Here's what we have so far, times not yet determined but all will be Saturday:
M&M Show - It Takes a Team to Build a Pinball
Mike Vinikour, Mark Guidarelli, Stern Pinball
Join Stern Pinball’s head of QA and Field Test Group, Mike Vinikour, and Senior Systems Engineer, Mark Guidarelli . They will be hosting a presentation and behind the scenes look at all of the development and testing that is involved in bringing Stern’s games to life. There are many people in addition to the playfield designer and lead programmer that breathe life into a pinball machine. Mike and Mark would like to highlight the supporting cast that powers the more well-known roles. Bring your questions for Q&A and win some swag!
American Pinball
Josh Kugler
Over the last year American Pinball came from out of nowhere to surprise the pinball world when they went from a blank piece of paper to shipping games is just over year. This is American Pinball's first visit to California Extreme and will share the story of their roller coaster ride.
Josh has been a pinball enthusiast since he was 9 years old when he built his first pinball machine out of nails and rubber bands. He first became known to many in the pinball community as a leader in the custom pinball machine arena and has had multiple machines exhibited at Pinball Expo, which is where American Pinball found him. Josh is responsible for the rules and programming at American Pinball, working with the artists, animators, and sound engineers to bring the Houdini pinball machine to life.
How to Make a Million Dollars From Running an Arcade Business in 2018
Minoru Ikeda (Mikado), ShouTime (exA-Arcadia)
Who says running an arcade business can't be wildly profitable?
Mikado is the #1 independent arcade in Tokyo, Japan. It has been featured numerous times across Japanese TV shows, global documentaries and runs a tournament every single day of the year.
Owner, Minoru Ikeda, will talk about how he started the arcade business with no money in 2004 and transformed it into the premier arcade location in 2018 that generates over $1 million in sales annually.
The Decline of Japanese Arcades & The Rise of exA-Arcadia
ShouTime (exA-Arcadia), Minoru Ikeda (Mikado), Yugo Fujioka (Tanoshimasu)
Japanese arcades are considered to be the evergreen mecca of the industry, yet, the truth is that in Japan, they are in severe decline but for different reasons than you may think.
Mikado owner, Minoru Ikeda, will give insight into the problems that Japanese operators face today. Together with exA-Arcadia CEO, ShouTime, and Tanoshimasu Lead Programmer, Yugo Fujioka, they will go into the genesis of the exA project and how it aims to rejuvenate arcades on a global scale. There might even be some new announcements!
Creating Aka & Blue From Outside a Cave
Yugo Fujioka (Tanoshimasu), Minoru Ikeda (Mikado), ShouTime (exA-Arcadia)
Lead programmer, Yugo Fujioka, and soundtrack guitarist, Minoru Ikeda, will discuss the path of how Aka & Blue came to be and his experience in working on bullet hell shooters in a Cave.
Major Havoc – The Promised End
Owen Rubin, Jess Askey, Scott Swazey
Join Owen Rubin, Jess Askey, Scott Swazey, and the ALPHA Hardware Crew to discuss the history, progress and future plans of ‘Major Havoc – The Promised End’. This ROM Hack release restores some missing elements of the game originally planned by Owen along with some new game features and a potential contest.
Small Form Factor, Big Challenges
Matt Sengbusch - Small Change Arcade
Matt will discuss his 40% size arcade cabinets, his passion for graphic design, basic electronics, wood and metal work as well as many of the challenges he faces designing small arcade cabinets while remaining faithful to the original cabinet design and gameplay. Topics may include: Dumpster diving for old TVs and salvaging tubes, working in a tiny apartment workshop, and how Tetris can save your life.
Be a Game Designer!
Cosmo-Shane Gutbrod
Attendees of this session will be challenged to design their own game! Cosmo-Shane, the game designer of the new multiplayer arcade game Cosmotrons, a middle school game design class teacher, and arcade collector, will guide attendees through learning the core elements of game design (ex: mechanics, player choice, risk vs reward). Together we will analyze the design of various games (ex: Pac-man, Defender, Cosmotrons), then attendees will apply their learning by creating ideas of their own! This is an interactive session! Thinking and talking required!
So you want to buy a pinball machine: Acquisition, Feeding, and Basic Maintenance
Tim Showalter
In this Q&A session, we offer advice on how to find a pinball machine, what to look for in a used game, a little bit about how much to pay, some parts and maintenance advice, and the single most important maintenance tip.
How to Play Pinball
Rick Stetta
A Pinball Professor will be there to teach you how. How do you think they do it? I don't know - what makes them so good? Learn from a master of pinball as he teaches his art and techniques. Basic to advanced methods, strategy development - learn how to play your best! Located in the hallway outside the show.
