4Q4 IS A WEEKLY FEATURE THAT WILL BE POSTED EVERY FRIDAY, SPEAKING WITH A LOCAL NEWSMAKER ABOUT TECHNOLOGY.
The ecosystem that Kent Ward exists in is something of a subculture to a subculture.
Technically, his work with his organization Ongaku Overdrive can be classified as an effort in Orlando’s video game ecosystem.
However, Ongaku takes it even further, focusing specifically on musicians and enthusiasts who specialize in video game music.
It is how he has been able to host 28 live events and 20 virtual ones, featuring local, regional and national acts regularly.
We sat down with Ward, whose full-time gig is in software engineering, to talk about his interest and passion for video games as his organization prepares to welcome hip-hop artist Mega Ran, who famously recorded an album that turned the story of Final Fantasy VII into a rap album, on Jan. 25.
CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS 4Q4 HERE
A 13-year-old recently “beat” Tetris, becoming the first to ever do so. What would you consider your favorite personal achievement in video games?
The first time I got all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 is always going to be cool to me. It was my first time playing a 3D video game, and probably the first time I did everything there was to do in a video game. I got to revisit that game during the pandemic to see if I’ve still got it, and I was thrilled to get all 120 stars again. (New York Times story on 13-year-old)
Mega Ran has quickly become a friend of Ongaku. How did that relationship come together?
I first met Mega Ran at the Nerdapalooza music festival in 2010, when he was still going by the name “Random.” Mega Ran 9, with his iconic Splash Woman rap, had just come out and blew up on the internet. I actually told him that he should make an album based on the NES game River City Ransom, but call it “River City Random.” And he did! A couple of years later, I wanted to have a really cool charity show hosted by my anime club, Propeller Anime. I wanted Mega Ran as the headliner. I contacted him and he agreed to come down to Orlando and rock with us. The success of that event led led to the creation of Ongaku Overdrive.
Why does video game music resonate with you so much?
I have played video games since I could walk, going all the way back to the Atari 2600. Those games were primitive when it came to sound. Eventually, my family could afford an NES and we rented Mega Man 2. I heard that Bubble Man stage theme and I remember just letting Mega Man stay on (screen) for so long just so I could keep hearing the music. The medleys are so catchy for sure, but video game music is made to be action-driven and capture certain emotions. The fact that video game music was the soundtrack of my childhood adventures is what made me a lifelong fan. When my family first got a computer and Internet, one of the first things I did was look for video game music to download.
What tech are you most looking forward to seeing evolve in 2024?
Coming from the world of military simulation, virtual reality has become dominant. Haptic technology has really impressed me and as that improves and becomes affordable for consumers, we’re going to see some games take advantage of that and really change how we interact in video game worlds.