This Is How You Run A Convention Arcade Room

All you need is a row of projection screens, some colorful lighting and large dark room to put them in. If you do it right, the gamers will bring the funk to finish it off. BronyCon does it right.

The best convention arcade rooms stink to high heaven. This is not a comment on the hygiene of convention goers — it’s an odorous “job well done” to convention gaming room organizers. It’s a sign that they have successfully created a play space compelling enough to draw gamers in and entertaining enough to keep them from leaving to eat, sleep or bathe. It’s like a gamer roach motel.

BronyCon’s Baltimare Arcade (get it?) is brewing up quite a lovely funk. They’ve got it running 24 hours a day, with games like Rock Band 3 (with custom My Little Pony fan-songs), Halo, Mortal Kombat 9, and my personal favorite — Windows error screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvtF2ls7K10

Windows error screen is actually Fighting is Magic, a fan-built game killed a couple of years back by a Hasbro cease and desist, but kept on life support thanks to passionate fans. There’s a tournament for the game running this morning, followed by Super Smash Bros. Brawl, PlayStation All-Stars, Street Fighter Arcade and a Halo 3 elimination round.

Meanwhile, on the walls opposite the impossible to film projection screens, old games get some much-needed love, on the most horrible televisions ever.

They’ve got Street Fighter II running on a Super Nintendo hooked to a black and white television. It’s a beautiful thing.

Located on the third level of the Baltimore Convention Center, the BronyCon Baltimare Arcade won’t stop playing until tomorrow afternoon. Soon you won’t even need directions to get there, just follow your nose — it’s that good.