Gamers of all ages gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown L.A. from January 10-12, 2025. The event offered a number of free to play retro arcade games, vendors selling physical video games, consoles, memorabilia, and voice actors were in attendance offering autographs and selfies. The Megabyte Nation Gaming Expo was a great respite from the wildfires burning in the Palisades, Eaton, Hollywood, and Hurst. The event was worth the $40-$50 ticket.
Event Highlights
Initial impressions of the event was that it was widely spaced out and I wondered if the event would fill up. It sure did.
Highlights of the event were the panels. For the 25-year anniversary of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, a panel was held where game creators Ralph D’amato (producer), Nolan Nelson (character artist), Chris Rausch (designer), Darren Thorne (level artist) talked about the game’s inception, history, and biggest wins as well as lessons learned.
James C. Burns, the voice of Frank Woods in Call of Duty was on stage and interviewed by Danny Cooksey, who was in Terminator 2 and Nickelodeon shows.
Event Photos by Steven Buena
January 11, 2025 Gallery
January 12, 2005 Gallery
Live Music
Attendees also enjoyed live music by a violinist who played gaming songs by Sonder Classical.
In celebration of the game’s anniversary, The Downhill Jam performed Tony Hawk Pro Skater cover songs. Watch the video footage below:
All My Friends are Metalheads Cover:
Millencolin – No Cigar Cover:
Badjar – Not the Same Cover:
Featured Guests
Carolina Ravassa (Valorant, Dragon Age, and Overwatch), Nadji Jeter (Spider-Man Miles Morales, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2), Mia Sinclair Jenness (Arcane), Paul Castro (Final Fantasy VII, Genshin Impact), Jamie Mortellaro (Zelda Breath of the Wild, Final Fantasy), and Anthony Marquez (Mortal Kombat II) to name a few.
Cosplay
At every expo, I enjoy seeing all the creative cosplay.
Tips for Future Attendees
- Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as there’s a lot of walking.
- Bring cash just in case a vendor’s credit card system isn’t working.
- Take lots of photos and videos.
Overall, the event was fun and packed. Everyone in attendance was excited to buy or trade their games, watch live music, and listen to panels.
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