Review: Insomnia64 Gaming Festival, Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre

You had the incredible technology of Virtual Reality in one corner of the room, and absolute classics like the Nintendo Gameboy Colour in the other. Talk about nostalgia.

The Insomnia64 Gaming Festival brilliantly brings together all types of gaming under one roof; suited for the casual gamer and for the true professional.

In a way, it was like a museum that shows how rapidly gaming technology has progressed over the past few decades.

It was great to see the likes of VR headsets on show which demonstrated the cutting-edge of the industry.

But it was also fantastic to see the old retro consoles like the Sega Dreamcast, Gameboy Colour and original Xbox and PlayStation on show.

And what made the festival even better was that you could play these consoles for free. It was like being transported back in time.

There was rows upon rows of old consoles that you could dip in and out off and play a game.

My favourite part of the festival was The Retro section. This was purely for the nostalgia (as you may have guessed). I even bought me a Gameboy Colour and Super Mario Bros game, like the one I had growing up (although I don't know if I will ever play it).

During my visit, the UK's qualifying round for the European Cup was taking place on the Super Mario Smash Bros game.

Unlike the 1999 version, which was now in my pocket (which features tiny characters on a small Gameboy screen), this tournament was being beamed live on screens around the festival and the internet. The graphics and game play between the two are incomparable.

This to me showed how big gaming as a sport has got.

The final qualifying rounds were staged in a large hall, where hundreds of spectators had gathered to watch the action, and not counting how many hundreds or thousands were probably spectating online.

What was interesting to see was how the crowd reacted to the action. This was not just a game, but a sport.

Like you'd see on TV when the audience would cheer and clap after a snooker player had potted the black at a tight angle, so too did the crowd cheer here, when one of the opponents pulled off a good attacking move. Most of the crowd were younger generations, so it showed where the future of gaming as a sport (which is technically known as eSports) is heading.

The gaming world is a diverse one which knows no age, colour or creed and that reflected in the audience at the festival.

It was like a whole unseen world had been brought together, which normally only exists behind computer screens. Some had even gotten into true festival spirit and donned characters from video games and popular movies, like Star Wars.

You could buy merchandise from some of the rows upon rows of stalls where traders were selling retro items like posters, t-shirts and comics.

Game developers were also present and keen to show off their latest games. Some developers were the official big boys while others were indie developers - which added more flavour to the games on offer.

It was good to try out the latest Mortal Kombat game, despite me losing every round. Gamers then could have a go - or take their rage out - on a punching machine afterwards (you know, the one that calculates your score) which I had a go on.

However, the best game I played there was the upcoming Days Gone title, which is being released exclusively on the PlayStation 4.

I was interested in this having already placed the game on pre-order, so I wanted to test it out and see if I will get my monies worth.

Thankfully, it looks like I will.

The game is like a free roaming one where loads of zombies chase you.

That gritty, survival element was echoed well in the design of the game's stall at the festival, with the booth being made by thrown together planks of wood - not to mention the zombie bodies hanging from the side itself.

All in all, if you're a gaming fan and want a fun day out, I'd recommend getting a ticket to Insomnia64 Gaming Festival at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

A thumbs up from me definitely.