Extra Lives Interactive Video Game Concert

Extra Lives is the world’s first Audience RPG: a fully narrated choose-your-own-adventure game where you are the main character! Plunge into an exciting story with lights, music, sound effects and visuals from the legendary console games of the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s... and a live score provided by the lovable nerds of Extra Lives. This immersive feast for the imagination will transport you back to your childhood, whether you grew up playing video games or not!

Àkójọpọ̀ Presents: Orin Ọmọdé

Orin Ọmọdé (Children’s Song) is an educational concert experience designed to introduce young audiences to the beauty, diversity, and cultural richness of African and diasporic music. Through storytelling, rhythm, song, and interactive performance, students are invited to explore the historical and cultural significance of music as a living tradition that connects past and present.

Swarmed: Gaming and the Social Internet’s Impact on Culture and Identity

Inspired by The Hivemind Swarmed (Beacon Press, 2024), this panel explores the internet’s impact on culture, identity, and the human cost of “cool” jobs like making video games. Chicago author, and journalist-turned-oral historian, David Wolinsky joins experts in digital culture, gaming, and media to discuss how the internet has shaped modern bad-faith dynamics—and why gaming’s massive influence remains overlooked in journalism and public discourse.