Things are starting to get better in the world, and a good sign for that is the return of Free Play Florida, taking place Friday, November 19th to Sunday, November 21st, located at the beautiful Caribe Royal Orlando resort by Disney World. Ongaku Overdrive will be there hosting panels, an afterparty, and we even got a cool discount!
For those unaware, Free Play Florida is the nation’s largest Pinball and Arcade convention. Featuring over 300 pinball machines, arcade cabinets, and vending machines, along with special guests, panels, cosplayers, tournaments, and more. Guests include “Voice of NBA Jam” Tim Kitzrow, plus Daniel Pesina, Richard Divizio, Warren Davis, and Tim Lapetino! It’s a must-attend event for game lovers around the world.
But here is what we have!
The Genesis of Fighting Games: 30 Years Later
Friday, November 19th, 9pm to 10pm in Panels
Arcade culture changed and the 16-bit console wars shifted in momentum when Street Fighter II: The World Warrior took over the world. Kent Ward (Ongaku Overdrive) and Brotha Kyo (Land of the Free) were there when it started and look back on the start of the fighting game boom, 30 years later.
The Making of Mortal Kombat with Daniel Pesina and Richard Divizio
Saturday, November 20th, 2pm to 3pm in Panels
Nearly 30 years ago, Mortal Kombat took arcades by the head and changed the video game world forever. (Like seriously, why do you think video games have content ratings?) The game is also famous for featuring digitized fighters played by Free Play Florida guests Daniel Pesina (Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sub-Zero) and Richard Divizio (Kano, Baraka, Quan Chi), who sit down with fighting game historians Kent Ward (Ongaku Overdrive) and Brotha Kyo (Land of the Free) to talk about the behind the scenes of Mortal Kombat and its impact on video games.
FPF Wrap Party at Player 1 Arcade
Sunday, November 21st, 5pm to close at Player 1 Arcade
We have are also hosting a convention wrap party for all the homies at Free Play Florida at Player 1 Arcade, voted the Best Bar to Play Video Games in this year’s Best of Orlando! This will take place on Sunday, November 21st, starting at 5pm. Player 1 Arcade features classic arcade cabinets set to unlimited play as well as console game setups from every generation. They also have a bar with a huge selection of craft beers and themed drink specials. It’s actually a short drive from Free Play Florida and everyone with a FPF wristband GETS IN FREE! Player 1 Arcade is located at 8562 Palm Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836.
The ONGAKU Discount
Last but not least, Free Play Florida gave a sweet discount code for you to use that will save you 15% off weekend passes and their Saturday night concert. Enter “ONGAKU” as the checkout promo code to get some big savings! That is awfully nice of Free Play Florida and we hope that means we can see a bunch of you at the show. (Note: Different tickets have to be purchased separately for the discount code to be applied to each pass. It is a known website bug that will hopefully be fixed soon.)
Free Play Florida is going to be an awesome time, and we can’t wait to see you there!