"Video Games: The Great Connector" is a new free pop-up exhibition from the Harlem Gallery of Science at the Harlem School of the Arts.

CCNY student Emily Lenahan said she loves video games, and wouldn't mind being part of the industry that creates the games she plays.

"I thought it would be a really great opportunity to be immersed in a field where I can just be around video games," Lenahan said.

What You Need To Know

  • "Video Games: The Great Connector" is a free exhibition at the Harlem School of the Arts
  • The exhibit is from the Harlem Gallery of Science, a not-for-profit hoping to inspire Black and Latinx young people to explore academic and career opportunities in the digital gaming industry 
  • The exhibition runs through March 30
  • Past Harlem Gallery of Science exhibitions have spotlighted the science of basketball and music, specifically jazz and hip-hop

The exhibit is an opportunity for students, parents and teachers to learn more about the opportunities in a booming video game industry in New York City.

“Our mission is to get more kids of color, Black and brown, into the technology fields, particularly into the video gaming industry,” said Stan Altman, president of the Harlem Gallery of Science not-for-profit.

The exhibition is not just games. Visitors can also hear from game designers and learn more about character creation and other aspects of game making. As for the playing, the founders of the program said there is a lot to learn.

“They learn a considerable amount about working in teams, working together, and it’s a very good entry to many different kinds of careers, careers in science and technology, but also careers in art, careers in animation, careers in music,” said Brian Schwartz, chairman of the Harlem Gallery of Science.

The exhibition is open to the public, and classes and clubs from local schools are also visiting, like a gaming pathways club from A. Philip Randolph High School.

“I believe in it as a career path, and I know City College is even running a degree program in gaming,” said Carlos Ferreira, a technology teacher at A. Philip Randolph High School.

The exhibit is also a way for young people to help explain gaming to their parents and guardians. It shows how to look at games through their eyes.

“This is not just a hobby, it’s a community, it’s a way to build skills, it’s much more than sitting down and spending an entire afternoon playing,” said Matthew Lopez, project manager at the Harlem Gallery of Science.

The exhibition runs through March 30. Free timed tickets can be reserved here.