People tend to love all things classic: classic cars, classic rock, classic movies.
It comes as no surprise then that gamers are more and more dusting off their Nintendo 64s and Ataris rather than rushing to the big-box store for the latest and greatest in gaming consoles.
It also comes as no surprise that the Classic Game Fest, the biggest retro gaming event in Texas held every year at the Palmer Events Center, grew from a few dozen people in a secondhand video game store parking lot to attracting thousands over the last decade and a half.
David Kaelin, owner of Game Over Videogames and founder of the Classic Game Fest, told Austin Journal that the retro tournament, trade show and gaming event started in 2007 in his store. It quickly outgrew the store the following year into the parking lot, where hundreds of people would rally together to determine the champion in games like Pong.
"Every year it just got bigger and bigger, and eventually it outgrew Game Over and being able to be held at the store," Kaelin said.
When the festival first moved to the Palmer Events Center, it was held in a small couple-thousand-square-foot conference room. The 2021 Classic Game Fest will take up the entire center and all of its 75,000-plus square feet.
Kaelin said that retro games have regained popularity thanks to the nostalgia that people feel with a classic controller in their hands—and a family with children is more likely to bond over a game of Super Mario rather than a game of Call of Duty.
"There is a surprisingly large market and demand for the older stuff," Kaelin said. "It's not all about the latest and greatest graphics and things like that. It's about games that are fun, competitive and challenging."
Make no mistake: a 30-year-old game can be just as difficult as a three-month-old game, Kaelin says, and the adults today who thrived on classic games in their childhoods are introducing their own children to the realm of retro gaming.
In this particular hobby, some games get better—and more expensive—with age. Recently, the retro gaming community saw a 25-year-old sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sell for $1.56 million at auction.
While Kaelin has never had a game come through his shop or the festival with a worth in the millions, a game or console—especially sealed—with a price tag in the thousands or tens of thousands is not uncommon.
With last year's festival cancelled due to the pandemic, Kaelin said that the Classic Game Fest team, the vendors and the spectators are all excited to return to the beloved tournament and trade show.
With the entire Palmer Events Center to themselves, the festival plans on dozens of vendor booths featuring actual games and on-theme goodies like artwork and apparel, game buyback stations, a costume contest, game museum, live music, panels and an old-school arcade room.
"We're going to set it up like an '80s arcade in there, that's not something we've ever done before," Kaelin said. "Other than that, the fest is going to be bigger, more exciting. Everyone is thrilled to come back."
The global gaming market is expected to generate revenues of $175.8 billion this year, according to NewZoo.
The Classic Game Fest event will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25, at the Palmer Events Center on 900 Barton Spring Rd. in Austin. Admission ranges from $10-$25 in advance and $15 to $30 at the door. Children 10 and younger are free.