Midway‘s NBA Jam is an iconic piece of arcade history. Released in 1993 at the forefront of basketball fever, the legendary arcade game is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in just a few days, and the Video Game Art Gallery is partnering up with All Star Press to ring it in with style.
The BOOMSHAKALAKA: NBA Jam’s 25 Anniversary event is set to take place between August 18 to September 8 at All Star Press in Chicago, Illinois. But what does celebrating the 25th anniversary of an iconic arcade game even entail? Between the two hosting groups, attendees can look forward to reminiscing about the game with fellow fans and see the debut of new artwork inspired by the classic game.
Interviews with the game’s creators Mark Turmell and Sal DiVita will no doubt unearth some interesting slivers of arcade history trivia, and even voice actor Tim Kitzrow will be around for the same purpose. Stick around and you’ll be treated to footage from Josh Tsui’s upcoming documentary Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s ‘90s Revolution. Artists set to be featured throughout the event are Austin Breed, Goosenek, Jermaine Brown, Jake.psd, Kwasi, Adam Lundquist, Jason Rowland, Sam Thorn, and Wilfred Santiago.
And yes, there are complimentary drinks.
NBA Jam was headed by Mark Turmell in the 90s for Midway. As the events page explains, the game was released shortly after basketball became the topic on everyone’s lips as Michael Jordan hit the big time. NBA Jam wasn’t the first basketball video game ever made, but it did give those who dreamt of the real game a way to play in their hero’s shoes thanks to the licensed likenesses of key basketball players.
Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s ‘90s Revolution was funded through Kickstarter back in 2015 with a projected release date of May 2017. The film still hasn’t released to the public, and a new release date is nowhere to be found. The movie was scheduled to screen during GDC 2018 this past March. Attendees of BOOMSHAKALAKA: NBA Jam’s 25 Anniversary won’t get to see the entire movie, which chronicles Midway’s arcade rampage of the 90s, but will get to see the NBA Jam segment of the final film.
