Portland, Oregon is famous for its hipsters, its food carts, and its microbreweries. Not only is it one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world, but now it is home to the Retro Gaming Expo – a convention of classic arcade games and challenges set to last through October 18 and 19.
Two primary contributors to the event, the Portland Arcade Collectors and the owners of Portland’s top barcade “Ground Kontrol”, are filling the Oregon Convention Center with upright arcade games, classic arcade cocktail tables and more. They built their collection by finding arcade games for sale and refurbishing them.
Now it’s time to put the games to good use. Visitors can buy tickets in advance or at the door, and can plan on paying between $16 and $32. But once you get inside, it’s all free. There are no change machines and all the games are set to free play.
Expo-goers can even sign up to battle head-to-head in the Classic Tetris World Championships. This is the fifth year of the five round tournament, with 32 brackets containing some of the top gamers in Oregon. There is also an amateur tournament, for those that want to work on their Tetris skills and build up to the professional level.
It’s definitely all fun, but not all games at the Retro Gaming Expo. There are also two keynote speakers, who gamers might recognize as previous Sega of America executives: Tom Kalinske and Al Nilsen. David Crane, co-founder of Activision, will also be speaking at the event.
Last but not least, for those looking to bring home a souvenir, there will be a live auction of paraphernalia and arcade games for sale, along with rare collectibles.
If you’re not lucky enough to be a Portland resident, plan your next vacation around the city’s annual Retro Gaming Expo and get your chance to play hundreds of classic arcade games in the most-loved city in the Northwest.