TULSA, OK (April 20, 2014) – Classic video games will return from history, as mid-America’s one and only OVGE returns for the tenth Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition!
On August 9, 2014 video game collectors and enthusiasts from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and even further will travel together to PJ Gamers in Broken Arrow to celebrate the history, hobby, collecting, and entertainment of the video gaming industry. “Before the OVGE, people from the surrounding states had to travel across the country for events such as this,” said Jesse Hardesty, founder and organizer of the OVGE. “And since the OVGE first began back in September of 2003, we have inspired many other retro conventions in the surrounding areas.”
In 1972, the release of the Odyssey by Magnavox, the first multi-video game system for the home was a new technological curiosity. Seven years later in 1977, Atari released the 2600VCS and changed home entertainment forever and beginning of a new entertainment industry! Then, in the year of 1983 an overflow of poor games and even poorer sales resulted in the great crash of the video game industry. A crash that wouldn’t heal until 1985, with the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System, video game sales and popularity have flourished ever since!
Still, many video game players find themselves returning to classic video games. With the advanced high definition graphics and motion control of today’s video games, why are so many people fascinated with the classics? “Even though modern game systems have amazing graphics and sound, the most important aspect of any video game is that it actually be fun to play. Because classic game systems, like the Atari 2600, had very simple graphics, game designers had to focus on the game-play.Those same games that were fun in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s are still just as much fun today,” stated Albert Yarusso, modern video game programmer and co-founder of AtariAge.com. It is this simple pick up and play philosophy that makes for quick gaming and is a philosophy still active today with the rise of mobile games and powerful portable handheld gaming systems.
“With video gaming being today’s main form of home entertainment, the history behind it should not be forgotten,” said Hardesty. “The Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition provides today’s youth and their parents a chance to visit and interact with that past.”
This year, some of the proceeds from OVGE will benefit local charites of Tulsa.
Numerous video game systems, computers, and arcade machines, will be set up for the public to play plus tournaments and door prizes! Vendors and exhibitors will have memorabilia on display with most items for purchase.
Doors will open to the public at 9:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. Cost of admission for ages eight and above is $5 dollars at the door.
The OVGE is organized by gaming enthusiasts who want to share their hobby and passion for classic and modern video games with the public. For more information, visit www.ovge.com.
