Every generation has its defining technology. For baby boomers it was television; for their parents it was radio; and for Millennials, or Gen Yers, it's text messaging and e-mail.

But for Generation X, it was the video game.

Atari's "Pong" burst onto the scene in 1972 and gaming as it was known was never the same. In the 30-some years since Atari became a household name, a whole new generation has emerged: the Gamer Generation.

Comprised of baby boomers, Gen-Xers and Yers and a whole new yet unnamed generation, the Gamer Generation crosses age and generational boundaries to unite video game lovers from across the globe. And this weekend, the Science Museum of Virginia celebrates all of them, and the gamer in all of us, with Geek Festival 2.0.

The Science Museum launched Geek Festival two years ago as a fun way to remind visitors that the creative play that goes into gamming is rooted in science and technology.

"We're a science museum and we are into science, but [video games] are a cutting edge thing that most people think, 'Oh this is fun, this is something to get hooked on,'" said Nancy Tait, public relations manager for Science Museum of Virginia. "And I don't think [visitors] always think about the fact that the science and technology and the math that go into the game are coming from people that … have a really strong education in science and math. If you want to pursue something like that then that knowledge is really important."

And the Science Museum has a knack for educating its visitors about science in a fun way that doesn't seem like learning. This Saturday's event isn't devoted to lectures about science and video games or exhibits about microchips and technology. Instead, Geek Festival 2.0, or G33K FSTVL 2.0 as it would be spelled in texting, is all about the video games themselves.

Vintage video games, like "Ms. Pac-Man," "Space Invaders" and, yes, even "Pong," will be set up for play. Visitors can play and reminisce about the games they grew up on (or the ones their parents grew up on) and even test out the latest video game technology. And, for gamers of today the latest video game technology is summed up in one simple word: Wii.

The highlight of Geek Festival is an all-day long Wii "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" competition. The first 48 people to register in the morning (so get there early if you want to play) will compete to win their own Wii and copy of "Guitar Hero."

"The whole concept is to do something that's really cool and something that is 'what is the game that seems to strike everyone's imagination?' This year it was the Wii," Tait said.

Not into the guitar? No problem. Before there was Wii or "Guitar Hero," the big game and system of the year was "Dance Dance Revolution" on Xbox 360. And Science Museum is hosting a day-long DDR competition, too. The winner gets an Xbox 360 and a copy of "Rock Band."

"We did DDR [for] the first [Geek Festival] and it was incredibly popular, so we decided we'd do the DDR again," Tait said.

If hours of video games and competitions aren't enough for you, the Science Museum will have plenty of other fun going on. Speed-cuber Jason Baum, the fastest Rubik's Bube solver in Virginia, will be demonstrating his skill. The robotics teams from Benedictine and St. Gertrude high schools will display their work and all of the Science Museum's regular exhibits will be available. You can even take a spin on a Segway and play with radio-controlled bumper cars.

"It's great fun," Tait said. "It's just an amazing day of fun."

w Geek Festival 2.0 is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 1. The Geek Festival is included with Science Museum exhibit admission: $10 for adults, $9 for children ages 4 to 12, seniors 60 and older and active duty military. Children 3 and under are free.