atari name attached to it, this group of underground gamers did not want to see it die.”

The Jaguar system had a relatively short production run during the mid-’90s, when the original Sony PlayStation hit its peak of popularity. Following the Jaguar’s commercial demise, Internet-based gaming groups began turning up in support of the system. Various groups would eventually unveil discoveries of unreleased games and accessories, as well as games that “homebrew” game developers created for their own consoles without the help of a production company for funding or distribution.

By 1997, the movement grew so big that these groups would organize gatherings throughout the country.

“It was sometime in 1999,” said Loosen, “when we had attended one of these meetings in Rochester, Minn. when (co-founder) Gary (Heil) and I were so taken in by what we were (seeing) that we started to think ‘why can’t we bring something like this to Milwaukee?’ A few years later, the Midwest Gaming Classic was born.”

When they began to organize plans for the original Classic, they wanted to focus on how the Midwest has contributed to the gaming community. It led them to discover that many of the better-known pinball machine manufacturers were located in neighboring states. Although pinball continues to be a mainstay of the event, they have continued to expand the offerings of the annual conference.

An extensive video game museum was set up in the Sheraton's lower level conference rooms, featuring fully-operational gaming consoles which attendees could play. Systems ranged from well-known platforms such as the Commodore and Nintendo to shorter-lived systems like the Odyssey and ADAM home computer.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of Nintendo's most popular game, “Super Mario Bros.” The Classic celebrated the occassion with a party room with birthday cake, games featuring Mario and, on Sunday, an in-person visit from the Mario brothers. There was also a silent auction for a Pioneer laserdisc player that had a full Genesis system built in.

“As people would continue to show for the event,” said Loosen, “it became more apparent that a game doesn’t have to be from a 20-year-old console to be considered a classic. The term ‘classic’ is what you make it.

“Even though gamers will always be discovering newer and more advanced games, they will always take time to revisit the games they remember fondly,” he said. “That’s what this event is all about.”

The event has found a way to connect with a growing audience as it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. While the inaugural event drew about 80 people, last year’s Classic welcomed a little over 5,000 video game enthusiasts from not only around the state and Midwest region, but around the world. 

“We’ve seen and met people who would come in from places as far away as Canada, Australia and western Europe,” Loosen said. “A lot of them have even been to some of the major events on the circuit, such as Classic Gaming Expo (held every summer in Las Vegas).

“One guy from New Jersey even told us that the (Midwest Gaming Classic) has had such impact on him that it actually ruined other events for him. When I hear something like that, I’m just taken back, realizing how far things have come.”