A Unique Chance to Revisit Your Childhood
Last weekend, quite spontaneously, I decided to visit Poznań Game Arena 2025. And let me tell you—it turned out to be a bullseye. Why? After being away from the expo for over a decade, I was blown away by the atmosphere. Especially by the section dedicated to vintage gaming. For us millennials—aka gaming dinosaurs—this kind of opportunity doesn’t come around too often! Retro games and consoles brilliantly captured the spirit of a bygone era. Tetris, Tekken, and other titles in their very first iterations brought whole families together—and deeply immersed them in nostalgia. Let’s be honest, it was probably the parents who enjoyed that exhibition the most.
Remember Your IT Lessons at School?
Then you’re welcome to the Deluxe Ski Jump tournament. For those much younger than I am, a quick explanation is due. Back than in Poland when IT classes in schools meant fiddling around in Paint, students would often sneak in a few rounds of this ski jumping game. Now, back to the tournament. It was the first time in 20 years I’d seen such excitement over a 2D game. And it was elevated even further by a live commentator, who absolutely nailed the atmosphere. The tournament ran for several hours, and the crowd only kept growing. Both young newcomers and seasoned veterans joined in. This mouse-driven game ended up attracting more attention than even the CD-Action booth.
History class tbc.
And I mean that literally—because you can’t talk about the history of video games without its king: Quake! The legendary FPS had its own booth, complete with ready-to-play PCs. A dedicated deathmatch server was constantly packed with thrill-seeking… dads! What’s it like to see gray-bearded guys sweating from the dopamine rush? It’s like reliving your first gaming emotions. Back then, games weren’t overloaded or designed to hijack your attention. And yet—they still managed to pull you in. As a former “professional” Call of Duty player, I really had to restrain myself from abandoning my livestream coverage. At that moment, all I wanted was to hop on that server and defeat the leaderboard king known as Cukier.
Gaming News
I’m always eager to support Polish-made projects. This time, it’s the arcade game Rescue Heli RH407 by the studio G-REX Games. I even managed to record a short interview with the game’s creator. The game is a retro-style tribute to Commodore 64 titles. You take control of a rescue helicopter—and trust me, the tricky controls are designed to make every Flappy Bird fan instantly fall in love. A free demo is available to download on Steam. And for those who go full maniac mode and beat the game in a speedrun—there’s a reward: a key to the full game. You can find more info about the game HERE.
Curious for more? You’ll find a full video report from Poznań Game Arena 2025 on my YouTube channel – watch it HERE.
About the Author
Daniel Słodkiewicz – Founder of Zen Spotlight. Enthusiast of Europa Universalis, Call of Duty, Heroes of Might and Magic. A true dinosaur in the gaming world.
