Whether you grew up playing the classic Nintendo or Sega video game consoles, or are too young to have ever played them, all will be welcome at Cullman’s 2017 Gamefest. 

Brandon Gentry and Lyle McClendon, hosts of the popular Good Ole Gamers podcast, are holding the event at the Cullman VFW on Nov. 17 and 18. 

The pair of Cullman natives have been friends since kindergarten, and both of them are avid collectors of retro video games. 

“We’ve always been nerds,” Gentry said. 

They first had the idea to host their own Gamefest in Cullman three years ago after attending the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo in Atlanta. 

That event draws thousands of people every year, and while Gentry and McClendon were there, they began thinking about hosting one in their own backyard. 

Alabama doesn’t really have any gaming conventions, so they decided to start their own and see how much it could grow, McClendon said. 

The first Gamefest was held in the Cullman Civic Center, but the festival moved to the Cullman VFW last year for more space for gaming. This year’s Gamefest will stay there, but will see an extra day added so more people can enjoy the retro gaming atmosphere. 

“This is the first time we’re doing a two-day event,” Gentry said. 

This year’s Gamefest will feature almost every major video game console, but will have a focus on the older generations, with popular Atari, Nintendo and Sega systems joining the more obscure consoles that people may not have played before. 

“We’re trying to focus more on the previous generations because everyone has an Xbox One or a PS4,” Gentry said.

“We try to keep it retro,” McClendon agreed. 

There are a lot of people have never played the Atari Jaguar, Magnavox Odyssey 2, or Nintendo Virtual Boy, so they will have a chance to do so at Gamefest, Gentry said. 

“It’s almost like an interactive museum of these old video games,” he said. “We try to have a little bit of everything out there to give a broad range of games over the years.” 

Along with the open play area, there will be several tournaments spread out over the two days of the festival, including Mortal Kombat 3, Super Smash Brothers Melee, Donkey Kong and more. 

Attendees last year asked for a Halo 2 tournament, so one will be taking place this year, McClendon said. 

One of the more popular tournaments from last year, Sega Bass Fishing, will also be returning with an actual bass trophy awarded to the winner. 

Not every tournament will have a bass trophy, but each winner will received a trophy and a prize, which will include retro consoles. 

“We’re giving away tons of consoles,” McClendon said. 

Concessions will also be available for the people who attend, and Joysticks and d20s, a video game store in Warrior, will be a vendor at the festival. 

These retro video games will not last forever, and many kids today have never had the chance to play them, so hosting an event like Gamefest allows kids to experience something that they likely never would have otherwise, McLendon said. 

He said the festival can also spark some interest in those kids as well, and push them to collect games as they get older and be the next generation of people who are active in buying and trading retro games.

“That’s the main reason we like doing Gamefest,” he said.

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 138.