Jun 10, 2014 Future Crew (LA Game Space benefit/E3 Party) recap
I love what the folks at LA Game Space are trying to do. The nonprofit, interdisciplinary, experimental, and totally indie center for the art, design, and research of video games will host residencies, exhibitions, research labs, speaker series, and workshops in their upcoming downtown location. In essence, they are taking the video game medium that has been taken over by mega corporations, big box stores, and other capitalists (often awesomely) and giving it back to the people. What better time to have a party to raise funds and awareness than on the eve of E3, the industry’s annual video game conference and show that attracts developers, vendors, and media from around the world?
When I arrived at The Well last night, my longtime friend and LA Game Space co-founder Adam Robezzoli told me that he and his colleagues had just secured the spot five days earlier and how much Devolver and Unwinnable helped to get it together and get the word out. And after a lot of sweat and hustling, they assembled all the A/V gear and he was stoked that so many of his favorite musicians (Daedelus, Doseone, Chrome Canyon, Grimecraft, Arcane Kids) and visual artists (Sam Newell, Johnny Woods, Evan Shamoon, Daniel Rehn) were down for the cause and would donate their time to the event– not to mention the world-famous tofu balls from Starry Kitchen and sweet drinks from Boba 7.
But you didn’t need to be a hardcore gamer to appreciate or be inspired by the event. Curating indie games alongside underground music, upstart art, and DIY restaurants made the event more than simply a great reason for multiplayer friends and enemies to get together in real life. Today video games are just as important as motion pictures or TV shows, and open-source, lo-fi, and experimental games serve a similar purpose as indie cinema or video art. They drive change and evolve the mainstream, and need to be celebrated, cultivated, and preserved. Hopefully even enjoyed.
Of course it didn’t hurt to know a thing or two about games at the event. How awesome was it to see Doseone perform the soundtrack to Samurai Gunn while the game’s graphics were blasted onto the walls by one of its visual artists? Or to hang out with video game fans and contributors like Daedalus, Will from Baths, or Bryan Lee O’Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame as they discussed their favorite games, talked about their hopes for the future of gaming, and shared their love for LA Game Space’s mission?
I admit that I felt old and out of touch last evening. The last time I was really obsessed with video games was the era of Bust-a-Move and Super Bomberman for the SNES. (Well, maybe House of the Dead for the Dreamcast.) But last night served as a powerful and fun reminder that behind the seemingly monolithic industry is an underground of dreamers, creators, artists, and friends that is creating a vital scene. Support indie video games! Support LA Game Space! Have fun!
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