Your guide to Game On Expo Arizona: Guest stars, schedule and all the games you can play

Laura Latzko
·6 min read

Video and board games hold a special place in many people’s hearts, taking them back to another time in their lives. The Game On Expo caters to many types of gamers, as well as esports and anime fans.

The multimedia gaming and anime event is Aug. 5-7 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The convention was started in 2015 by John Lester and Neil Kotler. Kotler owns the Collectors Marketplace pop culture superstore, and Lester is a retro game collector and console reviewer.

Lester and Kotler noticed a lack of gaming events in Phoenix and saw a need for a larger event that would bring together the gaming community.

Phoenix Fan Fusion 2022: Highs and lows including live alligator cosplay and a painful autograph fail

What to expect at Game On Expo Arizona

Throughout the weekend, the event will have:

  • Video game and esports tournaments.

  • Marketplace with video, anime and pop culture vendors.

  • Cosplay competition.

  • Scavenger hunt where participants take pictures while completing tasks.

  • Games and projects from local and indie developers.

  • Free pinball and arcade games.

  • Kids zone with a Fortnite dance competition and other activities.

  • Live music from rapper Mega Ran and video game cover band the Minibosses.

  • Retro gaming on systems such as Atari and SEGA Dreamcast.

  • Panels on topics such as anime, cosplay and card-collecting games.

  • Q&As and autograph sessions with popular video game and anime voice actors.

  • Tabletop gaming with role-playing and collectible cards games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon.

  • Rock band karaoke with an Eddie Munson impersonation contest.

  • Auction featuring collectible gaming displays and other items.

Exclusive: Phoenix rapper Mega Ran shares his origin story

New for 2022 at Game On Expo Arizona

New this year, the Gameonathon Esports gauntlet challenge gives 16 attendees a chance to win a prize package of a PS5, an Xbox series X, an OLED Switch and games. Contestants will have to win games to advance in the competition.

There will be more anime this year. Lester says many fans like both games and anime, and crossover actors voice characters in both formats. He says interest in gaming and anime grew during the pandemic.

“People have been playing more games and watching more anime. Both have really grown quite a bit, which is cool. It gives people something to do,” Lester says.

Tabletop gaming also will have a bigger presence this year. Lester says Dungeons & Dragons especially has grown in popularity because of the TV show "Stranger Things."

Lester says Game On Expo welcomes gamers of all levels.

“We want something where the hard-core people can go play and feel at home, but what’s important to us is we want the casuals. We want people to come out into a family friendly environment, have fun but not feel intimated,” Lester says.

Game On Expo 2022 special guests

The convention will have well-known voice actors from anime shows and video games, including a Final Fantasy VII reunion with Cloud Strife voice actor Steve Burton and Sephiroth voice actor George Newbern.

The convention will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original Mortal Kombat video game with visits from Daniel Pesina, who played Johnny Cage, Scorpion and Sub-Zero in the video games, and Ho-Sung Pak, who played Liu Kang and Shang Tsung.

Other guests include:

  • Roger Craig Smith, the voice of Sonic in Sonic the Hedgehog video games, Captain America in Avengers and Spider-Man cartoon series and Ezio in Assassin’s Creed projects.

  • Colleen O’Shaughnessey, the voice of Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog movies, TV shows and video games; Jazz Fenton in Danny Phantom; Sora Takenouchi in Digimon Adventure; and The Wasp in several Avengers TV shows and Disney Infinity video games.

  • Samantha Kelly, the voice of Princess Peach and Toad in Mario games.

  • Cherami Leigh, the voice of Sailor Venus in the Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal series and Lucy Heartfilia in Fairy Tail.

  • David Kaye, the voice of Megatron in Transformers video games and TV shows, Clank in Ratchet & Clank video games and Sesshomaru in the Inuyasha TV series and movies and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon series.

  • Kira Buckland, the voice of Jolyne Cujoh in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Mitsuri Kanroji in the Demon Slayer franchise.

  • Kellen Goff, the voice of Overhaul in My Hero Academia, Diavolo in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Fiddlesticks in the League of Legends video game.

Local Resident Evil, Halo and Transformers cosplay groups will appear throughout the weekend. Many attendees also will be dressed in costume. A cosplay competition on Saturday evening will have novice, journeymen, masters and youth categories.

The convention will also have content creators with large followings such as Metal Jesus.

Gaming and esports at Game On Expo 2022

Gaming tournaments bring in players with various skill levels. Professional gamers such as Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, a professional skateboarder and Classic Tetris world record holder, are expected to be at Game On Expo.

Many of the tournaments, which are run by local groups, will focus on retro games such as Classic Tetris, Dr. Mario, NFL Blitz, NBA Jam, the original Halo and Ms. Pac-Man.

Lester says many young people are taking an interest in retro games, such as Classic Tetris.

“It’s fun to see them come up with different techniques when they play the old-school games. I look at gaming much like I look at music. I didn’t live during the Beatles or Elvis, but I definitely appreciate them and listen to them. So, I love to see that with gaming,” Lester says.

There will also be tournaments for current games such as Tekken 7, Guilty Gear-Strive and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Competitors will be onstage while they are playing.

“Gaming has become very observational. People like to watch it. It’s an experience for people,” Lester says.

Game On Expo ticket discounts

Over 200 vendors will sell video and anime-themed products, including games and artwork, and local organizations will share information about what they do.

A grassroots organization called Extra Life provides gaming opportunities for kids at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The organization has been a beneficiary of the Game On auction in the past.

With the code “Extra Life,” attendees can get 10 percent off the price of tickets, and 10 percent of the proceeds from these tickets will go to the charity organization.

Altered Combat, a company out of Buckeye, will offer laser tag during the event. There will be an additional fee to play.

Another exhibitor called Between Realities will have free virtual reality gaming.

Arcade bars across metro Phoenix, including Cobra Arcade Bar, StarFighter’s Arcade, Level 1 Arcade Bar and Ready Player 1 Games, will lend their pinball and arcade games to the event.

Lester says the convention is shaped by the businesses, collectors, cosplayers and gamers who take part in it.

“The fans, the vendors, the people who provide content for the show, that’s what makes the show. It’s very much a community event, and we are locally owned and growing,” Lester says.

Game On Expo

When: Aug. 5-7. 1-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Where: South Building, Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St.

Admission: $30-$35 for Friday pass, $40-$45 for Saturday pass, $35-$40 for Sunday pass, $15-$20 for children 10 and under, free for children 2 and under, $55-$65 for full-weekend pass.

Details: https://www.gameonexpo.com.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Guide to Game On Expo 2022 Arizona: Guests, schedule and more