Barfights and Pinballs this weekend in AZ

This weekend will allow local gamers to bask in retro and community gaming as Barfights and ZapCon in Phoenix kick April in proper. 

ZapCon is a retro arcade and pinball classic convention which will be held in the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel in downtown Phoenix on Saturday and Sunday. The event starts at 10 a.m. Saturday morning and will feature not only the likes of Galaga, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mrs. Pac-Man, but will also feature musical act the Minibosses and a slew of documentaries about gaming. 

Ed Farias says goodbye to Arcade-in-a-Box with ‘This Is It!’ event

Courtesy Arcade-in-a-Box.

As the days of online competition progress, more and more small arcade venues are struggling to get the same pull of players they used to. Sadly, Tucson’s own Arcade-in-a-Box has suffered the same plight, leading the owner and founder Ed Farias, to say goodbye to the arcade this November.

Arcade-in-a-Box is one of Tucson’s biggest gamer arcade hangouts that officially got started by Farias in 2005. Since then, the venue has hosted scores of fighting game tournaments, seen the creation of the popular web series Retro Rumble, and helped groom top level Street Fighter IV players such as Latif, second-place SSFIV: AE winner at EVO 2011.

Truly, Arcade-in-a-Box is an Arizona arcade with history behind it and Farias described the decision to step away from the venue as a difficult one. In an email interview, Farias explained that after multiple attempts to pull players in, he decided to celebrate the arcade’s ending with the This is It! event, rather than try to bolster up followers in attempts to “save” it:

LAN Speed Games gets Riot support for upcoming tournament

The crew at LAN Speed Games have been hard at work to revamp and renew some of their events, including an upcoming League of Legends tournament that has caught the eye of some pretty important people. 

Gaming Madness This Week in AZ

If January has done nothing except bore you thus far, then you’re in luck, as there are two gaming events happening to get your attention.

Both LAN Speed Games and Team Hazmat are hosting events this week in Peoria and Laveen respectively.

Give 2012 the Boot at AiAB Tomorrow!

Make a New Years’ resolution to finally get good at fighting games, but don’t know where to start?

Our friends in Tucson at Arcade-in-a-Box will be hosting their boot camp for the revitalized Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (2012 ver.) on Wednesday.

2012 Incoming at LAN Speed!

Whether we like it or not, 2011 only has a few precious days to eke out its existence before it’s swiftly pushed to the side in favor of the bigger and badder 2012. If you’ve made resolutions (or failed to keep a few) you can ring in the new year at LAN Speed Games Saturday night.

Image courtesy of LAN Speed Games.

The crew at LAN Speed Games in Peoria are throwing a huge New Years’ Eve bash to welcome 2012 with open arms, as well as prizes, giveaways and ridiculous amounts of gaming.