Syracuse video game fans level up on nostalgia
Video game fans level up on nostalgia
Gaming consoles become portals to the past at RetroGameCon where players revel in the joy of rediscovering classics.
Hundreds of video gamers converged on RetroGameCon (RGC) this past weekend as players of all ages found themselves united by the universal language of gaming.
The two-day convention at downtown Syracuse’s The Oncenter was a vibrant and colorful tapestry of nostalgia. Attendees had the chance to meet voice actors of familiar characters, shop among vendors, attend panels and most importantly, play retro video games.
In the free-play area of the floor, younger and long-time players sat shoulder to shoulder among dozens of consoles such as Nintendo 64s, Gamecubes, and Atari 7800s zapping aliens and cracking codes on assorted games of yesteryear.
Chris Vandeuson was sitting in front of a Sony Trinton, laser-focused on a game of Defender on an Atari 2600 console.
“I had a 2600 [about] 30, almost 40 years ago,” Vandeuson said.
Vandeuson, who has attended RGC since the first gathering at Driver’s Village in 2013, said the joy of playing games that evoke childhood nostalgia, or sentimentality for the past, is the reason he returns each year.
“I just like to find the old games that I haven’t played in a million years,” Vandeuson said. “There are a lot of happy memories associated with these games.”
On the opposite end of the convention center was Nekeia Forcione, a first-time visitor locked into Jamjamn’ Jelly, a new indie game, on an arcade machine emulator. Forcione only found out about the convention three days prior, but knew she had to attend because of “the lure of all the old video games and consoles.”
Within the short time that Forcione had been at the event, she also had a sense of sentimental memories rushing back.
“Everything I felt in my childhood, I felt after about an hour here,” she said.
The convention also featured nearly 130 vendors selling a variety of items like handmade works of art, vintage posters, collectible memorabilia, old game cartridges and tchotchke trinkets.
One vendor, Felicia Massey, sells hand-knit plushies of iconic video game characters, like Bowser and Eevee. Massey has been coming to the convention since 2015.
“You meet such a great group of friends here that are strangers when you meet them, but by the end, you’re almost family,” Massey says. “It’s great to even have a weekend to be yourself and know that people are going to accept you. I love that about this community.”
The inclusive environment of the convention is an aspect touched on by most, and a reason commonly cited for coming back year after year. Like event volunteer Leondra Tyler, who doesn’t classify herself as an avid gamer but loves coming to the convention nonetheless.
Tyler admires how the convention “brings different people together” and provides a space for gamers to gather no matter who they are or where they come from.
Mike Pollock said as people grow with games they often become attached to the character. Pollock is the voice of “Dr. Eggman” from Sonic the Hedgehog. Folks who meet Pollock at the special guests panel remember his voice from their childhood and get to attach a face behind the character they’ve grown up with.
“Folks remember me from their childhood because I’ve been doing this particular character for 20 years,” Pollock said. “It’s got such a life of its own and people of all ages love Sonic and Dr. Eggman.”
