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It was two years ago that we had our inaugural 'Test and Repair Table' at the 2019 Cleveland Classic Console and Arcade Gaming Show. One thing I think most can agree on, that in-between block of time has been unusual and the time before it seems long ago. Finally, thankfully, this year's show came around and it was as excellent as we all hoped!
We took notes from last time and brought even more systems and screens. When it was set up (we had eight folks helping in all) we had twelve screens and over two dozen systems available. From Odyssey 2 to Vita, Atari XE Computers to Xbox 360, Virtua Boy to PC, we attempted to represent as wide a spectrum of video games as possible. Cartridges, optical media, cords, cables, controllers, accessories, systems, almost anything on the convention floor could be tested and/or played. Like last time, we were busy pretty much from the beginning to near the end of the day.
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Pictured: about half of the contents of our table
Having a table at CCAG has undoubtedly saved us lots of money due to limiting my time to browse the vendors, although this time around we had to pick up a few replacements for the table itself. About a month before the actual show I started pulling out the boxes and screens to test everything; we keep most of it in a closet under a set of stairs in the middle of our home, climate controlled and carefully stored. Yet even in such conditions, after two years we had a dead PS3, a fried Colecovision power supply, a Game Boy Advance SP with a bad screen, another GBA SP with a bad battery, three non-functioning Game Gears, and a Commodore VIC-20 that now gives a black screen upon boot-up. Needless to say these setbacks were quite sad; literally all of these worked during the last show and had been stored safely in the meantime.
At the show I was able to buy a replacement PS3 and a NIB (!) Coleco power supply, and by swapping batteries between the GBA SPs I got one working unit again. As for the Game Gears and VIC-20... well, here's to hoping for next year, especially since those were from our private collection. Speaking of which;
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Pictured: Our CCAG 2021 loot
It has been noted in several places here at RFGen that retro game prices have just gotten silly these days. While that was represented in part by the vendors at CCAG 21, there were still deals to be had all over and I was pleasantly surprised. We picked up several C64 and Atari XE carts, some Genesis repros I have been meaning to play, and a few other odds and ends, all for great prices.
While there were fewer arcade and pinball machines (understandable in the current moment,) the entire show floor was busy from start to finish and the turnout was great! The tables were far more spread out than in previous years, and everyone seemed to appreciate and respect each other. There is a reason CCAG is our family's favorite convention, and this year cemented the sentiment all the more. There was simply a great sense of friendliness and enjoyment in the air as we re-connected with folks we missed and met new friends. This was also the first year my Beloved and I brought our two oldest sons to help out, which will go a long way to figuring out how to run our own future convention...
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Speaking of, I collected various phone numbers, emails, and business cards for our upcoming Autism and Gaming Convention (Spec Con) and while I don't have any updates on it quite yet, it is slowly moving forward. 2022 is still the target, but at this point I'll just be happy to get the paperwork and venue established. Anyway, I'd also like to thank all of our friends who made our table happen this year, and I look forward to many more!
http://www.ccagshow.com/index.php
