First Annual Let's Play Expo in Plano Set To Rock The Classics

Remember the days when you'd bring your friends over to check out the latest video game, and everyone would gather around the TV and watch you play? You felt like royalty--their eyes glued to your every move, asking you questions, reacting with oohs and ahhs when you did something amazing. Well, that feeling hasn't gone away, but instead, it's manifested itself in another medium: Let's Plays.

My favorite Let's Play is this one of Super Mario 64 by Durden77, just because he's such a goofball and very relatable--this is how I felt playing arguably the greatest game of all time (certainly my personal favorite). In fact, the footage even helped me round out my "Some Flights" video. Shameless plugs for the win! 

That sense of gaming community is going to be strong at the Let's Play Gaming Expo in Plano, TX on August 1 and 2. 

"There's something for everyone here," says Jadd Garcia, the organizer for the Let's Play Gaming Expo. "We'll have classic games like Centipede and Defender. You'll be able to buy vintage collections. We'll have a Smash Bros. tournament and Tetris tournament. You can actually win money playing video games."

New and old gamers alike will meet at the first of what Garcia hopes is many events.

"It's the first one we've ever done, but it's going to be the best," Garcia says. "It's just going to be a joy because it's all people who love games. You're talking to a guy here who has 5,000 games."

If you can play that many games during the weekend, I will personally high five you. In total, the Let's Play Gaming Expo has a ton of stuff to check out, provided here in handy list form:

·         TETRIS World Championship Southern Regional Qualifying Tournament

·         Smash Bros Tournament

·         Mortal Kombat X Tournament

·         75+ Free-play arcade cabinets

·         Gaming Panels and Discussions

·         Artists, Developers & Special Gaming Guests

·         Retro Gaming Stations

·         Live Streaming on Twitch

·         Video Game Auctions

·         Vendor tables to buy, sell, and trade video games

Want to attend? Here's everything you need to know:

Let’s Play Gaming Expo

Aug. 1-2 (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)            

Plano Centre

2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway

Plano, Texas 75074

Single day passes are $15 and weekend passes are $25. Let's play!