Vendor Hall and Artist Alley: Main Floor
A wide array of dealers selling video games, from local and out-of-town shops, flea market vendors, and independant collections, with a range of old & new games for both the budget conscious deal hunters to the collectors looking for their super rare favourites.
A variety of artists will also be on hand with various video game themed creations of all types and styles.
Unique collectibles, crazy deals, weird oddities, & much more.
(11:00am - 9:00pm)
Free-Play Gaming: Third Floor Theatre & Fourth Floor
Plenty of video games from a variety of retro consoles, modern compilations of retro favourites, and a selection of popular older games. A wide selection of games that are easy to pick up and play, single and multi-player classics to fit every taste.
Now with MANY MORE GAME STATIONS upstairs, as well as classic computer displays outside of the theatre from our friends at the Chilliwack Retro-Computing Club.
(11:00am - 9:00pm)
The Super Smash Bros Experience is the best place to experience the evolution of the Super Smash Bros series from N64 and Melee to Ultimate. Learn the fundamentals with competitive players, hang out and play casually, and compete in tournaments throughout the day. Hosted by MSG, a local tournament organizer keeping Smash mainstream and creating an amazing experience that is unique and engaging!
(11:00am - 9:00pm)
Musical Performances + : Third Floor - Main Theatre
| Time | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 |
Chip Music Showcase
|
Watch as local musicians perform original music by exploiting a variety of vintage computer/gaming systems and other tools of related lineage! Hear what new jams have been cooked up by our team of organizers over the last couple of years. For this edition we're also joined by Megus, longtime chiptune multi-instrumentalist skilled in a wide range of oldschool platforms! Presented by Vancouver Chipmusic Society. |
| 2:30 |
20SIX Hundred
|
Heavily influenced by sci-fi and horror movies, classic video games and synthesizer music of the 80’s, 20SIX Hundred incorporates a retro flavor to his dark Synthwave sounds from a future long forgotten. |
| 4:00 |
The Koopa Troopas
|
Somewhat new to the scene, the Vancouver-based Koopa Troopas are sure to rock the stage with their unique style and familiar melodies. |
| 5:00 |
Costume Contest
|
Show off your finest gaming-themed cosplay outfit on our main stage as our host Kevin Free and his team of judges determine your fate, and the fate of our prizes. |
| 6:30 |
Shane Steward
|
Shane Steward has been playing music and video games for the bulk of his life, and in the past year finally decided to meld the two things he loved most together. He has written several albums of original music, as well as, an additional handful dedicated to covers. |
| 8:00 |
The Wavebirds
|
The Wavebirds are Vancouver's premiere geeky ska-punk band! Their upbeat original songs carry nerdy references on a beat you can dance to, mixed with a couple of crowd-pleasing covers. It's a show for everyone! |
Panels: Fourth Floor
| Time | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | Game Collecting Q&A with John Hancock
Panel Room #1 
|
John is a longtime collector of video games. As one of the original organizers of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, John went on to establish a YouTube channel where he uploads weekly content that covers everything from Atari to Xbox. He loves to share his passion about video games with others. |
| 1:30 | Vancity Video Game Music Trivia
Panel Room #2 
|
Think you know video game music? Think again! Challenge your knowledge in the world of video game music. Participants will face off in a variety of themed challenges but only one can be crowed the winner. This panel will require your participation so join in for fun, challenging and nostalgic rounds of Vancity VGM Trivia. Host Kaisyn Lee Vega has dedicated years to managing and maintaining video game music stations online, such as Radio Nintendo, and runs the YouTube channel "Fiddledo", in which they add lyrics to video game music and ramble about various video game topics. |
| 2:30 | Improv Antiques Roadshow with The Fictionals
Panel Room #1 
|
Dust off those retro games and vintage collectible treasures! The Fictionals are live at VRGE to tell you all about your hidden treasures in the Improv Antiques Roadshow! Our gaming historians will tell you all about your rare finds and hidden treasures, then use them to inspire the comedy scenes! What will we discover this time? It's up to you! |
| 3:00 | How to Make Chip Music in 2022
Panel Room #2 
|
Ever wonder how to make music with that unmistakable retro hardware feel? In this panel we cover all sorts of approaches: from audio plugins that painstakingly emulate classic sound hardware, to music-making programs that target or even run on the actual hardware itself! Our panel of experienced musicians - including Pongball (longtime SNES maven), tssf (16-bit sound hardware guru), and bryface (8-bit aficionado) - will help introduce you to relevant tools, based on which platforms are closest to the hearts of the attendees! |
| 4:00 | Fandom Trivia presents the Question Block Quiz!
Panel Room #1 
|
Test your Video Game knowledge with Fandom Trivia at Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo! Bring your friends and join hosts Jeff and Daniel for the QUESTION BLOCK QUIZ, a fun and interactive trivia panel exploring the history of gaming. There are prizes to win and fun to be had at the Anvil Centre - come on down! |
| 4:30 | Y2K Nostalgia in Gaming - Why Revive Retro?
Panel Room #2 
|
While there are contemporary games coming out which push the limits of today’s graphics cards and technology, the early 2020s is also seeing an emergence of new games that take on the aesthetics of the late 90’s and early 00's. These games take ideas and stylistic choices from 15-20 years ago but merge them with newer features and functions that were not added or possible in their heyday. We want to show the gaming community why retro revival is an important trend and how it ties in with broader Y2K nostalgia trends in popular culture. |
| 5:30 | Retro Gaming Jeopardy
Panel Room #1 
|
A game of Jeopardy with a retro gaming theme where contestants choose an answer from the board and have to respond in the form of a question. The contents of the boards will be about games and consoles that were released from 1962 to 2007. The contestant that ends with the most money* will win a prize. *No real money awarded. |
| 6:00 | Lost Consoles: CD-ROM Edition
Panel Room #2 
|
The modern home console market has a mere three players, but it was not always this way. This panel explores the lesser known machines of the late 80s/early 90s video game boom market, when discs were new, everybody wanted a piece of the pie, and nobody had yet uttered the dreaded word "Playstation". |
| 7:00 | Super Mario Karaoke!
Panel Room #1 
|
Help Kerry and his audio-sensitive friend play through Super Mario Bros. by singing along with such classic hits as Overworld Theme, Underground Theme, Underwater Theme, and more! |
| 7:30 | Homebrew Game Development (making new games on old hardware)
Panel Room #2 
|
Why would someone program a game for a retro game console? What do you do to get started? How do you make games for old hardware? You will hear a group of homebrew developers including David Galloway, Daniel Savage, and Brian Provinciano, talk about why they do it, what it takes to make homebrew games, and the games they've made themselves. Moderated by James Earl O'Brien, host of ZeroPage Homebrew. |
Tournaments: Fourth Floor
| Time | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | Dr. Mario
Tournament Room 
|
The pill popping classic returns... but who will claim the top spot this year? |
| 1:30 | Street Fighter 2
Capital City Classic Arcade 
|
Street Fighter 2 is back!!! Choose your world warrior and sharpen your hyper fighting button-mashing skills, because we're playing this on an arcade cabinet. |
| 2:00 | Super Smash Bros 64
Super Smash Bros Experience 
|
The smash that started it all, back again for another around. |
| 3:00 | Tetris
Tournament Room 
|
BOOM! Tetris for Vancouver. Classic NES block stacking on Type A game mode. Roll on down to battle for dominance or just see how you stack up. Top 8 will go neck and neck until a champion is crowned. |
| 4:00 | Super Smash Bros Melee
Super Smash Bros Experience 
|
A fan favourite Smash Bros for both the casual and hardcore player to enjoy. |
| 5:00 | Mario Kart 64
Tournament Room 
|
The evolution of Mario Kart that re-defined the genre. |
| 6:00 | Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Super Smash Bros Experience 
|
The Ultimate version of Super Smash Bros like you've never seen it. |
| 7:00 | Mario Kart Double Dash
Tournament Room 
|
More Mario Kart action with the Gamecube version returning again this year. |