8-bit Games Fair in Germany

Impressions from the 2nd Video and Computer Games Exchange in Frankfurt/Main, by Harry Reminder

Several weeks ago Mad Butscher of Foundation Two told me there would be another 8-bit Games Exchange in Frankfurt. Because we missed the first one, we decided to take the chance to visit this time. Then we had the idea to not only visit but to present our Atari 8-bit club (ABBUC) there as a local delegation. I got the agreement of Wolfgang Burger (ABBUC's chairman) and one week later received a big package containing an Atari banner and some hardware and software.

On the morning of 5 May, I drove with Mad Butscher to the community centre in the district of Bornheim. When we arrived at 9 o'clock there were only some people in the dedicated room. One of the organizers showed us our reserved table and half an hour later we had set-up our stand. Until the beginning of the event at 10 o'clock Mad Butscher enjoyed a smoke and I photographed the location.
 

The showroom filled with more and more with exhibitors, dealers and visitors. A busy and thrilling atmosphere filled the room. People in front of the tables were looking for the newest stuff or for a bargain. We quickly made contact with the dealers and it seemed that some knew each other for a long time. So did we because we discovered that Sijmen and Sandra Schouten from the Netherlands also came to present their large and interesting Atari repertoire.

Most visitors did not know the ABBUC, so we gave them our leaflet and encouraged them to join the club. Finally we got one new member.

At noon the room was bursting with people. It was good of the organizers to prohibit smoking in the exhibition room. Atari VCS game cartridges were offered at many stands. Programs for other Atari 8-bit systems were rare. I was surprised to find Jaguar consoles and games. Obviously some dealers used the opportunity to sell non-8-bit stuff, too! A lot of different video consoles could be seen, apart from Atari we saw game systems from Sega, Nintendo, Coleco, Intelli-Vision, Laser and some others I can't remember. Somewhere we spotted 8-bit computers from Commodore and TI.
 

We also met some well-known guys from the local area. Florian and CAS and MM of RAF came to support us at the ABBUC stand. Their relief gave me the chance to look around and buy something. I found a music CD at the Schouten's with 20 video game songs, most of them related to Atari. They also had new cotton bags with Atari logo prints, I bought two.

Mr XY and RIK, both of Foundation Two, and Ramon also took a ramble along the tables to complete their collections. Later came Charlie Chaplin and King Kong, both from SWAT, to see how 8-bit game consoles are presented in Frankfurt. They tested the new car racing game by Jiri Bernasek (BEWESoft) for the Atari XL/XE. Up to 16 players can drive simultaneously by using the 8-bit network interface connected to additional computers. It was launched at the ATARIADA in Czechoslovakia one week earlier and here for the first time in Germany.

Mad Butscher announced a game contest for all attendees. He let them play the multi player game Cervi, by Raster (CPU). But only a few visitors were interested, most of the players were our friends from ABBUC. Mad Butscher and Florian demonstrated their high skills in gaming and tied for first position, followed by Sandra. We think it is important to practice for the focus of this event: playing games. And we set an example by having fun playing simple games under the big Atari banner above our stand. Have you played Atari today?

The fair ended at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Mad Butscher and I felt aches in our feet. Luckily we sold half of the ABBUC wares and so had lighter boxes to carry back to the car. We said goodbye to the organizers and promised to return to the next event on 2 November 2002. CAS, Mad Butscher and I ended this exciting and interesting event with a delicious dinner at a Turkish restaurant.

Merchandise and a date for the next fair

Additional images by RIK
 

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MyAtari magazine - Feature #6, May 2002