DAVENPORT, Iowa — Gamers in the Quad Cities had a new place to connect and play over the weekend.
NerdFest, is the first gaming convention created by Quad City native and CEO, Kevin Hurt.
“I didn’t always have a safe space to be myself and in my later years, I discovered that when you have friends that are like-minded you can create that safe space," Hurt said.
The convention had video games, board games, card games and a rock climbing wall. Local vendors sold anime and gaming-themed products.
“If you like music, you're a music nerd. If you like food, you're a food nerd. Everybody I think is nerdy in their own way," Hurt said.
The event also included a high school gaming tournament. East High School, in Waterloo, Iowa, e-sports gaming coach, Corey Kennis says it's the first time his students were able to play face to face with their competitors since 2020.
“They knew each other's characters but they've never met each other face to face," Kennis said. "The first thing they said this morning is, 'Oh, you're that Donkey Kong? Oh I hated playing you last year.'" So it's amazing, they get to have that experience.”
One player says he enjoys going to conventions, playing video games competitively and embraces the word nerd.
“It used to be like an insult, but if you really just embrace it, don't be ashamed of it or anything," Davin Herrmann said. "Just enjoy yourself and do what you enjoy doing. It's fun.”
The NerdFest convention is expected to return in summer 2022.