For me gaming was something that I did when I was 8 years old in my brothers room on a bean bag in front of his play-station. It was my sole goal in life to beat Sonic the Hedgehog and I must admit, I wanted to be Chun Li. In fact she made her way into my third grade novel where a prince had to choose between a princess and Chun Li. He picked Chun Li. Obviously. But that's another story.
Since the 6th grade or so my only interaction with gaming was buying Christmas presents in the form of video games for my 30 year old brother. I neither understood nor empathized.
That's why, when I heard the Richmond Symphony was playing a special show of only video games called Video Games Live, I jumped at the opportunity to attend and understand once and for all the fascination. Its original intent was to attract a different audience, including young kids, to help them appreciate the symphony. As a person who already appreciates the symphony, my intent was to appreciate gaming and gamers instead. They are an important segment and gaming is an important, growing, media channel.
The crowd was full of children, pre-pubescent boys, and also, a lot of other more middle aged couples. The show was a bit interactive. There were projectors that showed the video games, a chorus and the symphony that played popular scores. I have NEVER seen the Landmark Theater so packed in all the different shows I've attended.
I've actually never been around such an energetic, enthusiastic, participatory crowd. I had no idea what was going on but there was humor and drama and stories and nostalgia and innovation. I enjoyed the music and the energy from the crowd was infectious. I actually almost cried once. It was really incredible.
I won't be a gamer anytime soon but I will be able to appreciate this important segment a bit more.
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