Seeing BAFTA-winning game music live was an experience I think any gaming fan would love

BAFTA Games in Concert was a groundbreaking event that celebrated the power and impact of video game music. The 65-piece orchestra performed iconic soundtracks from games like Assassin’s Creed, Uncharted 2, Fallout 3, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Helldivers 2, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, accompanied by perfectly synced game footage.

Three performances stood out in particular:

1. A mix of Baldur’s Gate 3’s music, which opened up new details and motifs that hark back to the earlier games in the series. The rendition of ‘Raphael’s Final Act’ was especially powerful.

2. A medley from Disco Elysium, which showcased the versatility of the orchestra in rendering both melancholic and lounge music-esque tracks. The performance of ‘Ecstatic Vibrations, Totally Transcendent’ gave new impact to a song only heard in one part of the game.

3. The music from Journey, which was dynamically tied to the player’s actions and designed to represent their journey through the game’s world. Hearing it played live gave it even more emotional weight.

The concert was a reminder of how games can provide unique and evocative experiences that merge art, music, cinematography, storytelling, and player agency. It showcased the sheer creativity and skill of game composers and musicians, and left the audience hungry for more live performances of game music.

Some key takeaways and viral-worthy quotes from the article include:

– “Hearing the swooping vocals and instrumentation of Assassin’s Creed music across various entries in the franchise live in a concert hall makes the iconic soundtrack hit that much harder.”

– “Nostalgia hit hard here, but the performance really helped to remind me how games can provide such unique and evocative experiences that merge art, music, cinematography, storytelling, and one’s own agency into a medium that not too long ago could be unfairly dismissed as something for children and ‘geeks’.”

– “There’s so much scope to pick up on the extra nuance, craft, emotion, and feel when one can see and hear the soft tone of a flute solo or the powerful crescendo of a string section.”

– “BAFTA Games in Concert was a rather special experience.”

– “I do urge you to go and check out live performances of game music; heck, if you can’t make a concert in person, at least check out the Skyrim 10th Anniversary Concert.”

– “For me, it builds on my already large appreciation of game music, making me hungry for more live performances and somewhat humbled by the sheer creativity and skill of the composers and musicians.”,