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Symphony concert features video game scores

Posted at 9:30 PM, Sep 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-06 23:30:16-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Symphony performed well-known themes from video games as part of a concert called "Video Games Live" Saturday at Abravanel Hall.

Basically, it combines two very different forms of entertainment to tell a dramatic story on stage.

Since the '80s, music in video games has evolved from the bleeps and bloops to symphonic sounds.

“It adds the mood, it adds tension. It adds what they want the player to feel while they play the game,” said gaming enthusiast Rachel White. “Without the music, you wouldn't feel anything while you play.”

The creator of “Video Games Live” said the idea of playing video game themes live in concert seemed crazy at first, because people who play video games don't traditionally go to the symphony.

“Video Games Live is like the best of a symphony performance mixed with a rock concert," Composer Chance Thomas said. "It's like countering the counter-culture with culture."

The people behind the concert said they want to introduce young people to the arts and show everyone else that video games have cultural significance.