MAGWest is a music and gaming festival featuring a 24-hour gaming hall, at least three stages of planned concerts, video game community guests/VIPs, and community-run panels. The festival runs from Friday, August 14 to Sunday, August 16. Buy your badge today!
***The schedule is subject to change!*** Make sure you check back to get the most accurate info!
PLEASE PLAN AHEAD FOR PARKING - NON-HOTEL GUESTS SHOULD PURCHASE PARKING AT PARKWHIZ PRIOR TO COMING TO THE EVENT.
Safety Issues, stop by Event Safety in the Silicon Valley Room or contact 1-833-FEST-SEC or [email protected]. Don’t forget to review our Code of Conduct.
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The 2008 global recession forced the gaming industry into radical reinvention, leading to the gaming renaissance. Between 2010 and today, gaming transformed from a niche hobby into one of the most dominant cultural forces on the planet, weaving itself into music, film, sports, and fashion along the way.
This panel takes a hard, empirically grounded look at where the industry goes from here. I focus on socioeconomic analysis and market data to map out two potential futures: one where games become less accessible due to an intersectional collective of reasons including socioeconomics, and one where games continue to innovate to strive to make sure everyone can experience games.
Let's have an honest conversation about what's at stake, what the data is already telling us, and what the industry, creators, and communities can do to ensure the next chapter of gaming is one worth playing.
The geographer and person with a Pokemon hyperfixation are not done yet as they expand their global horizons on both Earth and in Pokemon! For generations 5-10 we’re leaving the Japanese Archipelago to venture into Europe, the Americans and other parts of Asia! We will be looking at unique places, animals and plants that have inspired Pokemon!
Panelists: Natalie Uvon [Teacher, Geographer, Artist] | Antho Loc [student]
Friday August 14, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT Panels 1San Simeon / San Martin
Come one, come all to the Dragon Quest Grand Casino! Take a break from your weary adventures brave heroes and come have some fun in Tantegel’s newest traveling attraction! There’s a marvelous matching game, tricky trivia, and the lucky chance lottery! Will you win it big, or Frizzle out? Let’s all have a Goo-reat time!
Friday August 14, 2026 6:45pm - 7:45pm PDT Panels 1San Simeon / San Martin
It's Taboo! Gaming Edition! In this game show, the goal is to get your teammates to guess gaming-related terms without using any of the associated "taboo" words. Teams of 2-4 will compete to see who can get the most points by guessing the most words. Think fast, test your pro gamer knowledge, and rack your brain for any clues you can give to score your team points! Glory and prizes are in store for winners!
Friday August 14, 2026 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT Panels 1San Simeon / San Martin
Come join us for an exciting game show all about rhythm games! Jack-of-all-trades? Song savant? Too much into the lore? Whether you're a walking Remywiki, a J-Core and Vocaloid superfan, or even a light purveyor, this quiz will be entertaining, informative, and accessible for all!
Panelists: Starrodkirby86 [Guy Who Raised $1M for Charity Playing maimai DX]
Friday August 14, 2026 9:15pm - 10:15pm PDT Panels 1San Simeon / San Martin
"Mazes & Monsters is a far-out game"--and an even more far-out story.
The Satanic gaming and pop culture enthusiasts at Black Mass Appeal bring you the complete, dramatic, and embarrassing tale of the anti-devil worship panic that almost ruined everyone's favorite TTRPG in the 1980s, culminating in a hit exploitation paperback from the least likely author and a TV movie that subjected Tom Hanks' career to its most painful Saving Throws.
We've got the whole sordid story for you--including the long lost rules of Mazes & Monsters itself.
