The 30th anniversary of Dragon Con seems like a fitting time to introduce the 8-Bit Ball. The throwback 70s and 80s vibe was a perfect way for many to kick off this year’s convention, which kicked off at 10PM in the Westin Peachtree Ballroom. Video Gaming track director, Kevin “Grim” Stallard, took some time to talk Dragon Con, gaming, and dance parties.
This is Kevin’s 11th year as track director and parties are nothing new to this seasoned veteran. Hoping for it to eventually to be as successful as his Heroes and Villains Ball, the 8-Bit Ball appeared to have a great start with over 500 people at 10:30PM with more steadily trickling in through the night. DJ Spider, dressed as Lisa from Weird Science, started the night with Revenge of the Nerds by The Rubinoos. Other geeky tunes, like Pac-Man Fever, were mixed in with mainstream titles by The Go-Go’s, Prince, Michael Jackson, and more. The dance floor was packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
The crowd played along with the theme. Some were dressed in spandex with side ponytails or vintage Star Wars movie t-shirts while others chose to dress as iconic characters from period gaming, television shows, and movies. There were Marios and Luigis, a few Princess Peaches, and a Bowser dancing the night away. Link was there as was Doc Brown, Godzilla, and King Kong. Even Spy vs. Spy stopped trying to kill each other long enough to dance to a few songs.
The best one-line summary of the evening goes to Kevin. When asked why he decided to do the 8-Bit Ball event he said, “I didn’t do this, THEY [the attendees] did.” And with the great vibes and happy smiles on everyone’s faces, he makes a great point.
