NEWS: ZapCon 7 Day One Coverage

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Another year, another ZapCon. This year was notable for some cool new additions, some awesome special games, and, of course, great people. If you didn’t get the chance to head down to the Mesa convention this past weekend, we’re truly sorry you missed out. It was a great time. Check out all the fun we had on Saturday!

ZapCon began bright and early at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St.
We were there bright and early too, getting all set up in the Firebird Pinball booth.
We even brought the big sign.
We were happy to see so many familiar faces again, from the many, many volunteers who work so hard to make this happen to all the great contributors who are nice enough to share their games, to fans and players who have shown up year after year after year after year after year after year after year (this was ZapCon Seven, you know).
The big boss had a ton to do to get ready for the show, but he managed it all in stride. Isn’t he great?
We finally got a minute to check out the show from the balcony, and what a glorious sight it was. More than 350 games spread out over an even bigger footprint this year, with the back wall bumped back and a separate location for the retro lounge and stage.
Marco Specialties took  up a huge spot in the back and staged 23 brand-new games from the Beatles to Iron Maiden to Black Knight 3K.
Check out The Black Hole! The machine at the bottom center of this shot was the hit of the show, and took home the Best of ZapCon trophy for the Most Popular Pinball Machine. Kudos again to Outpost Kodelia!
Another shot over those glorious banks of Sterns. There were hundreds of people at the show by midday on Saturday, and most of them were in the back part of the hall, parked in front of the new machines.
There was plenty for everyone, and families dominated the show, as a new generation flexed its fingers.
There were some great classics at the show, including this 1957 Williams Baseball Deluxe.
We were happy to see some great skill games too, including this Sharpshooter.
Blue Shark was so cool! Thanks for bringing it, Kent.
D&D Pinball from Tucson also brought down a truck of games, including this wicked Rob Zombie.
There were some great custom games, too, including this Flash Gordon from New Mexico, with updated artwork, and a really sweet playfield.
Ground-level shot of some of those new Sterns. Aren’t they purdy?
Here’s the whole bank of D&D machines. Thanks, Robert and Constance, and thanks again to everyone who shared their games.
Of course, the big boss didn’t get to sit around all weekend. He was on the floor, helping the techs and keeping track of our own games, almost the whole time.
Here are some of the games that we brought. We still have some of them for sale. Call us, maybe?
Saturday also was a big day for tournaments, as the diehards fought hard in this room in the main and classics tourneys.
StarFighters Arcade hosted its annual kids tourney on Saturday, and the women battled it out at the back of the room.
And at last it was time for a bit of a rest. The Big Boss sat down and put his feet up.
And Leslie finally got to take Antonio up to see the sites. So long to Saturday night. Check out our Sunday coverage, Best of ZapCon awards, and more!