Are you attending the 2024 California Extreme show?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The upcoming 2024 CAX show will be held July 27 & 28, 2024 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Are you attending it? Am not sure what arcade stg titles will be shown/hosted this time around.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Gamer707b]

Is it usually held at Santa Clara or does it change? Never heard of any type of gaming event here before. In that case, I will be going. It's only an hour drive. It's like going to Magic Mountain.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The California Extreme show been held at the Santa Clara Convention Center Hall since 2009 (except for one year where it was held at a different hotel venue during the pandemic). The CAX show has been going on once a year since it's 1997 debut/inception. The 1999 CAX show was hosted inside the former original Chuckie E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater location within Frontier town Shopping Center across the street from the world-famous Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Jose, CA -- it was unbelievably huge inside.

From 2000 to 2008, CAX was held at the San Jose Parkside Hall section in downtown San Jose. The 2nd location of Peggy Sue's hamburger joint located across the street from Parkside Hall was/is always packed with people for breakfast, lunch & dinner, indeed, especially on the weekends. Their $8.00 milkshakes are legendary if you order one inside the eatery as you get extra milkshake content served in a metal cup container in addition to the tall glass container filled with your favorite flavored milkshake topped with a heaping mound of whipped cream & a cherry on top.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[segasonicfan]

The California Extreme show been held at the Santa Clara Convention Center Hall since 2009 (except for one year where it was held at a different hotel venue during the pandemic). The CAX show has been going on once a year since it's 1997 debut/inception. The 1999 CAX show was hosted inside the former original Chuckie E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater location within Frontier town Shopping Center across the street from the world-famous Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Jose, CA -- it was unbelievably huge inside.

From 2000 to 2008, CAX was held at the San Jose Parkside Hall section in downtown San Jose. The 2nd location of Peggy Sue's hamburger joint located across the street from Parkside Hall was/is always packed with people for breakfast, lunch & dinner, indeed, especially on the weekends. Their $8.00 milkshakes are legendary if you order one inside the eatery as you get extra milkshake content served in a metal cup container in addition to the tall glass container filled with your favorite flavored milkshake topped with a heaping mound of whipped cream & a cherry on top.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

now THIS is a pro tip! I love milkshakes

I wanted to go this year (and last year, for that matter), but was just burnt out from Opensauce and then preparing for VCFWest the following weekend.
I wish these events werent all crammed into a 3-month span. I don't even necessarily want to be inside on a gorgeous summers day, although it's definitely worth it for these goodies.
We are not in school anymore - why do everything in the summer? I would love some winter events, warming up with delicious candy cabs...

[shine]

How are things for shmup meets in the Bay Area?

[segasonicfan]

How are things for shmup meets in the Bay Area?

none that I know of Ive been wanting to get one together for quite some time, but my place is still too messy.
I bumped into the legendary @Dave_K at VCFW and (politely?) attempted to grovel, beg, and plead for future shmup meets. but alas, he is a family man now and must tend to the flock (I understand)

I'll be happy to host once my place gets cleaned out, but it's slow going at this point with all my other responsibilities.
The VCFW crowd is pretty active in the bay, and they are a delightful bunch, but they too don't host meets. Where to go nowadays for in-person gaming hangs?

Dave & Busters in Serramonte (Daly City) is the closest I can get to these days. They have a pretty baller arcade, and 1/2 off on Wednesdays if anyone wants to go!

It is noisy and they have "Dave & Busters radio" playing over the game music, but if you can get past that there is good fun to be had. Some really cool carnival-type games, new Cruis'n 4-car racing, Moto GP, a new Elevator Action lightgun game (?) Jurassic Park, Aliens, Terminator, giant Pac Man and a whole bunch of other goodies.

- Segasonicfan

[shine]

Thanks for the update! I tried hosting a couple of times but it's very hard to gather people, the few I know are always busy, have flocks or other priorities, and I lost the motivation
Never been to VCFW, hopefully can this year!

[segasonicfan]

Thanks for the update! I tried hosting a couple of times but it's very hard to gather people, the few I know are always busy, have flocks or other priorities, and I lost the motivation
Never been to VCFW, hopefully can this year!

I had no idea anyone was trying!
If you decide to give it another go I would be stoaked. and more than happy to do some cat herding. There is interest in the VCFW group for sure, it's a great crowd!

[Gamer707b]

How are things for shmup meets in the Bay Area?

none that I know of Ive been wanting to get one together for quite some time, but my place is still too messy.
I bumped into the legendary @Dave_K at VCFW and (politely?) attempted to grovel, beg, and plead for future shmup meets. but alas, he is a family man now and must tend to the flock (I understand)

I'll be happy to host once my place gets cleaned out, but it's slow going at this point with all my other responsibilities.
The VCFW crowd is pretty active in the bay, and they are a delightful bunch, but they too don't host meets. Where to go nowadays for in-person gaming hangs?

Dave & Busters in Serramonte (Daly City) is the closest I can get to these days. They have a pretty baller arcade, and 1/2 off on Wednesdays if anyone wants to go!

It is noisy and they have "Dave & Busters radio" playing over the game music, but if you can get past that there is good fun to be had. Some really cool carnival-type games, new Cruis'n 4-car racing, Moto GP, a new Elevator Action lightgun game (?) Jurassic Park, Aliens, Terminator, giant Pac Man and a whole bunch of other goodies.

- Segasonicfan

That's a shame that living in a big state like California, there is no meets to speak of. Been wanting to attend one for ages. Also, don't understand the logic behind having a family and not being able to make time for yourself. I myself have a business, a wife, a younger daughter going to swim competitions, an older daughter moving to college soon and so on, but I still make time for my hobbies. It's a very healthy thing to do for oneself. Otherwise, life becomes nothing but a grind. Don't get people that get married and just fall off the face of the earth. Anyway, if you're able to get your place up and running, shoot us a post here.

[Dave_K.]

So far, my calendar is looking good for CAX this year (I typically only do the Saturday). I also put a hold on my calendar for VCFW, although I don't think I'll be demo'ing anything this year.

How are things for shmup meets in the Bay Area?

There hasn't been much of any shmupmeets (meaning open to anyone in the bay area) the past 10 or so years. That isn't to say there hasn't been people playing shmups in the bay area, it just changed to more private groups on discord, etc. The fighting scene has been the same way, outside of barcades that pop in and out of existence.

That's a shame that living in a big state like California, there is no meets to speak of. Been wanting to attend one for ages. Also, don't understand the logic behind having a family and not being able to make time for yourself. I myself have a business, a wife, a younger daughter going to swim competitions, an older daughter moving to college soon and so on, but I still make time for my hobbies. It's a very healthy thing to do for oneself. Otherwise, life becomes nothing but a grind. Don't get people that get married and just fall off the face of the earth. Anyway, if you're able to get your place up and running, shoot us a post here.

Can't speak for others, but for me personally - getting married, having two kids, and buying a house in Silicon Valley, put a pretty big financial burden on me, so most of my time was sucked into working hard. I mean, I could have sold my cabs and PCBs to help pay for things, since family is priority (I know people that had to do exactly that), but like you, I wasn't giving up on the hobby, I just decided to work even harder. In fact I've only increased my collection of cabs and PCB Anyway, I still play/stream, maybe not as often as I'd like, and there are the occasional local/private gatherings. Plus my garage is a complete mess.

[segasonicfan]

I also put a hold on my calendar for VCFW

Yay!!

it just changed to more private groups on discord

Personally, I don't like how the hobby is increasingly more of a private club with exclusive chats on monopolistic corporate platforms with awful TOSs, terrible search functions, and easily killed off or swallowed up by the next tech thing - losing our history in the process.

I prefer to support the indie "by fans, for fans" forums like these which have been around for decades, and are here to keep the hobby alive.

More of my thoughts on this topic here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210321120 ... edge.3240/
https://segasonicfan.wixsite.com/retro/links

In fact I've only increased my collection of cabs and PCB

This makes me so happy Something about just knowing that setup is still going, and bringing you joy!

That's a shame that living in a big state like California, there is no meets to speak of.

and yeah, I can relate to some of the message frustration. I do miss seeing my friends and all the awesome meets we used to have. I didn't mean to suggest they were leaving the hobby; just that meetups aren't happening. But I have always viewed those meetups as an insanely awesome privilege. It's like someone inviting me over to drive around their collection of rare European sports cars - I'm hardly expecting it. And it's a wonderfully generous and trusting thing that it ever happened at all! I'm grateful for the memories.

I'm also one of those "if ya don't like the options available, make your own" kinda people. If I want more shmup meets, I can host myself! and I plan to, after I get my place cleaned out so there is space to have a bunch of guests over

[Gamer707b]

@segasonicfan I appreciate the input. I would love and am willing to have a meet at my place. I do have the space. I just don't have any cabs. I do all my shmupping on various consoles. If people brought there stuff over, I'd be down.

[segasonicfan]

@segasonicfan I appreciate the input. I would love and am willing to have a meet at my place. I do have the space. I just don't have any cabs. I do all my shmupping on various consoles. If people brought there stuff over, I'd be down.

Awesome!! Cabs are totally optional, of course. Tbh, a big part of the fun of these meets is getting to know people in the hobby and just having a grown-up excuse to play video games all day
It says in your profile that you are in Central CA? a bit far for me, but I bet if you post a meet here people will come. I could help ya spread the word too.

[Gamer707b]

@segasonicfan I appreciate the input. I would love and am willing to have a meet at my place. I do have the space. I just don't have any cabs. I do all my shmupping on various consoles. If people brought there stuff over, I'd be down.

Awesome!! Cabs are totally optional, of course. Tbh, a big part of the fun of these meets is getting to know people in the hobby and just having a grown-up excuse to play video games all day
It says in your profile that you are in Central CA? a bit far for me, but I bet if you post a meet here people will come. I could help ya spread the word too.

Yea, I'm in Bakersfield. Nothing like talking games and bonding with like-minded people. Online gaming and chatting is cool and all, but nothing compares to having people to play with in person. I just feel blessed that I grew up in the era before online gaming. NES, 16-bit, 32-bit. Forgot about the arcades. Meeting people at the arcades was awesome too. Kids now don't have any of that. They are just isolated in their rooms, playing their games. It was awesome back then having a bunch of people over and going to others' house. Talking games, laughing, and just shooting the shit. Hope as grown adults, we can still do that once in a while. Take care.

[shine]

Ok so after a few talks with segasonicfan, decided to follow the route of "if there are no meetups, then make one"
Gonna make a sepparate post for this