Prepare to be pwned

In the prescient 1984 film The Last Starfighter, a teenage boy masters a video game and is immediately conscripted as a spaceship pilot—because the video game was actually an alien recruiting device. Darn those sneaky aliens! But it was just a movie. No one would ever use a video game to recruit soldiers, right? Well, besides the U.S. Army, which has been doing it for more than six years.

Not to worry, Houstonians: a completely different gaming aesthetic will be on display tonight and tomorrow at the Houston Area Arcade Group's Arcade Expo, "where the games are 8-bit and the mission is fun." Okay, Houstonist just made up that motto. But the sentiment remains.

The Arcade Expo, now in its seventh year, began as a mailing list for arcade and pinball collectors, moderated by local collector and enthusiast Keith Christensen. The mailing list morphed into an organization (the aforementioned HAAG), and in 2002, Christensen organized the inaugural Arcade Expo. For members, it was a chance to meet each other and show off their games; for the public, a chance to play games they haven't seen for 25 years. Come for the rivalry – stay for the revelry!

The first Expo, held at Fitzgerald's in the Heights, featured 66 games and 300 attendees; this year's Expo, at the Reliant Park Crowne Plaza, will have approximately 150 games in the main arcade area, with a separate section for vendors selling memorabilia, pinball parts, and so forth. Expect 80s music on the sound system and maybe, just maybe, a smoke machine for when Whitesnake comes on. No word on whether Tawny Kitaen will electrify the crowd with a surprise appearance. If that doesn't pan out, Christensen can always rely on his secret weapon—the full LP of Buckner & Garcia's "Pac-Man Fever." Nothing gets a crowd fired up like "Do the Donkey Kong" and "Ode to a Centipede."

Although the Arcade Expo's focus is on 80s-era pinball and video games, this year's event has a nod to the present, with a separate area set up for console play: both classic (Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari 2600) and current (Xbox 360, Wii, etc.). Don't expect to get props for your Guitar Hero chops, though; the star of the show will be the 40' projection of the Atari 2600. Pitfall! Like you've never seen it before.

This isn't a sci-fi convention, so you won't see attendees in costumes, only regalia. Will we bust out our Dig Dug t-shirt? Let's just say that Houstonist only has one speed: full throttle. Meanwhile, on Saturday at noon, Vader's Fist, the Star Wars 501st Legion ("The World's Definitive Imperial Costuming Organization") will be making a visit. Why? Why not? Besides, Houstonist hasn't seen anyone in Stormtrooper gear since, well, the RenFaire. Or were those Starfleet uniforms?

Finally, for all the fans of the recent documentary The King of Kong, Billy Mitchell has donated a box of hot sauce specially labeled for this year's show, to be given away as prizes.

The 2008 Arcade Expo
Friday, Nov. 7 (today!) from 6pm-2am
Saturday, Nov. 8 from 10am-2am
Houston Crowne Plaza – Reliant Park
8686 Kirby Dr., Houston, TX 77054
Google Map of the Crowne Plaza - Reliant Park
http://www.arcadecenter.com/

Image: Houston Area Arcade Group