The first GenCon I ever went to, the classic arcade and console game rooms ended up
being something I stumbled on randomly. And I’m glad I did, because those rooms have become my go-to in case I want to kill some time and don’t have anything else going on.

Last year, about the only thing I found disappointing about GenCon was no arcade or console game room.

When I saw it was back for this year, I was hyped. Bought all-con passes for both. Now my GenCon experience is complete!

That looks too cool. Any idea if there's a list of games that'll be available? And will we need quarters?

The console room has practically any console and any game you can think of.

The arcade cabinets are a mix of both classic games as well as some all-in-one cabinets. They’re all set on freeplay, so
no quarters needed!

Are you referring to the arcade and console rooms with the following ticket prices:

Arcade - $12/hour, $26/day ($24 for Sunday), $76 for the weekend
Console (yes, a separate admission) - $26/day ($24 for Sunday), $76 for the weekend, no hourly available
 

I am hoping the random arcade games in the hallway en route to the Lucas Oil Arena are back, as for whatever reason it brought a smile to my face every time I saw them hanging out in an unexpected location.  Serious "at an amusement park with my parents as a child" vibes or something

But if no quarters are needed, how do we call dibs on a game?  <g>

So what's everyone's go-to game in these rooms? Mine was Q-Bert last time.

Never been to the arcade room at Gencon, but if they have Street Fighter 2 I may have to go stomp some people.

Asteroids, Joust, and Tetris were some of my favorites.

Depends on the year.  Killer Queen was easily the best part of Gen Con 2016 for me.

At my first GC in 2012, seeing (and playing) a Beatmania IIDX cabinet for the first time was a highlight.

My last couple of trips to the arcade room didn't work out as well, because everything I wanted to play was either in rough shape, not working, or taken (or in the case of Killer Queen, *not* enough players), but Crystal Castles was still fun enough.

I ask for advice. This will be the first year that the rest of my family attends with me. One young member of the family will be completely interested in this room, so I plan to buy a 3-day weekend pass. (Which 3 days are covered, by the way?) The other 3 of us won't want to spend as much time there, but one of us will have to accompany the interested child. Should we buy 4 weekend passes? Can we buy 2 and swap them when the chaperone role changes?

Any ideas? 

Thanks! 

What you do depends on how long your child will be in there. If it's only going to be for an hour or two at times, then I would say generics are the way to go. They do accept walk-ups and generics, and despite it not being listed on the events (why escapes me), there are hourly passes for the console room. Just walk up, hand over $12 in generics, and you're good. If your child is going to be there for long periods, then getting an all-con pass would be the way to go, if for nothing else other than convenience. Also, this isn't listed in the event, but proceeds are for charity. Video Game Palooza is hosting these rooms to generate proceeds for providing STEM programs for children and adults of all ages, genders, and races, so if that's a cause you feel worthy of your money, then buying a weekend pass will go towards that.

And to reiterate what mark_a said, it's good for all four days. The three days is a typo.

Thanks for the responses. I bought enough passes to ensure that all of us will have a reason to stop by for a while. How to reserve next up on a game? I'll try to buy some of those metal coins from the vendor hall just for show. 

Anyway, the response email from the host mentioned a  ideo Game Hall of Fame event. I can't find that. Does anyone know anything about this event? 

As for the other thing you mentioned, it's going to be panels and meet & greets/autographs from legendary video game players. That I'm rather skeptical of. In 2019, when they last had the console rooms, one of those legendary players was Billy Mitchell, and he is very controversial. I'm not going to elaborate here what he did, but a quick Google search will reveal the whole story.

Thanks. 

First, there is nothing quite like slapping a quarter down on a console and saying, "I got you next, and you can even keep playing E Honda." It's good natured now, and the quarter might be fake, but I'll still dream of it! 

I met Billy Mitchell and Walter Day that year in the hallway. Controversial or not, it makes an interesting story now. Honestly, who else is there? A quiet speed run champion just doesn't seem as interesting... 

Heads up. Events for Killer Queen and Galaga, Donkey Kong, and Ms. Pac-Man tournaments went up.