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A Wall of Retro Memories – Curated by the One and Only Ms. Ausretrogamer!

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A Frame Full of Memories – A Gift from the Heart of Ms Ausretrogamer

Every now and then, something unexpectedly awesome happens in your retro-gaming life, and this time it came courtesy of my better half, Ms Ausretrogamer herself.

While I was busy diving into pixels, pinballs, and handheld nostalgia, she secretly gathered every pass, badge, lanyard, pin, medal, and random bits of retro-event paraphernalia I’ve collected over years of attending expos, conventions, tournaments, open days, and launch events. We’re talking the whole backlog of memories and nerd credentials.

And then she went full curator mode.

What I saw next absolutely blew me away:

  • All of it beautifully framed.
  • A museum-grade collage of my adventures across the retro-gaming universe.
  • A time capsule of joy, fandom, and button-mashing history – all now hanging proudly in our games room.

It stopped me in my tracks! It reminded me of all the amazing places we’ve been, the great people we’ve met, the tournaments we battled in, the arcades we rediscovered, and the endless good times that come with being part of this incredible community. It’s not just memorabilia – it’s a reminder that every event left a mark, and that she and I shared so many of those moments together.

Honestly… she nailed it.
The composition, the colours, the layering – chef’s kiss. This isn’t just a wall of frames; it’s a tribute wall to retro gaming culture and to the epic memories that keep the Ausretrogamer flame burning bright.

So here’s to Ms Ausretrogamer, the mastermind behind this unique and very special creation. The games room just levelled up, and so did my heart. ❤️

Visiting The Gamesmen Retro Game Museum

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We are reminiscing about the time we were invited by the Weird and Retro crew to join them in Sydney for the 2015 EB Expo – it was such an amazing experience!

Before the EB Expo shenanigans, we took time out to visit The Gamesmen in Penshurst (NSW), to check out their awesome (Retro) Game Museum.

The Gamesmen has been an Australian game store icon for almost 40 years and it is still going strong. Back in the day, we used to love receiving their catalogues which we would pore over each page, drooling at the latest gaming systems and games – we just wish we had kept those catalogues! Oh yeah, luckily for us (and all of you), The Gamesmen folks have made electronic copies of their old catalogues, so go here now and enjoy some intoxicating nostalgia.

Anyway……… This pilgrimage was a long time coming and fulfilled our wish to go and check out the museum in person. We definitely weren’t disappointed and we were glad to have ticked this off our bucket list. The sixty plus photos we took below from the game museum does not do it any justice – to see it in person was amazing. However, the next best thing to going there was to share what we saw, and as you will see below, your nostalgic senses will not be disappointed.

There was no one favourite section, but the glassed cabinets were like a time machine looking back at our childhood, daydreaming about owning and playing the systems and games on display. The video games system timeline mural was another highlight, reflecting how far gaming has come. The Gamesmen Retro Game Museum had truly encapsulated our past, leaving a delectable mark on our 8-bit brain.

Make sure you scroll through each image slowly, as you do not want to miss anything!

Approaching the Mecca of Australian Video Gaming!

images remain the copyright of ausretrogamer

PS: Special thank you to the Weird and Retro team for inviting us to be part of their WaRrior crew for the 2015 EB Expo and for a memorable road trip!

 

ReedPOP & EB Games partner up for PAX Aus 2018 featuring EB Expo

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THIS IS BIG NEWS PEEPS!

PAX Aus and EB Expo, the biggest gaming shows in the southern hemisphere, are teaming up to create the ultimate celebration of games and gaming culture at PAX Aus 2018.

This partnership will bring the world-class features of EB Expo to PAX Aus and include a dedicated area for the biggest game publishers to showcase upcoming titles, developer presentations, and Australia’s biggest pop-up EB Games store.

PAX Aus will take place from 26-28 Oct. at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and feature games and content from over 180 companies from around the world.

PS: Don’t stress, the Classic Gaming Area will return again at PAX Aus 2018!

 

Conquered: EB Expo 2016

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ebexpo16_titleAs the old saying goes, time flies when you are having fun. This year’s EB Expo has come and gone, and yep, we had fun, lots of it!

A highlight for us was being invited by our Weird and Retro friends to assist in their awesome Retro Gaming section in the Freeplay City area. With 64 classic gaming systems to play, EB Expo attendees were not short on getting their nostalgia fix! From the ultra-rare Philips CD-I development kit, to the Commodore, Sega, Nintendo, NEC, Samsung and Atari wares, there was plenty to reminisce about.

While in the main hall, we got to sit on the Iron Throne, gawked at Optimus Prime, bumped into awesome cosplayers, played on PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox’s latest gear and shopped at EB Games’ massive Mega-Store! No need for more words, we’ll just leave some of our photos from EB Expo 2016 to speak for themselves…

With the sun shining, it was time for EB Expo 2016!
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First stop, Hall 6 and straight to the Weird and Retro Freeplay classic gaming area
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Time for a Hewson classic! Go Pogo!
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The new generation enjoying some old generation gaming!
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Whoa, a Jaguar in the wild!
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Attendees wowing at the 16-bit computing wonders!
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Freeplay City Mario Kart 64 4P Showdown!
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More 4P shenanigans on the Nintendo GameCube!
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Whoa, a rare beast – the Philips CD-i dev kit!
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Which classic system to play first?
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Difficult decision: go straight for Hotel Mario or play Transylvania on the Apple IIe?
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We weren’t aware that Deadpool was on the C64. And is that Stunt Car Racer on the Amiga? Whoa!
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The decision of what to play on next just keep getting harder!
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Doing the math on the Jaguars!
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The dark side of Sega. Oh wait, look at that beautiful Atari ST!
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Busted! Weird and Retro’s Serby blowing bubbles all the way to his own PS4 Pro!
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What’s this, an Atari sign and some old wares? Time to shop!
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Cosplay heroes!
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Time to hit the Great (Main) Hall Of EB Expo 2016
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Aha, a chill session may be in order!
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The Iron Throne rules this hall!
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Anyone want a test drive?
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Hang on, we want a test drive in Optimus Prime!
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Hulk Smash!
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Lego Xbox!
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Lego Kong Ride and some sweet Poke Balls!
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A work of Lego art!
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We found Pikachu! Quickly, where are our Poke Balls?
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Shop till you drop at the EB Games Mega-Store!
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The temptation is strong in these ones!
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Stocking up on a few goodies *wink*
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We’ve hit the motherload of retrogaming goodies!
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Surely we can squeeze this beauty in our checked luggage…
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Scarily beautiful!
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Bumped into the famous Nintendo brothers…
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Mind blowingly cool!
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Of course we had to go here too!
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Woohoo, just dance!
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Jump on the tractor!
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Gonna grab a seat at Nintendo-land
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Let’s all play! Got lots of streetpasses here *winks*
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The Nintendo posing podiums!
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Another posing podium!
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Heading over to Xbox
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Forza Horizon 3 was quite popular!
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Dr. Curlytek conquered the VeloDrone!
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Waiting their turn patiently for some VR
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Aha, there they are! 
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The unmissable PlayStation exhibit!
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Wowing the masses with PlayStation VR
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Dare to enter!
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Driveclub VR = WOWSER!
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A well deserved award!
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All  good things must come to an end. Till the next EB Expo…
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Getting Weird And Retro At EB Expo 2016

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war_at_ebexpo2016Watch out Sydney, Weird And Retro (WaRriors) are back for another EB Games Expo! This time around, the WaRriors are bringing a plethora of retro gaming systems that will feature over 60 games in the best of old-school gaming.

Players will be able to get hands-on with heaps of retro gaming systems, including the Commodore 64, Atari 2600 and the Super Nintendo to name just a few. No matter how you look at it, there will be plenty of classic games on offer to tickle the nostalgic nerve.

If you are attending EB Expo 2016 (Ed: woohoo, we are!) and are in need of a retro gaming fix, then make sure you swing by the Freeplay area! The WaRriors will be waiting!

Oh yeah, we’ll be live on our social media channels from EB Expo this weekend, so join the conversation!

ebexpo2016_mapsource: EB Expo

 

EB Games Expo 2015: It’s A Wrap

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EB_Expo15_HDRWhat do you get when a bunch of great friends invite you to Sydney to participate and assist in their retro gaming exhibit at one of the biggest gaming events of the year? You get a huge rush of adrenaline mixed with a massive dose of fun that lasts for 5 days!

This past weekend, I attended the EB Games Expo 2015 (EBExpo15) in Sydney, assisting the Weird and Retro crew in their Interactive History Museum (IHM) exhibit. Even though I have now come back to reality, the buzz of EBExpo15 is still high – I hope the buzz lasts a little while yet.

It all started three days before EB Games Expo 2015 – we picked up the rental truck, packed all the retro gaming gear and pop-culture goodies and set off for our ‘retro road trip’ to Sydney (Ed: we’ll save the story of the retro road trip for another time). Once arriving in Sydney, the bump-in was relatively easy, with all of us working in unison, we had setup the Interactive History Museum (IHM) with items from the 80s, 90s and 00s, from retro gaming systems, retro video games, to a myriad of pop-culture gear, we had three decades worth of nostalgia covered in the one area.

Once EBExpo15 kicked off, it was great to see attendees flocking to the IHM area and enjoying themselves by playing video games they hadn’t seen since they were a child or wowing at the sight of the Sale Of The Century board game with Tony Barber in the 90s section. The age range of attendees was varied, but each person that took a trip down memory lane in the IHM was not disappointed – there was something to do and see for everyone. There were plenty of compliments, which always makes you feel that all the hard work was worthwhile, like this one from a very happy patron, “Your stand was my favourite of all time!!! Thank you for showing the next generation the amazing technology advancement from when I was a kid to now. I was born in the 70’s, so my childhood of gaming was experienced in the 80’s and it was wonderful to relive all those great times. Once again, thank you.”

EBExpo15 wasn’t just about the IHM. The main hall was packed with modern gaming with all the big players in the industry being present, from Sony Playstation Australia showing off their VR headset, Xbox Australia garnering interest with their Xbox One wares, to Nintendo Australia and New Zealand doing what they do best – gaming and running gaming related competitions. And what exhibition is complete without amazing Cosplay. At EBExpo15, there were cosplayers representing every medium – TV, gaming, comics and movies. The cosplayers were all equally amazing to see and humble when approached to be photographed.

Like all good things, EBExpo15 concluded on Sunday (Oct 4). After 5 days in Sydney, we had to pack up the gear (Ed: very carefully!) and make our way down the Hume Highway back to unseasonably warm Melbourne. So, was it all worth it and was it fun? Let’s just say we had the gunnest time ever! Roll on EB Games Expo 2016!

Thank you to the Weird and Retro team: Serby, Stacey, Jerry, Pedro and Kano for allowing me to share in the EB Games Expo 15 shenanigans!

Where on the road to…… EB Games Expo (Sydney)
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Pit-stop – the Ice Man (Jerry) enjoys a bit of cocktail action
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Isuzu trucks – they are not so squeezy
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We arrive at Sydney’s Showground!
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Pass picked up – time to go in and start setting up
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The Interactive History Museum – let’s go in!
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Totally 80’s – computers!
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Totally 80’s – consoles!
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Never forget the 90’s!
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The mighty SNES
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The Jaguar museum piece was a personal fave!
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The Noughties represent!
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Taking a sneak peek at the PlayStation exhibit in the main hall
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Freeplay City – the calm before the storm!
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Retro Gamer Rival (Pedro) making us drool over his mint warez!
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Getting our gear on before the start of EB Expo 15!
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Drool worthy!
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Stuffing our faces – a growing body needs sustenance!
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I love this computer. There, it has been said!
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The write-up for the Jag was pure gold!
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Taking more sneaky peeks into what PlayStation will have for us in the near future
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Yours truly making some last minute adjustments to the 90’s museum display
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Loving the view!
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It’s showtime! The IHM proves popular with all patrons
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Yay, Zool action!
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The popular 90s!
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Weird and Retro’s Serby enjoying a bit of bongo action on Donkey Konga!
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Mega Man made it to the expo!
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Sonic enjoyed on the Mega Drive by the new generation
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Even the dark side of the force enjoys a bit of retro gaming
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I wanna bust out the Barry Crocker tune now!
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Checking out the main hall during our breaks
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Serby enjoys an old classic on new hardware. Oh wait…..
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The EB Games mega-store was MEGA (and always packed)!
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So many temptations in the EB Games mega-store
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Whoa, Lego Mario and Luigi!
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More Lego retro gaming creations! *want*
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Speechless!
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Oh my gawd! This is my kind of arcade!
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Meanwhile, back in the IHM, we find Link and his Fairy!
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May the force be with you!
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16-bit Mortal Kombat WaR!
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My childhood in the 80s!
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16-bit goodies
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XBox royalty!
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If only this was $9.99!
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Busting out the vinyl
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Spin that wheel! I’m a make you feel….
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Taking a pinball break! This means WaR!
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Spooky!
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Whoa, that’s green!
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Ubisoft crashes the party!
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On my best behaviour
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Sonic competes at the Nintendo stand!
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We made it on the Gamespot social media wall!
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Best tattoos at show!
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Mini Luigi beating his bro on Super Mario Kart
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Star-Lord and Drax the Destroyer enjoying some Dayyyyytoooooona USA!
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Ah, all good things must come to an end.
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On The Road To EB Games Expo 2015

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EB_Expo_Titleimage source: techradar

This time of year is always the best! The weather starts warming up, trees start blossoming, the major sporting codes play their respective finals and the biggest gaming event hits Sydney – it is, EB Games Expo 2015 time!

For the first time ever, ausretrogamer will be attending EB Games Expo 2015, assisting the Weird and Retro (WaR) crew in the Retro Central Park area. As you may (or may not) have known, Weird and Retro have been running the Retro Central Park area (formerly known as the Retro Gamer Garden) within the Freeplay City attraction at EB Games Expo for the last two years.

After hearing about all of the fun the WaR team has had at previous EB Games Expo events, we knew we wanted to be part of the action. We begged and groveled till they relented and allowed us to hit the road with them to Sydney (Ed: Um, this may not have been how it went down!).

To say we are looking forward to EB Games Expo 2015 would be a great understatement – we can’t wait! It will be great to travel with awesome friends and experience this event first hand. If you are attending, please come by the Retro Central Park area and get a hit of nostalgia by playing some old classics, or come by to check out the Interactive History Museum – you’ll have a ball! Hope to see you there!

The essentials are packed!
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Details:
Event: EB Games Expo 2015
When: October 2 – 4, 2015
Where: Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

 

EB Games Expo 2014

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EB_Expo

Get excited gamers! Tickets to EB Games Expo 2014 go on sale tomorrow (April 24, 10AM AEST)!

Australia’s biggest video gaming event caters for all gamers, from the modern to retro! I can’t wait to check out the Retro Central Park Freeplay City area which will be run by our very good friends, Weird and Retro.

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If you are in Sydney and are free between October 3 – 5, then you should get yourself down to the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park precinct  for one heck of a weekend! If you are from interstate or overseas, then I hope this event tempts you to come to Sydney! Hope to see you there!

All images sourced from and remain the property of: EB Games Expo 2014