Michael Jackson: The Experience
Thaisa Gee, contributing editor
“Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight
Here one day
Gone one night”
Gone Too Soon — Michael Jackson
“Mommy, who is Michael Jackson?”
“Daddy, what is the Jackson Five?”
On June 25, 2009 children all over the world were forced to wait patiently for answers while their parents processed the sudden death of an American Icon and an International Superstar. Michael Jackson’s appeal seeped into several generations; for my mother he was her first crush, he was the dancer I mirrored my own moves after, for my father he was a mastermind musical genius, and my younger brother grasped onto the M.J. that was involved with Michael Jordan and Space Jam. However, on the day of his death there were children everywhere who could not understand the grief, the pain, and the absolute shock.
One year after his death, Billboard estimated that Michael Jackson’s album catalog generated approximately $383 million in sales. Personally, I can say that I went out of my way to make sure I had every album in my own music library. However, I would also imagine that parents went out of their way to expose their children to real music and the artistic dancer that Michael Jackson was...and now still is.
Michael Jackson: The Experience is an interactive video game that came out right before Christmas 2010. The Nintendo Wii game (which will be made available on other gaming systems in February 2011) allows players to step into the King of Pop’s shoes (or iconic sequined glove for those who purchased the limited edition version) whether they are a beginner or a trained dancer. Over the holidays, critics of all ages were raving about the game. There were very few places I went or conversations I had that didn’t involve, “Have you played Michael Jackson: The Experience?”
The Experience features 26 of Jackson’s hit songs, fully equipped with original choreography, lyrics and images of Jackson himself to help guide the player. Nintendo Wii was designed to get people off of the couch and encourage exercise and physical fun. The game is not only going to serve as some form of exercise, or an introduction to dance for others, but it will also attempt to connect the dots for the younger generations that were too young to understand the hole Michael Jackson left in the entertainment industry when he passed. If purchasing the entire Michael Jackson musical library and watching the extravagant videos wasn’t enough, The Experience may be the missing link to helping connect children with their parent’s music and maybe they will find their own appreciation for the artistic genius that was Michael Jackson.
Young or old, dancer or two left feet, everyone should go out and experience Michael Jackson in a new way. Whether you’re reminiscing or being introduced for the first time, Michael is waiting to challenge you one-on-one!
