Inaugural Tupelo Titan Con

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – It was a fun day for video game lovers in Tupelo.

The Summit Center was bustling with activity at the first ever Tupelo Titan Con, where participants had their choice of various geek related activities. Zack Ashmore is co-owner of the one day event.

“In many ways most people if not everybody is a geek in some was,” said Ashmore. “The culture has expanded so much that if you like video games, congratulations you’re a geek, if you like comic books most people do with Marvel movies being so popular these days, congratulations, you’re a geek. You’re one of now. So the culture has expanded so much it’s fantastic to see that we have so many new faces and new perspectives to bring to it.”

Events like this attract couples like James and Heather Bozek of Tupelo.

“It’s great if you have similar likes that way you know you can both attend these kind of events and enjoy it together,” said Bozek.

“Whenever they have conventions like this I’m like ah these are people you know people like stuff that I like and it’s a lot of fun and we can like you know have communities and stuff like that. And then you find someone like my husband here who also likes the same same stuff,” said Bozek.

One of the interesting aspects of Tupelo Titan Con is the diversity of interests. Here, everything from comic books to cos-play.

There are a lot of gamers here including video and old fashioned board gamers.

Derrick Harris owns Tupelo Game Days and loves to push pieces around a board rather than click a mouse.

“All these games have their own spark to them, something that electronics haven’t been able been able to replicate to this day. It’s more social interaction. It builds well more developed skills for children for adults. It’s more fun. It really is. And it is something that I got into casually and it’s grown into an obsession,” said Harris.

This weekend’s event helped raised money for LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Ole Miss students and Miss Mississippi contestants Grace Munroe and Mary Randall Ivy encouraged those attending to participate in a special gaming event later this year.

“On November 3rd there is a 24 hour game day experience and so we are out here as friends wanting to be out here for a good cause and that’s why we’re here today,” said Munroe.

What do these pageant contestants think about the nerd culture?

“Everyone has a nerd within them somewhere, and I’m definitely having fun here today and I think I consider myself a nerd as I mean you can be pretty and be nerdy a little bit of both,” said Ivy.

There will be another geek event in Tupelo in 2 weeks.