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Game On Expo took things to a new level with its 2024 edition, moving to a bigger venue and a better spot on the calendar, but encountered some growing pains along the way. Issues with security at the Phoenix Convention Center during the first day of the multimedia gaming and anime event caused a three-hour wait outside in the rain for Game On Expo attendees, resulting in massive frustration…
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Benjamin Leatherman
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Joystick jockeys, gaming fiends and esports competitors weren’t the only people who attended Phoenix’s Game On Expo 2024. Local cosplayers were also in abundance at the three-day multimedia and gaming event from Friday to Sunday at the Phoenix Convention Center…
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Benjamin Leatherman
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It’s also moved up on the calendar. Game On Expo 2024 takes place this weekend, almost five months earlier than the mid-August slot its first six editions occupied. Game On Expo co-founder John Lester says ditching the dog days of summer in favor of the cooler weather of mid-March was an easy decision.
“The weather is much nicer this time of year, so that was a no-brainer,” he says. “It’s during spring break, too. So with school being out, I think we’re going to have a bigger turnout.”
What will Game On Expo newbies discover at the three-day event from March 15 to 18? Lester says they’ve expanded everything.
“Programming-wise, we’ve got more panels, more tournaments and a lot more vendors this year. We’re expanding our live music (performance),” Lester says. “So there’s a lot more of everything.”
This year’s Expo also features more esports battles with over $10,000 in cash prizes at stake and its largest lineup of special guests yet, including Princess Zelda voice actress Patricia Summersett and Sonic the Hedgehog voice actor Roger Craig Smith.
What else will happen at Game On Expo in downtown Phoenix this weekend? Check out our extensive players’ guide to the event.
The three-day event runs from Friday, March 15, to Sunday, March 17.
This year’s Game On Expo will be in the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St. All activities and programming will take place on the building’s first floor.
Here are Game On Expo’s official hours of operation:
General admission and VIP passes can be purchased online or at the event. Multiple pricing tiers are available (tax and fees not included).
A 10% discount on full-event passes is available using the promo code “ExtraLife” at checkout. Game On Expo will then donate the same amount to Phoenix Children’s Hospital in partnership with Extra Life, a fundraising program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals throughout the U.S.
Game On Expo is an all-ages event and families and kids are welcome.
Hop aboard Valley Metro Rail. There are multiple stations located near the Phoenix Convention Center. Fares are $2 per ride or $4 for an all-day pass. Valley Metro also operates several “park-and-ride” lots throughout the Valley.
If you’re driving, street parking is available in downtown Phoenix for $1 to $1.50 per hour between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. You can use the ParkMobile app to reserve and pay for a spot in advance. Several nearby parking garages and surface lots are also available. Prices range from $20 to $50 per vehicle, per day.
Game On Expo’s security will use metal detectors or conduct physical pat-downs in the lobby of the South Building. Bags will also be searched and props will be checked. There will also be certain restrictions on cosplay items you can bring to the event. Prop guns, anything resembling a firearm, or any bladed metal or wooden weapons (such as axes or daggers) aren’t allowed. Ditto for blunt weapons like bats or clubs made from hard plastic, wood or metal, as well as whips, metal chains, paddles and spikes.
Outside food and drink aren’t allowed (except bottled water). There’s a food court and coffee stands on the first floor of the North Building. Downtown Phoenix offers dozens of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the convention center. Here’s a guide with 25 different eating and drinking options.
Yes. Security will allow personal bottles of water into the event and there are multiple refill stations on the first floor of the North Building.
More than 200 vendors will be at Game On Expo 2024, ranging from local game stores to companies like Microsoft. An artist alley featuring a lineup of local creatives is also planned.
Voice actress Patricia Summersett, best known for playing Princess Zelda in games from the “The Legend of Zelda” series.
Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr
More than 75 special guests are scheduled to appear at Game On Expo 2024. The lineup includes voice talents, game developers, soundtrack composers, YouTube content creators, geek musicians, pro cosplayers and others. Here are some of the biggest names at this year’s event:
The event will feature 100-plus tables featuring the latest gaming consoles — including the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X – and high-end PC gaming rigs will be set up throughout the event. Phoenix-based indie game developers will also have their own area. As for classic arcade games and consoles, three rooms will be devoted to the consoles of yesteryear. Naturally, that means Nintendo Entertainment Systems will be in abundance, as well as more than a few Sega Genesis, Super Nintendos, Atari Jaguars and original PlayStations. Several dozen arcade and pinball machines will be arranged in rows in the main hall, each set to free-play mode.
Game On Expo will host esports competitions and tournaments focusing on “Street Fighter 6,” “Tetris,” “Dr. Mario,” “Super Smash Bros.” and “Rocket League.” Meanwhile, the Retro Championships will take place with competitors playing a combination of classic games. The winner will get a custom wrestling-style championship belt. Local retailer Jesse James Comics and its in-house arcade Ready Player 1 Games will also stage their annual All Valley Pinball Tournament. Details can be found here.
There will be more than just bleeps and bloops filling the air at Game On Expo as geeky musicians and bands perform tunes inspired by video games throughout the weekend. Here’s when they’ll take place:
Costumes inspired by games, pop culture, and geeky subject matter are encouraged at Game On Expo. Throughout the weekend, there will be cosplay meetups, workshops and programming and a repair lounge will be available in panel room 123. One of the most high-profile activities each year is the annual cosplay contest for prizes. The 2024 edition will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday in panel room 122ABC. Judging will occur earlier in the day. Full details and registration are available here.
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Benjamin Leatherman
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Joystick jocks can indulge in pinball and old-school arcade action at ZapCon or seek esports glory at the revamped Game On Expo. Anime, manga and K-pop aficionados can immerse themselves in the latest Ganbatte popup event. Meanwhile, fans of sequential art can discover their bliss at the Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival.
You can also celebrate the Arizona Science Center’s 40th anniversary, explore macabre delights at the Oddities and Curiosities Expo, enjoy the All Puppet Players’ parody of “The Princess Bride,” or witness prominent local street artists in action at the Oak Street Alley Mural Festival.
So march forth, nerds, there’s no excuse to stay stuck at home.
Friday, March 1
Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St.
The mind of a serial killer is a terrifying place. Just ask Dr. Rachel Toles, a Canadian-born, California-based clinical psychologist researching criminal behavior for over a decade. She’s also the current host of the touring event, The Psychology of Serial Killers, a 90-minute-long deep dive into the motivations and behaviors behind the deadly deeds of mass murderers, as well as why they fascinate the public at large. Toles will offer true crime geeks her analysis and insights into the twisted psyche of infamous predators while also debunking various serial killer myths. The night concludes with a Q&A session with the host in case you’re dying to know anything else about the subject. Tickets for the 8 p.m. event are $28 to $58.
Saturday, March 2
State Farm Stadium West Lot, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale
Anime and manga fans of Arizona are eating good these days. Numerous local events celebrating popular Japanese art forms take place each month, including festivals organized and curated by the team at Ganbatte popup. Their latest event is the Hanami Anime and K-pop Festival outside of State Farm Stadium in Glendale. More than 80 artists and vendors will be featured and other activities will include a Pikachu parade, an itasha-style Japanese car show, a performance by local martial arts stunt team Project Shinobi and a K-pop dance showdown. Attendees can also enjoy taiko drumming, participate in a cosplay contest and indulge in delectable offerings from Japanese and Korean food vendors. The festival runs from noon to 9 p.m. General admission is $35 and includes exclusive art and swag.
Oddities and Curiosities Expo co-creators Tony and Michelle Cozzaglio.
Oddities and Curiosities Expo
Saturday, March 2 to Sunday March 3
Phoenix Convention Center’s South Building, 33 S. Third St.
Ghastly sights and macabre delights will await inside the Phoenix Convention Center’s South Building when the Oddities and Curiosities Expo makes creeps into the Valley in early March. A traveling bazaar of the bizarre, the event features a handpicked selection of vendors and artisans selling items like taxidermied animals, wet specimens, human skulls, funeral collectibles, occult supplies, quack medical devices, horror memorabilia and gothy clothing. Attendees can also pose for Victorian-style postmortem photographs, watch sideshow entertainers perform or participate in taxidermy or insect pinning workshops. From the spine-chilling to the awe-inspiring, there’s something for every curious soul. Doors open at 10 a.m. each day. Tickets are $11 and workshops are $150 to $235.
Friday, March 8
Playhouse on the Park, 1850 N. Central Ave.
After riffing on such cinematic classics as “Alien,” “Die Hard” and “Jurassic Park,” the All Puppet Players’ are going medieval with their latest adults-only production. In early March, APP will debut their loving parody of 1987’s “The Princess Bride” which will likely include clever dialogue, ‘80s references and “pure puppet anarchy.” Given the troupe’s penchant for gratuitous profanity, we’re also expecting it will be laced with a lot of naughty words between jokes about Andre the Giant’s legendary drinking habits and Fred Savage’s career. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday through April 14. Tickets start at $66. Attendance is limited to those 17 and older.
Friday, March 8
Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St.
The Arizona Science Center will fire up its flux capacitors and rewind the clock back to 1984 with the latest Science With A Twist event. The 21-and-over affair will celebrate the ASC’s 40th anniversary by exploring science developments from the ‘80s, such as spectroscopy and DNA fingerprinting. There will also be a screening of “Back to the Future,” a glow stick dance party, an ‘80s trivia contest and other “bodacious demonstrations.” Beer, wine and “totally tubular” cocktails will also be available for purchase. The trip through time starts at 8 p.m. Admission is $30 for the general public.
Saturday, March 9
Phoenix Shrine Auditorium, 552 N. 40th St.
Think comic book conventions should focus on, well, comic books instead of pop culture and celebrities? You’d fit right in at the Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival. The daylong event will celebrate the sequential art form and the creatives who work in the medium. More than 70 writers and artists are set to appear, including such names as Stephanie Phillips (“Grim”), Brian Azzarello (“100 Bullets”), Tim Seeley (“Grayson”), Tony Fleecs (“Stray Dogs”) and Alex Sinclair (“Batman”). Retailers from around the Valley will have tables and booths at the festival, including Ghost Cactus Comics and Samurai Comics. Hours are from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is $16 in advance, $21 at the door and $30 with a souvenir art print by artist Ryan Cody.
Saturday, March 9
Charlie’s Phoenix, 727 W. Camelback Road
Equal parts bar crawl and costumed urban prank, the annual Brides of March involves hundreds of local men and women donning wedding dresses and hitting up uptown Phoenix’s various drinkeries for an afternoon of fun. The nuptial-themed event inspired by the Ides of March is organized by the Arizona Cacophony Society and also features a high-heel footrace and other antics. It’s free to participate, but you’ll have to spring for the cost of your dress and whatever drinks you want to imbibe. (Organizers are also requesting participants bring a bag of canned or non-perishable food items to donate to St. Mary’s Food Bank.) Brides will gather at Charlie’s starting at noon before heading out to nearby bars. More details are available on the society’s website.
Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10
Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St., Mesa
Gamers of the Valley, start limbering up your wrists. ZapCon, the retro arcade game and pinball convention, is returning after taking last year off and promises two days of joystick-jostling action and button-mashing fun. The main hall at the Mesa Convention Center will become Valley’s biggest old-school arcade with 100-plus pinball machines and more than 170 old-school arcade titles set to “free play” mode. A lounge area will also host such classic gaming consoles as the Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo. Tournaments and competitions for prizes, including Danger Dann’s annual Pinball Rodeo, are also planned. Doors open at 10 a.m. each day. Admission is $25 to $35 per day and $50 for weekend passes. Children 3 to 12 will receive discount admission and kids under 3 are free.
Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17
Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second St.
“Star Wars: A New Hope” without John Williams’ memorable score just wouldn’t be the same, and no less a source than George Lucas has admitted as much. When the legendary composer was awarded an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016, the director told the assembled crowd that Williams’ epic and soul-stirring orchestral themes raised the 1977 sci-fi flick “to a level of art [that] would stand the test of time.” In mid-March, the Phoenix Symphony will play every note of Williams’ Oscar-winning score from “Star Wars: A New Hope” while the film is projected on a giant screen. Costumes are encouraged. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on March 15, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on March 16 and 2:30 p.m. on March 17. Tickets are $45 to $145.
Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17
Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St.
Game On Expo has undergone a major upgrade for its 2024 edition. The multimedia gaming and anime convention, which previously took place in the summer, has moved to mid-March and bigger digs inside the Phoenix Convention Center’s North Building. The upshot? Organizers say there will be more room for gaming, esports competitions, vendors, cosplay and programming during the three-day event. This year’s Game On Expo will also showcase concerts by gaming-inspired performers such as geek rapper Mega Ran, tournaments with over $10,000 in cash prizes, and its largest lineup of special guests yet, including Princess Zelda voice actress Patricia Summersett and Sonic the Hedgehog voice actor Roger Craig Smith. Event hours vary. Daily admission is $45 to $55, full event passes are $75 and VIP packages are $165 to $230.
Maggie Keane’s mural, inspired by the music video for A-ha’s “Take On Me,” adorns the Oak Street Alley.
Lynn Trimble
Saturday, March 16
Oak Street Alley, 1498 E. Oak St.
Geeks and art nerds alike can appreciate the vibrant murals adorning the cinderblock walls along Oak Street between 14th and 15th streets in the Coronado Neighborhood. Each boasts masterful work by prominent local artists, some of whom incorporate imagery like robots or such pop-culture characters as Superman or Boba Fett. These street art pieces are created every March during the free Oak Street Alley Mural Festival, widely considered one of the more unique cultural events in the Valley. This year’s festival will include live mural painting by such artists as Aztec Smurf, Lucretia Torva, Shell Shaker, BacPac, Bisie, Maxx Vart and Dapper Dan. There will also be vendors, food trucks and music from live bands and DJs. Hours are from noon to 9 p.m. Complete details are available here.
Nerdy fun of the science and technology variety will be available at Geeks Night Out in Tempe.
Benjamin Leatherman
Wednesday, March 27
Tempe Community Complex, 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe
Given its nerdy bent, Tempe’s annual Geeks Night Out is typically a haven for all manner of cosplayers and costumed crusaders. That being said, the true heroes of the event are the folks putting on its wealth of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (or STEAM) activities and programming. More than 60 local organizations and institutions — including the University of Advancing Technology, Tempe Union High School’s Innovation Center and the East Valley Institute of Technology — will present a mix of interactive and hands-on experiments, demonstrations and science experiments. Live entertainment, vendors and food trucks will also be part of the all-ages event, which runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
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