On Sept. 25, from 2 pm till midnight, Harmony Square was the site of a Guitar Hero tournament, with $2 000 in prizes. The event was organized by the Personal Computer Museum and Brantford Parks and Recreation. Competitors were divided by age into four categories. The minimum age was 5.

Tournament organizer and Canada’s biggest video game collector, Syd Bolton, described the event’s intent, “[It was] originally generated as a youth event for Harmony Square and we decided that it could also work well for the museum, to bring people there. Integrating the museum and Harmony Square together, and that is how we came up with qualifying and compete part of the competition.”

Tim Jenkinson, audience member and proud parent of a competitor commented, “It is always good to get together like this in a community, I think that is sadly lacking in today’s community.”
Jenoi Tyler Grant, a semi final qualifier in the 16-20 year old category, was asked how much he plays Guitar Hero. One friend was quick to reply, “At least eight hours a day.” Another friend claimed, “Sometimes he might even go for a whole night.”

Shawn Gallea, the champion of the Guitar Hero tournament, said, “Some days I wouldn’t play at all and some days I would play five hours, it is just when I feel like it.” After winning $1000, he said about his victory, “It is a video game. You do not expect to win so much money, but it’s just great.”

This tournament showed how playing video games can pay off.