CGE2K7 DVD Review

As far as retro videogame-themed shows go, Classic Gaming Expo (CGE) has been the mecca for classic games over the past ten years. Along with buying and selling old videogames at CGE, retrogaming attendees get the unique opportunity to rub elbows with some of the legends who created them. With a list of speakers plucked from the “Who’s Who” of classic gaming circles, games for sale ranging from a buck to thousands of dollars, and a videogame museum full of prototypes, artwork, and rare or even onel-of-a-kind items, Classic Gaming Expo has carved out a niche as the destination where retrogaming collectors congregate to swap both games and stories.

CGE relocated to San Jose in 04, and moved to Burlingame (just south of SF) in 05 before going back to Vegas in 07.

After a several year run in Las Vegas, the show moved to San Jose in 2004 and Burlingame in 2005. There was no show in 2006, and in 2007 the show returned to its roots at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. The show was taped in its entirety by retrogaming collector and proprietor of TheLogBook.com, Earl “Phosphor Dot Fossils” Green. With no CGE in 2008 and a recent announcement that there won’t be a 2009 show either, those looking for classic gaming tales will have to settle for this 4-DVD set instead.

Each of the package’s four discs are dual-layer and contain approximately three hours of video each. The first two discs contain recordings of the speaker panels that were viewable by the public. Disc One contains “Jay Smith – Father of the Vectrex”, “The Activision Designers”, and “Programming the Atari 2600”, with each program running essentially an hour. Disc Two contains “Al Alcorn: Where Did Atari Come From?”, “The Making of Intellivision”, and “The Future of Videogame Journalism”, again each being an hour long. All of the panels were captured from multiple angles using multiple cameras giving the final product a professional feel, and each panel contains multiple chapter stops to help viewers skip around and find specific stories. The only sore spot here is the audio; a few of the panel participants seem afraid of the microphone, and I found myself adjusting the volume on my television’s remote often depending on who was speaking.

Disc Three contains a recording of the entire 2007 CGE Auction, a yearly event that raises money for charity (and helps cover expo bills). While interesting to watch once, I can’t see sitting through the three-hour presentation too many times. If you consider yourself to be a “hardcore” collector, just wait until you see people bidding thousands of dollars on videogames and hundreds of dollars on “unknown mystery boxes” that contain either rare items or, as auctioneer John Hardie put it, “crap”.

Disc Four contains two additional hour-long programs, “CGE Stories” and the Alumni Dinner. The Alumni Dinner was not open to the public, so it’s a treat to peek backstage get to see and hear gaming legends like Walter Day, Garry Kitchen and Bill Kunkel speak candidly here. The “CGE Stories” segment, featuring CGE founders John Hardie, Sean Kelly, and Joe Santulli is also a great look “behind the scenes” at what it takes to put a show like CGE together. Also on Disc Four you’ll find the CGE Bonus Features, with over a gig and a half of digital pictures from every CGE to date.

The only thing I felt was missing was footage of the show itself. Without any video from the show’s floor or the incredible museum, viewers really don’t get a sense of “being there” or how awesome CGE2K7 really was. Those who weren’t able to physically make it Vegas in 2007 will have to settle for the more than two thousand still photographs included in the bonus folder on the fourth DVD that cover CGE2K7 all the way back to the first show in 1999.

With no planned show on the horizon, this DVD set may be the only way to get your CGE fix for quite some time.

Disc One
Jay Smith – Father of Vectrex (50:06)
The Activision Designers (57:55)
featuring Glyn Anderson, Steve Cartwright, David Crane, Garry Kitchen
Programming The Atari 2600 (58:00)
featuring David Crane, Keithen Hayenga, Bob Polaro, Steve Woita, Steve Wright

Disc Two
Al Alcorn: Where Did Atari Come From? (59:21)
The Making Of Intellivision (1:01:12)
featuring Glyn Anderson, Keith Robinson, John P. Sohl, Dave Warhol
The Future Of Video Game Journalism (52:42)
featuring Chris Bieniek, Chris Kohler, Bill Kunkel

Disc Three
CGE Auction 2007 (~3 Hours)

Disc Four
CGE Stories (53:03)
featuring John Hardie, Sean Kelly, Joe Santulli
Alumni Dinner 2007 (41:34)
featuring Al Alcorn, Walter Day, Garry Kitchen, Bill Kunkel, Keith Robinson
CGE Bonus Features (1.6 gigs)
with photos, programs and more from World Of Atari through CGE 2007

Available at TheLogBook.com

View my pictures from the 2007 show.

4 comments to CGE2K7 DVD Review

  • PapaStu

    CGE relocated to San Jose in 04, and moved to Burlingame (just south of SF) in 05 before going back to Vegas in 07.

    Otherwise great review!

  • Ice Cream Jonsey

    Gyaaaah! I went from having no idea this was in the works to needing it badly in a split second. 50 minutes of content on the Vectrex!! I am so there.

  • Nice review, thanks Rob!

  • Good review. I agree about the sound issue. I watched the Jay Smith section and I had to turn the sound way up. You can’t really blame Earl on this. Like you said the speakers would move in and out of the microphone. Also the hotel had a lousy sound system and Earl had to make do with what he had. Still, it’s a hell of a lot better than the video I made back in 1999: You couldn’t hear what people were saying.

.xX[ MY INFO/LINKS ]Xx.

My EMAIL
My RSS FEED
My SUBSCRIPTION (Blog)
My Twitter
My YouTube

My Books
My Portfolio
My Podcasts
Review-O-Matic (Reviews)

.xX[ SUB-PAGES ]Xx.

My ARCADE GAMES
My SOFTWARE
My PHOTO GALLERY
My WRITING ADVICE
Every CAR I'VE OWNED
Every STATE I'VE VISITED

Latest Tweets