2026 Guest Speaker List
All talks will take place in the Magnolia room only on Saturday (times TBD)
Atari alumni: Al Alcorn, Ed Logg, Rich Moore, Owen Rubin
Dale Luck, moderator
Was there a real official Atari Pong cocktail game? Al Alcorn tells the story.
Al also has stories of the creation of the first arcade themed restaurant/bar, Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater. It opened up in 1977.
Rich Moore and Ed Logg will talk about the creation of the first Atari vector game Lunar Lander and share insights on the influence of the DEC GT40’s Lunar Lander program.
Owen Rubin will add his stories of later generation Atari vectors like Space Duel.
Bring your questions for these experts to answer.
Return of the Vid Kidz: An In-Depth Look at Robotron and Blaster
SynaMax with Duncan Brown, Larry DeMar, and Eugene Jarvis remotely
Pioneering game designers Larry Demar and Eugene Jarvis, along with software designer, preservationist, and Williams history expert Duncan Brown, will join in to discuss recently recovered special effects demos, missing prototypes, and early art assets to Robotron: 2084 and Blaster. Hosted by historian, filmmaker, and self-taught programmer SynaMax, the amount of new content that has been rescued is truly astounding and gives us a much more vivid understanding on how these beloved games were created. If you’re a fan of video game history, you don’t want to miss this!
Resident Evil: 30 Years Of Survival Horror – Q & A Session with original “Chris Redfield”, Live-Action Actor, Charlie Kraslavsky
Moderated by Jim B. of Malice Media LLC.
March 30th,1996 marks the date that the very first “Resident Evil” video game was released on the (then) new Sony Playstation, 32-bit (aka PS One / PS1 / PSX) console. From its groundbreaking storyline, gameplay and (in)famous live-action FMV (Full Motion Video) sequences, players were introduced to characters who would eventually become legendary within the long spanning, beloved game franchise released by Capcom. Join Charlie Kraslavsky, the Original Live Action Actor who portrayed “Chris Redfield” in the FMV sequences of “Resident Evil” (aka “Bio Hazard” in Japan), for a Q & A Session, which may feature viewings of the original FMV scenes as well as some behind-the-scenes videos.
How to Play Pinball (two sessions)
Andrei Massenkoff
Schoolteacher and 2011 World Pinball Champion, Andrei Massenkoff, will show you how. How do you think he does it? I don’t know – what makes him 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.
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.
Tempest in Purple!
David Shuman, Jonathan Koolpe, Owen Rubin
Tempest is to this day considered one of the greatest video games ever. But could it be improved even further using today’s technology? Join original Atari alumni Owen Rubin along with a panel of Tempest enthusiasts/experts (including programmer David Shuman, and expert player Jonathan Koolpe) to discuss the inspirations involved to enhance the game (without losing any of what already makes it so amazing) and the subsequent use of AI to create an entirely new set of purple Tempest levels with increased difficulty beyond the original game as well as the ability to track 7 digit scoring! Discussion will include actual demonstration of gameplay on these new levels as well as how to add them to the original game.
Saving Arcade Monitors by Creating My Own Chassis
Thomas Daede
Frustrated by continual repairs to old CRT chassis, I decided to design my own from scratch, but using modern parts. Learn about the various electronics needed to drive a CRT and yoke, and how my approach differs from classic designs. I will describe how I adapt it to various tubes, all the way from 6″ portable sets, to K7000 sets, to large sit-down arcade monitors.
Designing Games From the Hardware Up
James Hofmann, Tamara Duplantis
Original arcade boards existed in a world where the hardware was cutting-edge, scarce and valuable. Today, hardware capable of authentic arcade experiences is old, widely available, and inexpensive, and small independents with no backing are making new retro-style machines and “fantasy” machines. This talk showcases what the homebrew community is doing, the approaches they’re taking, and why they aren’t using modern platforms and technologies.
2026 Live Music
Saturday
12 PM Rock Band (Free Play) – Be a star on our stage!
7 PM MunzadetH
8:15 PM Bonehenge
9:45 PM Kirby’s Dream Band
11 PM DJ Desmond Crisis
Sunday
12 PM Rock Band (Free Play) – Be a star on our stage!
4 PM Mega Ran
