Jeff Bull
Following the success of 2018’s inaugural YorKON Gaming Convention held by the Yorke Peninsula Council, in partnership with AVCon and the Copper Coast Table Top Gamers, the event was held once again this year on the 27th and 28th of April.
Team Retrospekt was welcomed to the event this year, along with the 501st Legion and Little Adventurers. YorKON, convened at the Minlaton Town Hall, was an amazing two-day event, which saw attendees come from around the peninsula and beyond. Attendees could participate in modern-day gaming, retro gaming, tournaments, table top gaming, play pinballs (courtesy of Dickeson’s Amusements) and try their driving skills on arcade classics as well as mingle with like-minded people from around the community.
YorKON was established by the Yorke Peninsula Council in 2018 to provide the local young people and families an opportunity to gather together and share a common interest in gaming. The event was conceptualised by the council in response to the desires of the local youth. Attending events in the “big smoke” is something not always possible for those who live in rural areas due to the distance to travel or costs associated with a trip to the city. Combining forces with Team AVCon and the Copper Coast TableTop Gamers resulted in a highly successful inaugural event last year, and therefore it was run once again and extended over two days during the April 2019 school holidays.
Aside from the free pizza, provided by Minlaton’s own Rendevouz Café, along with hot toasted cheese sandwiches, fruit and cupcakes from Our Cupcakery, gamers were able to play a variety of pinball machines including Ghostbusters and Guardians of the Galaxy. Attendees could take a spin around the track on two 4-player Daytona USA arcade machines and also play many modern day games in the main hall. Role play gaming also took to the stage (literally). Tournaments, cosplay competitions, cardboard prop-making and Dungeons and Dragons miniature painting competitions also took place. You could also feast your eyes on a large Star Wars collection, put together by Adam, a dedicated local volunteer. There was something for all ages and interests.
Team Retrospekt was welcomed to this year’s event with great enthusiasm, and we were privileged to become part of the YorKON team. Along with providing some rare consoles including the Nintendo Virtual Boy, Atari Jaguar, Twin Famicom and Vectrex, we showcased in the interactive gaming museum the more familiar Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System II, Atari 2600, Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive. The Sega Dreamcast and Saturn were also showcased and Pong was, as usual, highly popular. We also provided a variety of games ranging from the well-known Mario-based games through to some rarities. It was no surprise Mario Kart 64 and Donkey Kong Country 2 were among the popular games along with Super Mario Bros, but the museum saw several attendees play every single console from the oldest to the newest – an impressive achievement! Attendees ranged from the very young to the very young at heart, and irrespective of the age range the competitive nature of old school gaming remained a constant.
The Yorke Peninsula Council is to be congratulated for coordinating such an inspirational event for their community, and we look forward to seeing YorKON run again in the future.
