JOYstick! Level 2
Seattle has become a hotbed of nerdlesque, with geeky themed shows just about every weekend by a variety of producers. My friends over at Smooches and Science Present are bringing their popular video game themed burlesque show, JOYstick! Level 2, back to our fair city. This time, it’s rebels versus past cast members (or Team Red versus Team Blue).
I asked host and producer Vanadium Silver a few questions about what the audience should expect.
How should one prepare for this show?
Preparation is best done through hooking up your Xbox 360 or PS3 and playing some of the more recent popular game series. We try to not get too obscure in our game references. There will be no Braid act for example. A general understanding of the gaming community will help, which can be obtained through reading some of the excellent gaming websites out there (my recommendations are gamespot.com and kotaku.com). Gamespot actually ran a video series for a while called “Escape From Mount Stupid” that is amazing. It gives an excellent history on many of the important game genres and series for the past 30 years.
Can casual gamers and hard core gamers get along?
Absolutely, but they need to understand their limitations. One of the best ways is for hardcore gamers to loan games to casuals. It helps to start reeling them in towards the type of immersion one can get with a serious game addiction.
How does Pong fit in?
Pong is genesis. It was the first successful game ever made and showed the financial possibilities in gaming. It is one of the most well known and probably the most important game ever made.
Will there be a Polybius act?
Ha! No, that would be for a special urban legend JOYstick!
Get your tickets before they sell out. 
