Hoogeveen,โฃ Netherlands – โA retro gaming fair in Hoogeveen isโค drawing crowds ofโ collectors and enthusiasts, offering a rare marketplace for classicโ video games and consoles. The event, held today at Activum, features overโ 200 stalls brimming with titles for systems like the Game โBoy โand โขnintendo DS, alongside more modern offerings.
organizer Michael Steenbergen launched the Retro Gamebeurs to fill a gap in the Northern Netherlands’ gaming community. “We organized the stock market, because things like this were not yet in Drenthe and actually not in the Northern Netherlands,” he explained. Lastโ year’sโฃ inaugural eventโ exceeded โขexpectations, attracting 2,100 visitors-nearlyโ double theโ anticipated 1,000-prompting โorganizers to expandโค the venue to encompass almost the entire sports center. Steenbergen anticipates 3,000 attendees โคthis year, with a hopeful target of โ4,000.
The fair provides a platform โขfor โคboth game shops and individual collectors to buy, sell, and trade. Whileโ the focusโค is on games from the 1980s and 90s,โ Nintendo Switch titles are also available. steenbergen, himself a dedicated collectorโ specializing in Game Boy games since 2010, emphasizes the personal passion driving โthe hobby. “One collects art or stamps, I โฃcollectโค games. Allโ my life โคI have been a gamer,” he said, acknowledging the vastness โฃof โคthe collecting world:โฃ “Whenโค you see otherโฃ collectors you know: it canโ always be crazier.”