One of the hardest types of films to pull off successfully, at the Aspen Shortsfest films must be able to tell a story and tell it well in under half an hour. Grouped into six categories and with an overall prize pool of $20,000, the reward for having the best film can be great, but the competition is stiff. It's a highly selective set of films that get shown in the five-day event, with somewhere around one in fifty submissions getting selected. Entries come in from all over the world, and some winners go on to gain Oscar nominations, and even victories.

With such competition, this festival is daunting for filmmakers, but a pleasure for viewers. The Aspen Shortsfest provides a chance to see some of the greatest short films created in the last year. It's an opportunity to not only see the films, but also to speak with the directors and get the insight behind their creations. Each film event features a number of short films played back-to-back, so while not every one will be your style, there will be plenty of interesting variety in each showing.

Once a year in spring, sci-fi and gaming lovers from all over the region converge on the Tech Center for a few days' worth of shows, talks, celebrity sightings and games. If your interests lie in the direction of multi-person games, collectible figurines, horror movies or just science fiction in general, you're sure to have a blast at this massive gala. Growing in size and popularity with each passing year, this time around three mini-festivals will take place during the convention: Gamefest, Horrorfest and, new in 2009, Comicfest.

Well over 100 pinball machines, along with select video games and hundreds of fans, take over the Jeffco Fairgrounds for a long weekend of what is literally fun and games. Whether you're a collector of old school pinball machines or just a fan of the game, the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown presents the opportunity to surround yourself with pinball madness for days on end.

Think you've got the skills to beat the competition? There are big winnings in the open tournament for top scorers, but you've got to bring your best game. Other competitions for kids and parent-child teams also take place, but for bragging rights not cash. If you're looking for parts to repair an old machine, or looking for tips on maintenance or purchase, there are professional companies to consult as well as all of the independent fans.