Bit by the nostalgia bug? A retro gaming get-together in Utah promises a dose of old-school cool

Layton • Tracy Charlton is a staunch advocate for the retro of it all, especially when it comes to gaming.

His first gaming console, which his mother bought him when he was 12, was an original Nintendo, a huge computer-like console with a tiny controller. His favorite game: “The Legend of Zelda.”

He loved the adventure of it, of playing the game through and discovering its secrets. “I didn’t want it to end,” he says now. It’s a love he never was able to let go.

Charlton’s appreciation for retro gaming is what inspired him to start the Utah Retro GameXpo, taking place Friday and Saturday at the Davis Conference Center in Layton for its fifth iteration.

According to him, the “comic convention for video games” will feature a variety of vendors selling old games, artwork based on popular titles and other goods.

Special guests from the gaming world will be in attendance, such as like Jason Paige, the singer behind the original “Pokemon” theme song; voice actors Gini Holtzman and Melanie Kohn, who voiced Peppermint Patty and Lucy from “Peanuts”; and Paul Niemeyer, an artist who has credits on games like “Mortal Kombat” and “Pac-Man Plus.”

The expo will also have gaming tournaments on old and new systems for games like “NBA Jam,” “Halo 2” and “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.” There will even be a retro museum put together by Charlton’s friend who collects old computer systems.

The expo first started as a tent event in the back parking lot of the store Charlton owns in Layton. The shop, Minus World Video Games, which has been open since 2019 and is just across the street from another business geared toward nostalgia fiends — Skatestation.

Old-school cool

Stepping into Charlton’s store is like passing a level in a game, or falling into a Warp Pipe, Mario-style.

Games from consoles past adorn the walls and aisles — everything from Apple and PC games, like the “1988 President Elect” simulation, where the player can act like the next president, to all iterations of games that appeared on Playstation, Nintendo DS, Game Boy, Wii, GameCube and N64.

A browse through the displays of pre-owned titles will stoke nostalgia in even the most casual gamers. Take, for example, a $5 Wii game where users can play as Disney’s Hannah Montana and rock out. The Xbox section is a shrine to every version of Madden that a football fan could want.

“When people come into my shop, they look around and they remember things from their childhood, and it brings back those memories,” Chalrton said, sitting behind the counter at his store. “[I’ve] had people say, ‘I used to play this with my dad,’ and sometimes tears will come to their eyes because they’re thinking of those things.”

Charlton says 99% of what he sells is pre-owned, and he always checks to make sure the consoles and games are working. Aside from video games, Charlton’s shop also sells vinyl records of music from famous games, which he also plays in the store.

If the gaming merchandise isn’t enough to send visitors back to the past — one step into the back room is.

The black carpet with fun colorful patterns (from Joy Carpets) is the same kind that seemed to appear in nearly every old arcade. The walls of the room overflow with video game posters and a display case that holds game figurines. An old Sony TV is plugged in and it plays old-timey tech commercials for gaming consoles and computers.

A time warp back to childhood

Charlton hopes his expo — from the free-play gaming area to the cosplay contest — will help transport people back to how they felt when they were growing up and experiencing these games for the first time in the same way his shop does.

His favorite part about running the store and hosting the expo is hearing feedback from the community.

“I like making people happy,” he said. “When people come in and you see them smile and you see them having fun, that’s kind of what I look forward to.”

Tickets for the Utah Retro GameXpo can be purchased at utahretrogamexpo.com/event-passes.