Confluence Five: Burning Answers from Brian Corrigan

OhHeckYeah, an interactive outdoor video arcade on Champa Street from 14th to 16th street, launched last weekend and runs Thursday and Saturday nights through July 26. Building-scale games have players controlling colorful characters like Big Blue -- think bear -- on three of the Theatre District's LED screens with Microsoft Kinect devices, complemented by game-themed public art and ancillary activities at local businesses. The "immersive street arcade” is the brainchild of creative instigator Brian Corrigan, who answers five white-hot questions for Confluence Denver.

After working on it for over a year, how does the launch of OhHeckYeah feel?

It was awesome! All three lines were full the whole night. 

With a project this scale, it's always changing. All of the games are ridiculously fun and I'm excited for people to play them. It's like a website -- we're designing this iteration, we're getting it out there, letting people interact with it, gathering data, and designing from there. That's a smart way to design.

But I am looking forward to August. For the last month, I've felt like I've had three full-time jobs.

What are some of your favorite places in Denver?

I love Cheesman Park. It's such a gathering place. And on a summer night, it's really cool -- in terms of temperature. I love the crispy Brussels sprouts at Steuben's. I love the pizza at Lala's in Governor's Park. I love going to Thump for coffee.

What gadget and/or app can you not live without?

My iPhone is my can't-live-without gadget. I love Dumb Ways to Die. It's a free game that actually was part of a public service campaign for the city of Melbourne. You have a fork in a toaster, and you have to pull it out without hitting the sides. Other levels have snakes chasing you, or you are by train tracks with headphones on.

What does Denver need more of?

Of course I'm going to say art and culture. I think we have to build a market for it. That's why New York and L.A. have do much of it -- locals buy into that it's important. That's really what Denver needs.

What's next for you and OhHeckYeah?

What we're doing here has potential for a lot opportunities. It's an arcade but it's like a digital layer over the city. How can people plug in their ideas? How do we infuse that [digital layer] into the physical world? We really see this as a new frontier.

The talent needed to make this whole thing work is all here. That's really what drew me to Denver. Not only do you have designers who understand tech, there's tech that understands design.