On Sunday, July 29, video game lovers once again descended on the Palmer Events Center for the second and final day of the 2018 Classic Game Fest. Among the scheduled events for the day were the Cheap Ass Gamer and VGBS Gaming Podcast panels, music from pianist 88-Bit and the Returners, and a visit from special guest John Newcomer, a game developer on classic arcade game Joust.
One of the most exciting parts of the fest came at 2:15 PM on Sunday, when the costume contests took place – one for children and one for adults. The contests were hosted by cosplayer Stina Glitters and judged by Kay Lynn Syrin, Miss Frostage, and Creative Mind Frame (AKA 1-UP). Both adult and children contestants were judged not only on their costumes, but also on their performance once on stage.
In the children’s contest, we saw Princess Peach from the “Super Mario Bros.” games, an Inkling Boy from “Splatoon,” Pac-Man and more. A boy dressed as Young Link from “The Legend of Zelda” game series won second place, while first place went to a duo dressed as The Hunter and Ellis from “Left 4 Dead” won the top spot.
In the adult costume contest, we saw a “Stephen Universe” costume (complete with a ukulele to sing songs from the show!), a duo dressed as Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, another Link (this time playing music on an ocarina) and much more. This time, there was a judges’ choice winner in a take on Mega Man and Metal Man. The second place winner was a trio of characters from the video game “Pyre,” and first place went to Princess Zelda.
After checking out more vendors, the day came to a close with nerdcore hip-hop from Mega Ran, with help from DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. Although we were nearing the end of the festival fun, Mega Ran didn’t want any excuses for a less-than-energetic crowd. He got people standing up by the stage rather than sitting in the provided chairs, and the audience was receptive to clapping and waving along with his songs when called for. He put on a fun show, and there couldn’t have been a better way to end the weekend.
That’s a wrap on Classic Game Fest 2018. What was your favorite part of this year’s fest? Be sure to comment or reach us on Twitter and Instagram.
Featured image credit: Ben Rothenberg
Originally hailing from Pennsylvania, Jackie has called Austin home since choosing to attend the University of Texas, where she graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism. She loves spending time with her dogs, writing about pop culture in all its forms and spending time with friends – eating, drinking and doing trivia.