Audio By Carbonatix
Joystick Jedi and old-school gamers of Arizona, rejoice: ZapCon, the classic arcade and pinball convention, will return to downtown Phoenix for a second round next year. Better start practicing your moves.
See also: Five of Our Favorite Arcade Games From ZapCon in Downtown Phoenix ZapCon at at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel (Slideshow) “The Art of Video Games” Now Open at Phoenix Art Museum
Organizers of the two-day gaming extravaganza posted on the event’s website last Friday that ZapCon will return in 2014 and once again fill a ballroom of the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel with all sorts of bleeps and bloops over the course of an entire weekend in mid-April.
The announcement of ZapCon’s second edition was quick and to the point, but was everything we wanted to hear:
Will you step up to support New Times this year?
At New Times, we’re small and scrappy — and we make the most of every dollar from our supporters. Right now, we’re $17,250 away from reaching our December 31 goal of $30,000. If you’ve ever learned something new, stayed informed, or felt more connected because of New Times, now’s the time to give back.
We are pleased to announce that ZapCon 2014 is a go! More details will be provided as soon as more details exist.
Although it wasn’t specifically stated in the news, images on the ZapCon website indicate that it will be held on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13. And we’re expecting that organizers Wes Cleveland and Zack Johnson once again will hit up collectors of classic pinball machines and retro arcade favorites, the kind that require quarters to play and weren’t inspired by some smartphone game, from throughout Arizona to loan their gems to the event for the entire weekend.
After all, it’s what made the first ZapCon such a blast to attend. Alongside local gamers and vidiots of all ages, we got to spend two straight days inside the darkened milieu of the Renaissance Hotel’s Pueblo Ballroom lit with the multicolored glow of classic game after classic game — not to mention the wealth of old school pinball games that put places like Golfland and Dave ‘n’ Busters to shame. It was a trip into the gaming world’s past that we’re eager to make again.
ZapCon 2014 will take place on April 12 and 13 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel.
Follow Jackalope Ranch on Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest.
