2025 Guest Speaker List
Saturday Only in the Magnolia room (all times subject to change)
11:00AM – How to Play Pinball (1st opportunity)
Andrei Massenkoff
Schoolteacher and 2011 World Pinball Champion, Andrei Massenkoff, will show you how. How do you think they do it? I don’t know – what makes them so good? From basic to world-class methods, learn the art of pinball techniques and strategies so you can play your best and have even more fun playing pinball! Q&A session will follow.
12:30PM – Behind the Scenes with the Guitar Hero Franchise
Mark Johnson, Lennon Lange
Join us for a behind the scenes look at the making of the Guitar Hero franchise. From the very beginning, to being acquired by Activision and traveling the world, to the downfall of the series from someone who was on the inside the entire time followed by a Q&A.
1:45PM – Sinistar
Sam Dicker, Noah Falstein, RJ Mical (remote), Mike Metz (remote), Jack Haeger (remote), SynaMax (moderator)
Join us as the software engineers and designers of Sinistar reunite for the first time in over 4 decades to reminisce about their work on one of the most innovative video games from the early 80’s. Hosted by SynaMax (known for restoring the game’s codebase and the highly-acclaimed documentary, “Resurrecting Sinistar”), the panel will discuss in-depth on how the game was developed and why Sinistar continues to captivate players even today. In addition, a brand new ROM hack of Sinistar will be available to play on the show floor. This hybrid mod greatly expands upon the original by including rediscovered special effects from the preserved source code and new gameplay features coded by SynaMax.
3:15PM – Early Atari Adventures, Wide Body Madness, and Modern Times at Jersey Jack Pinball
Steve Ritchie
Pinball icon and renowned story teller Steve Ritchie will join us to tell tales of his time making pinball machines. He’ll start off with “Early Atari Adventures”. Then we’ll learn about the differences when creating a wide body vs a narrow body machine in “Widebody Madness”. “Modern Times at Jersey Jack Pinball” is next, followed by a session of Q&A.
4:45PM – Killer Queen: a 10 Year Retrospective
Mike McFarren and Josh DeBonis (BumbleBear), Ken and TJ (grumpy old operators)
Over the last decade, Killer Queen has grown from an indie experiment to a national phenomenon. Join the developers, operators, and players as they reflect on the 10-player cult classic and the community around it.
5:45PM – WPC Games Are Getting Old and So Are We
Chris Kuntz, and TJ Beyer
6:45PM – Indie Games: Everything Old is New Again
Josh DeBonis (BumbleBear), Grayson and Emily Wendell (Sleepy Bits Games), Mark Willson (Lost Generation Games)
Three indie game developers discuss how classic gaming influences their present-day work of making retro-style games, arcade cabinets, and games for classic consoles.
8PM – How to Play Pinball (2nd opportunity) in the Lobby Hallway
Rick Stetta
Pinball playing legend and multiple time world champion Rick Stetta returns for his highly informative session to help you learn the techniques he uses to get those champion level scores.
2025 Live Music
Saturday
- 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Rock Band – The video game (be a rock star on our stage!)
- 7:00 PM – 7:50 PM: Raised On Video (radical 80’s tribute)
- 8:30 PM – 9:20 PM: Surfle Jerks (video game surf tunes)
- 9:50 PM – 10:50 PM: The Megas (video game inspired rock)
- 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Desmond Crisis DJ Set (electronic/synthwave)
Sunday
- 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Rock Band – The video game (be a rock star on our stage!)
