This breaks a lot of my rules. The connection is probably mostly emotional. For most of the people in the event, there is little to interact with (other than as an observer). In fact, I wonder if there is even a technical connection between the game screen and the launch, or if someone just watches the screen and pulls the trigger on the launcher.
This might be something as simple as a real life mock-up of a video game, but WOW does it win for fun factor! I guess in the end, fun trumps all.