The Vintage Gaming Convention returns to The Ranch Saturday and Sunday – Loveland Reporter-Herald

Braden Krien, owner of Retro Shopping Cart, unloads items for sale at his Vincon booth at The Ranch Friday. Krien said one of the great things about events like Vincon is the ability to find gaming items that people likely can’t find anywhere else. (Austin Fliskes/Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Anyone looking to play some retro video games, browse collectibles, or listen to live music can plan to head to The Ranch this weekend for the return of the annual video game convention.

And they will bean annual retro gaming convention hosted by Games Ahoy that began in Loveland more than a decade ago, will be held at The Ranch for two days on Saturday and Sunday.

Adam Ray, owner of Games Ahoy, said the idea for Vincon came in 2015. At the time, he said, the store had a little extra cash that it was planning to use to open a third store. Instead, Ray said, they decided to fulfill what customers asked for: a gaming convention.

“There was a lot of hype around retro gaming, and a lot of people started retro gaming conventions,” he said.

Since then, the event has steadily grown in popularity, Ray says, attracting hundreds of people each year. He said that last year, after a two-year break in 2020 and 2021, the event saw a total of 1,700 participants and this year is expected to see 2,400 participants.

Throughout the weekend, those who come to The Ranch can enjoy exhibitors selling video games, artwork and collectibles, video game-themed carnival games and prizes, more than 7,000 square feet of free consoles, computers and arcades, and more than 30 console tournaments. Controllers, arcades, board games, daily video game swap meetups and live music, according to Farm location.

The south side of the building has a room full of TVs next to more modern consoles all the way up to consoles from decades ago like the Atari 5200. Along one wall in this room are several arcade cabinets for people to enjoy, from Mortal Kombat II to Ms. Pac-Man And more.

The north side of the building includes a number of vendor booths that began to fill with products and their vendors on Friday afternoon.

Among them is Braden Crane, owner of Retro Shopping Cart, which sells vintage video games and collectibles. Conventions like this are a great way to get out and see really unique gaming items, said Krien, as he unpacked boxes of items to sell at his booth.

“You’ll see things here that you don’t normally find anywhere else,” he said, later adding: “It’s the joy of hunting for me, and this is the perfect environment for it.”

The family-friendly event is a great way for people in the area who enjoy a variety of things, from vintage toys to collecting and more, to come together and have fun as a group, Ray said.

“We do it because it’s fun for everyone,” he said, later adding, “Everyone is happy to be there, everyone is excited to be there.”

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the First National Bank Exhibition Hall at The Ranch, 5280 Arena Circle. Tickets cost varies from $15 for the day to $20 for the weekend and more; Children 10 and under can enter for free.

For tickets or more information, visit vinconcolorado.com.