Videogaming Lifestyle On Display At Hartford Event

HARTFORD, CT — Once upon a time, you had to actually go out and pay 25 cents to play a videogame ... in an arcade, mind you.

Then came Pong, Atari, Nintendo, Sega and PlayStation and the ability to play at home.

Whether you're Gen X, a Millenial or Gen Z, video games are a part of your upbringing and an event in Hartford this weekend will celebrate that existence — the gaming life.

RetroWorld Expo, a Connecticut-based video game organization, is hosting a convention at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford celebrating the matching of eyes to screen to joystick.

There, folks can play, learn about and meet the movers and shakers behind both classic games of our childhood and current ones today.

The event is at the convention center, which is located downtown at 100 Columbus Blvd., Hartford.

The hours are:

• Saturday, Aug. 27, (9 a.m. for "Super Fan Access") General admission from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Sunday, Aug. 28, (9 a.m. for "Super Fan Access") General admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are available online and at the door, with daily ticket prices ranging from $25 on Sunday to $35 on Saturday, with other offers available for varying degrees of the event.

"We feel that while gaming has changed throughout the years that the underlying community that exists is one that shares a common bond - a passion for the memories we have all shared growing up playing games," reads a Retro World Expo statement on its website.

"For that reason you can expect to find both classic games as well as modern gaming expressed throughout the show."

Anyone with questions can send emails to questions@retroworldexpo.com.

For more information, click on the Retro World Expo link here.