Date: 19th-21st July 2024 Location: The Cobb Galleria Convention Center, Marriott Renaissance Waverly Atlanta, GA, USA The 2024 edition of the Southern Fried Gaming Expo (known also as SFGE) was the 10th presented by organizers Preston Burt, Patrick Wall, and the many volunteers known as the ‘SFGE Troopers’. This is where SFGE 2024 is located – easy access from Interstate 285 SFGE has become a multi-gaming show much as many similar shows across the country have adopted this format. In addition to pinball and arcade games of all kinds, SFGE also includes board games, vintage computers, console games, the HOTLanta extreme-eating challenge, eSports open play and tournaments, panel discussions, concerts and cosplay, to name but a few of the attractions available in the three days of SFGE 2024. Board game swap area There was also a large area set aside for a full-sized ring where the Southern States Pro Wrestling group presented high-flying live wresting daily. Some delightful woodrails to play The largest dedicated space for SFGE was the arcade area with over 400 pinball and arcade games set to free play as well as the display n’ play areas by Marco Specialties, Chicago Gaming, Spooky Pinball, Jersey Jack, and others where you could play the latest games and pick up some swag. Surely this must be every “Ice Cold Beer” left in Atlanta Some of the guests enjoying the arcade area A sampling of the games shown and available to play at SFGE: Looney Toons, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween Spooky Pinball: Looney Tunes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Scooby-Doo: Where Are You! Halloween Legends of Valhalla and Pulp Fiction Chicago Gaming Company: Pulp Fiction Cactus Canyon Remake Medieval Madness Remake Monster Bash Remake Two versions of Elton John Jersey Jack Pinball: Elton John The Godfather Toy Story 4 American Pinball: Barry O’s Barbecue Challenge Houdini: Master of Mystery Hot Wheels Jaws and Venom set up in the Marco area Stern Pinball: John Wick Godzilla 70th Anniversary Jaws James Bond 007 Venom Many accessory, art and third party companies were also on hand and offering items for purchase. Replacement parts and Upgrade parts Near the registration desk, SFGE swag was available for purchase including several designs of show T-shirts in sizes up to 6X! SFGR 2024 Swag For Sale There were also areas set aside for open console gaming and computer gaming. There were literally thousands of classic and current titles from which to choose. Many board game vendors with the latest titles for sale Tournaments included Super Smash Brothers Ulimate, Age of Sigmar, Beyblade, Fortnight Solos, Street Fighter IV, Just Dance, Techmo Bowl, Gran Turismo 7, Madden 2024, Crokinole, Mario Kart FFA, Video Game Name That Tune, Rock Band Karaoke, Age of Sigmar, Mortal Kombat, Rock Paper Scissors, Binho, Joust Mania, Rocket League, Speed Chess, Majority Rules Battle Royale among others!In the center of the board game vendor area there were tables set up for gamers. Some games were hosted by local groups and others were ‘open’ spaces for attendees to set up and play a game that they just purchased or that they brought with them. Board game accessories were available A large number of board game companies and vendors were on hand The film Going Cardboard – A Board Game Documentary was shown at SFGE 2024. It is a documentary about the American adoption of German-style board games as well as coverage and history of the board game event Spiel held annually in Essen, Germany. The film is available on DVD and Lorien Green has a playlist on YouTube with clips from the film as well as bonus features. For the first time, SFGE had food trucks on hand in addition to the usual dining and beverage options in the Cobb Galleria and the Marriott hotel. I hope that the food trucks become an SFGE tradition going forward. Two food trucks this year There was an array of panel discussions such as Elliot Eismin discussing the creation of the John Wick pinball game, Scott Innes speaking about being a voice actor, Jersey Jack Pinball discussing their latest releases (and what might be coming), Stern’s Dwight Sullivan discussing ‘Inside Stern’ and taking questions from the guests, GenXGrownup discussed monetizing their podcasts, Charlie’s son Corwin Emery of Spooky Pinball talked about Spooky’s future, and dozens more! Panel Discussions SFGE Troopers Tyler Campbell and Tommy Vernieri took charge of managing the SFGE pinball tournaments which had the results submitted to the IFPA. The pinball tournaments paid cash prizes and merchandise. Tyler has said that he will publish the tournament results as well as photos on the www.gameatl.com site within the next few weeks. Sci-Fi art was on hand in abundance At the Saturday night Appreciation Dinner, the third annual Marc Mandeltort Distinguished Gamer Award was presented by Patrick Wall. This award was created to recognize an individual with an intense enthusiasm for gaming and who supports others in the gaming community. The winner of this award must have a passion for helping others and sharing their gaming knowledge through words, actions, and social presence. This year’s award winner was Imoto Harney. I would encourage you to read Patrick’s award induction speech which is located at gameatl.com/marc-mandeltort-award. Past winners of the Distinguished Gamer Award have been David Kitch and Al Warner. Imoto Harney – Distinguished Gamer Award Winner 2024 Now with eleven years worth of experience to guide them, SFGE 2024 was a very polished and professionally-orchestrated event that ran very smoothly. Mario oversees the arcade room The programs and game play were designed to appeal to many segments of the gaming community. I sat in on sessions about topics I was not familiar with, such as the history of the NABU Network PC circa 1982 and I learned quite a bit from the time that I spent in these sessions. Most of the 2024 sessions were recorded and, after editing, will be available on the SFGE YouTube channel which is youtube.com/@Southernfriedgameroomexpo/videos. A ballroom full of vintage computer equipment was on hand The 12th Southern Fried Gaming Expo is scheduled for June 20-22 2025, again at the Cobb Galleria Convention Center. The Marriott Renaissance Waverly is the Official Expo hotel. More information can be found about the SFGE host hotels at gameatl.com/hotel. Registration for SFGE 2025 is available at gameatl.com/registration. Prices for 3-day memberships increase December 31, 2024, so I would suggest to make your plans now to attend one of the most entertaining and diverse gaming expos in North America.
