New Gaming Convention Focuses on the Players

SGC plans to give gamers a chance to actually play games

By GREG JANDA

Updated 2:45 PM CST, Fri, Jun 26, 2009

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After touring splashy game conventions like E3, ScrewAttack.com's Craig Skistimas came back to DFW with a bad feeling.

"There's nothing for the gamers," he told NBCDFW. ScrewAttack's previous events, "The Iron Man of Gaming," had been well received but it was still not enough for Skistimas and his team. "What can we do to make this bigger?" they mused.

Branding the new event the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention (SGC), the crew want DFW area players to "celebrate their gaming independence" during the three-day convention July 3-5 at the Westin DFW Airport Hotel.

While Skistimas said SGC will continue to have the "Iron Man of Gaming" event, featuring players battling it out in tiered competition over Mega Man, NBA Jam, and Street Fighter IV -- but that's only the beginning. They've alloted 7,000 square feet for console, arcade, and PC freeplay sessions and will have tabletop, card, and roleplaying games at various times during the event.

Beyond actual gaming opportunities, SGC aims to connect with ScrewAttack fans (called g1s on the Web site) in various panels, including a keynote with Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, and what is sure to be a sprited debate between legal columnist Mark Methenitis and former lawyer -- and maybe a gamers' biggest villian -- Jack Thompson.

"We think that nothing is going to top it," said Skistimas who said SGC is "at least a two year plan," adding they've talked to EVO, a group that organizes gaming tournaments specifically for fighting games like Tekken, about having SGC be the host for their a round of that competition in 2010.

"People are going to want to come back," Skistimas claims, specifically because of SGC's focus on providing the best experience on a year-to-year basis. Gamers will see for themselves when SGC opens its doors July 3.

For more information on the event, including a complete schedule, head to the official SGC Web site.