Racketboy

Following up on our visit to Cleveland’s Video Game Connection, I thought I would also pass along a video visit to the area’s classic gaming convention, the CCAG.

I didn’t get to stay the whole day, but I was able to browse all the tables, talk to a bunch of people, pick of some classic gaming magazines and a few other goodies.   I was just bummed that I didn’t bring more cash with me.  

There was quite a variety of items and the prices were quite appealing.   Again, I haven’t seen a show like this in my native Michigan, so it was quite a treat for me.  Hope you enjoy the video!

Admission

• The Price of Admission remains the same low $2.00 for Adults and $1.00 for kids 12 and under.
• Contests and Arcade Play is FREE as always and there will be lots of Great Prizes Given Away

October 24th 2009 Schedule of Events

• 12pm: Push Start- Show begins. We will not allow any customers in until Noon. Vendors only before this time.
• 2pm: Chinese Auction #1
  • Chase the Chuckwagon: 1year seller membership.
  • Collectorz: Video Game Pro Collection Cataloging Software.
  • Game Over: Retro DuoSystem with 20 games (10 SNES- 10 NES).
  • Osmodiar’s Games: CCAGMystery Cart #2 (unreleased nes game).
  • Tournament #1: NES Nintendo World Championship
• Performance: Bill White-Video Game Rap Artist. Check out http://tinyurl.com/billwhite for lyrics and downloads!
• 4pm: Chinese Auction #2
  • Chase the Chuckwagon: 1year seller membership.
  • Collectorz: Video Game ProCollection Cataloging Software.
  • Hyperkin: New Gen MobileSystem (handheld Sega Genesis).
  • Good Deal Games: Ginormous Video Game Goodie Bag.
• Tournament#2: SNES Donkey Kong Country Competition
• 6pm: Chinese Auction #3
  • Chase the Chuckwagon: 1year seller membership.
  • Collectorz: Video Game ProCollection Cataloging Software.
  • Retro Zone: UltimateFrogger Championship NES Game.
  • Video Game Connection:Connect-O-Cash $100 Shopping Spree Certificate.
• Tournament #3 XBOX 360 Guitar Hero Van Halen: Eruption . Lead Guitar, Choose your own difficulty.

Where It’s At

American Legion Hall–Clifton Post
22001 Brookpark Rd. Fairview Park, OH
Noon – 8:00 PM
View Map

This summer I just happened to find myself in Cleveland, Ohio and decided to check out what the city had to offer in terms of games stores.  A quick Google search clued me in about Video Game Connection and I contacted Mike, the store’s owner to see if he’d be willing to give me a tour of the place and talk with me a bit.

Turns out he was quite busy getting ready for Cleveland’s Classic Console & Arcade Gaming Show that weekend, but he was kind enough to sqeeze in a little time while he was packing stuff up for the show.    In addition to showing off his store, we shared some good stories of rare games that have passed through Mike’s hands over the years and discussed the business a bit.

Involvement with Cleveland’s CCAG Show

Like I mentioned in the intro, Mike and Video Game Connection is quite involved with the community and the Classic Console & Arcade Gaming Show.  Since it just happened to be going on the weekend I was in town, I got to check it out and I will be posting a video shortly showing that off as well.  (The next show is actually next weekend — October 24th, 2009)

My Thoughts

I have to say I was quite impressed with the place — it had a great selection of fairly-priced stuff to browse through in addition to plenty of screens running retro goodness throughout the premesis.  And of course, in addition to the great setup, Mike seemed like a great guy that would take care of his customers and knows games of all generations.  I can honestly say, I wish I had a place like Video Game Connection closer to my hometown.

Note from racketboy: I’ve had a lot of people over the years asking for a Rackeboy Podcast.  We’ve had a few members volunteering to help out and we’ve finally got a pilot episode ready for listening.   I can’t really take much credit for it though as Dave (known as dsheinem in the forum) took the intiative to put this thing together.  I hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your constructive feedback!

Behind-the-Scenes with Indie RetroGaming Sites

This first show features interviews with the owners/operators of three popular retro-gaming oriented websites:

Hardcore Gaming 101 (hardcoregaming101.net)
HG101 is the place on the web for detailed, in-depth reviews of classic games and game franchises.  I talk to the site’s creator about what he did in high school, site hosting, favorite genres, and what it’s like to be the guinea pig for our initial podcast.

RetroGaming with Racketboy (racketboy.com)
You’re already here!  Find out what Nick thinks of the monster he’s created, what advice he has for other people looking to create their own retro gaming websites, and his future plans for the site.

The Video Game Critic (videogamecritic.net)
He’s averaged almost a review a day for 10 years, so his knowledge of games is immense.  I ask The Critic about his site’s history, his publishing aspirations, his favorite systems and games, and what it means to be a seasonal gamer.

Play & Download

Download MP3

Show Outline

• (Gaiares – Sega Genesis)
• Dave’s Intro
• Interview – Kurt Kulata (hardcoregaming101.net)
• (Master of the Lamps – C64)
• Interview – Nick (aka Racketboy) (racketboy.com)
• (Robo Aleste – Sega CD)
• Interview – The Video Game Critic (videogamecritic.net)
• Dave’s Outro
• (Lords of Thunder – “The High Priest Sornbul”-  Sega CD)

Plans for Future Episodes

In future episodes, I’ll be interviewing people associated with retro games (directors, composers, etc.) and with retro game culture more generally (authors, store owners, webmasters, etc.).   We have lots of ideas for the show, but will be looking for your feedback to make it better as we go.  Make sure to visit our forums and tell us what you think!