July 8,2023 – A massive crowd showed up and showed out to the Veterans GameFest, a first time celebration of all things board games held at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.
At the GameFest, spectators viewed game players on board games such as Star Wars Legions, Buffalo Hunt, or Dwarves Vs. Orcs, another game in a long line of interactive board games. But not only does the game play attract onlookers, the design and setup itself gives plenty of opportunity for viewing pleasure.
“The setup is something that we enjoy very much,” said Brent Burdine head of publicity for GameFest.
Those included with the setup of most of the games were businesses such as Crazy Squirrel, Ender’s Games, Legends Comics & Games, GMT Games, and Beer for the Meeples.
These game shops joined in on the project to help fundraise for scholarships for JROTC Cadets of Duncan Polytechnic High School.
Cadets were present at the three day event helping with daily tasks such as cleanup and presentation.
“We’re happy with the turnout. It’s been really good. We’ve had people from the Bay Area come down and people from LA come up. And with a lot of people coming to the Valley, it’s been really good.”
Burdine said that it was important for gamers to get the chance to network and have a positive experience with fellow players and developers.
With this being the first year of the GameFest, Burdine hopes that through “word of mouth” by attendees of this year, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 933 will be able to have even more participants for next year.
“We’d like to take the seeds that we’ve planted this year and do it next year. Everyone’s had a good time, it’s been going well and now I think we have momentum.”
To the public, all those involved with GameFest would like to give thanks for the support.
“Thank you for coming out, what a great way to raise money for a good cause, just to come out and play games and have fun.”