This March . . . forget your phone. Delete your feed. Leave your boss on read. Swipe left on living in algorithm-approved realities and feeling alienated from the world around you. Do it with your friends. Do it with strangers. Feel good for the sake of feeling good. Get weird, get silly, get playful. Join us for Night Light on March 20th and explore the science of play!
During this adults-only (21+) evening of discovery we’ll examine: the beneficial effects of play on the brain, the connection between play and learning, traditional indigenous games, and much more!
Orchestrate with Light
tob
This project aims to create an interactive sound environment that guests can control using their smartphones. By utilizing light sensors connected to a music synthesizer, guests can engage with the experience through the ‘flashlight’ app on their devices. When they shine light onto the sensors, it triggers changes in the sounds they hear, enabling collaborative music-making. What kind of sounds can you play? What kind of music can we make when we play together?
Video Game Developer Showcase
MCC Game Design Club, MCC Department of Design, Interactivity and Media Arts & other various game developing partners
The Luminarium is honored to host some of Omaha’s very own video game developers. Whether a novice or an experienced gamer, guests will have the opportunity to meet local developers, play their games, learn how they’re developed, and also the career path that can be taken to become one themselves. According to MMC’s Instructor of 3D Modeling, Animation and Games, Marla Goecker believes, “Game Design is a combination of art, science, and finding the perfect balance between.”
Indigenous Games
Steve Tamayo, Cultural bearer of the Blue Bird Cultural Initiative
Our local Lakota elder and friend Steve Tamayo, will host a series of indigenous games for Luminarium guests. He will share the profound, multidimensional teachings derived from these games. The knowledge is rooted in the sourcing of the materials used and the valuable lessons learned through play. There’s much to learn while having fun!
Playful Paints
Dan Novy of the Johnny Carson Center of Emerging Media Arts
Playful Paints is a continuously evolving algorithmic artwork that drifts through the visual language of 20th-century modern art. Drawing inspiration from abstraction, geometry, rhythm, and color theory, the piece treats play as a creative force—improvisational, exploratory, and joyful. Shapes and colors interact like visual jazz, riffing, colliding, and responding to one another in real time. There are no rules to follow and no final image to reach—only motion, surprise, and the pleasure of watching ideas collide.
The Custom of the Sea
Students of the Johnny Carson Center of Emerging Media Arts
Play and interact with the developers of The Custom of the Sea. Discover what went into the game’s development while taking your time to try to make your way to the lighthouse. Here’s a brief description of the game.
Amidst the veil of a deep-ocean thunderstorm, a terrible darkness drapes over a small island somewhere far off in the North Atlantic. Lighthouse keeper Lucas Kelly is suddenly awoken by the desperate blaring of a ship’s horn from the crew of a vessel bound to crash into the island’s jagged and rocky shore. He discovers that the lighthouse he and his senior partner, Randolph, are tasked to maintain has gone completely dark and his cabin mate is nowhere to be found. Lucas must navigate Tear Drop Isle and restore the lantern’s operation before the oncoming vessel reaches certain doom; all whilst uncovering the truth of Randolph’s mysterious disappearance.
Developed by Benjamin Vidlak, Ella Konwinski, Nyssa Fernandez, and Benjamin Logsdon.
Building Community with Play & Joy
The House of Afros, Capes & Curls
The House was established as a vehicle for people of color (POC) in creating more inclusive environments that engage with non-traditional spaces like gaming, comics, and science fiction. We are excited to announce that they will host a variety of well-known board games and game trivia, featuring local board game developer Marcus Ross from Water Bear Games.
Blood on the Clocktower
Spieldbound Board Game Cafe
It wouldn’t be a night of play without our partnership with Spielbound Board Game Cafe, home to the largest board game collection in the nation. They will be joining us to facilitate engaging board games, including an ongoing game of “Blood on the Clocktower!”
Increase the Piece – A chess club that creates a safe space for all
Increase the Piece – Chess Club
Jerome Helm, the founder of the chess club “Increase the Piece,” will introduce chess to guests at Luminarium. He invites everyone to explore the strategic depth of the game and learn how his club has effectively kept kids off the streets. Additionally, we will celebrate the 9th anniversary of “Increase the Piece!”
Sports Science – Play to Win
UNO Biomechanics Department
Come play ball with the UNO Biomechanics department. Learn your own strengths as well as others to see how well you can play to win. Test your vertical jump, handgrip strength, as well as your dripping skills. Also, you will have a chance to test if you can make a free throw with a crowd screaming and your vision compromised. Can you make the shot? Learn how they prepare players to operate under challenging and high stress situations. Come join us at Night Light to learn what it takes to play to win!
Who: All Adults, ages 21+
Where: 345 Riverfront Drive
When: 7:00pm — 10:00pm
Tickets can be purchased onsite but reservations are highly encouraged.
Reserve Your Tickets Now 
