This past weekend, I was able to attend the Renton City Retro in downtown Renton. In collaboration with Urban Games Seattle, I learned more about video games and why they can become competitive for different ages. The event lasted from May 13th to May 14th in the heart of downtown Renton. Gamers, anime lovers, and game fanatics were able to come together at this event and fight for the chance of not only bragging rights but as well as a trophy and a chance at $1000. All ages were welcome but if under 18, you’d need a parent or guardian. Players were called up by their gamer games, which I thought was perfect for if people wanted to play with each other after the competition was over! Everyone played fairly and were good sports(most of the time). Of course, as some gamers can testify, in the comments, people can get feisty through the headsets, but they still continue to play. Which is what I saw this past weekend. Games such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate and 2K23 were just a few that had gamers using their best techniques and skills from countless hours of preparation. There were a few gamers I got a chance to speak with. One player even said they studied all of the maps within Super Smash Bros Ultimate for ten hours a day after they released what games would be in the competition. Ten hours! That’s incredible and very time-consuming. For my older gamers, some mentioned that since they didn’t have much free time to spare, they spent what they could, doing research on the games and watching game playthroughs to learn different routes that they may not have used when at home.
This event was one that I believe should happen every year. As a member and resident of the Renton community, we need more events such as these. Something to connect all ages, get people out of the house to learn more, and feel safe while doing it. We’ve had our fair share of issues in downtown Renton that are slightly similar to those in downtown Seattle. But with the support of businesses, residents, and emergency officials, we have been able to work together to have these gatherings and events without issue. Plus, I know everyone enjoyed the food trucks as well as the different vendors there. It helped with connecting people through good experiences and learning experiences of old and new games for all ages. Special thanks and a shout out to Laura Cook for connecting with me and opening my eyes to new avenues of fun! Find out below the winners of the competition.
Urban Games Website
https://www.urbangamesseattle.com/
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