NASHUA – If, as some claim, there’s a link between playing too many video games and real-life violence, Wednesday night’s benefit gaming extravaganza at Nashua’s Arena Sportsbar & Nightclub wasn’t the place to look for evidence.

“I’ve been playing violent video games since they came out, and I never had the slightest thought of going out and committing a crime,” Nashua resident Chris Boncoddo said after his third round of “Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds” on Wednesday night.

Boncoddo, 36, was one of scores of video game enthusiasts who tried their hand at new games and replayed a few favorites for old time’s sake during the first segment of “Gaming for Good: A Benefit for Newtown, CT,” a first-of-its-kind fundraiser for those affected by the December school shooting massacre.

Organized by local gaming entrepreneurs Brett Cailler and Aaron Shelton, Gaming for Good came about as a way to both help Newtown recover and show everyone how good, and generous, gaming people – and the industry – really are.

A handful of gamers present when doors opened at 5 p.m. Wednesday grew steadily into a near-roomful within an hour, creating waiting lines at the four video stations that gave game fans plenty of time to compare notes and ask gaming company representatives about their latest creations.

After the gaming segment, the three-phase, seven-hour event featured bands such as Young London and Beneath the Sheets, followed by a dance party similar to the ones that Shelton’s company, Kinetic City, puts on weekly at Arena.

The party’s “come as your favorite video game character” theme inspired dozens of gamers – including Boncoddo – to costume up. A tall man, Boncoddo’s likeness of Jericho Cross, the Civil War deserter turned gunslinger in “Darkwatch: The Curse of the West,” proved quite the eye-catcher.

A night of video games was only part of what inspired Boncoddo to come and contribute to the cause. “I’ve got relatives who live in Monroe,” he said of the town right next to Newtown. “They took some of the kids in when everything was happening.”

Across the room, a young woman wore atop her head an oversized bow that, at least in the video game world, could only be one character: Ms. Pac-Man, the big-bowed, long-eyelashed feminine version of the chomping, scurrying Pac-Man created more than 30 years ago.

“I still play it. I love Ms. Pac-Man,” said Amanda Keville, a Boston-area resident who, as a 20-something, is younger than her favorite character. Though she also enjoys playing the “very realistic, visually beautiful” games of today, Keville said she appreciates the simplicity of the Pac-Man premise.

She also sees video games in general as playing a positive role in the lives of children and teens. “Playing games can get kids excited, even riled up, but in a good way, because at the same time, they’re also learning patience,” she said. “The games challenge (players) in many ways, they make you think, make you figure out how to get past obstacles.”

Keville sat with another young woman who was surrounded by sets of pencils, pens and markers. That woman’s name is Liz Siegel but she prefers “Tofusquirrel,” which is the name of her Boston-based art and graphic design business.

Dressed in green felt, she portrayed Link, a character in the video game “Legend of Zelda.” Siegel spent the evening sketching various video game characters, one of the many types of art in which she specializes.

Meanwhile, Sean Kennedy, a multimedia, graphic and stage designer, rested at the bar after a long night being creative.

Working from about 2 p.m. Tuesday until noontime Wednesday, Kennedy built a giant “Super Mario Brothers” backdrop for the event and was waiting for its unveiling.

“A lot of planning, lots and lots,” Kennedy said of the project. “Originally, I was just going to do one, flat backdrop, then I thought, ‘Why not make it 3-D?’?” he said.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-6443 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Shalhoup on Twitter (@Telegraph_DeanS).