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Putting the ‘Live’ in ‘Video Games Live’
From ‘bleeps’ and ‘bloops’ to a full symphonic orchestra
By Marty Sliva
Tallarico compares the growing success of Video Games Live to that of Cirque du Soleil in the early 90s. Because the show was so difficult to translate into words, it had to be seen in order to be fully comprehended.
“If Beethoven were alive today, he’d be a video game composer.” Coming from Tommy Tallarico, a man who has been immersed in the industry for nearly two decades, this says a lot.
Tallarico has been a staple in video game music since the Super Nintendo days. He made his mark on the industry with his off the wall score for “Earthworm Jim,” which gelled perfectly with the bizarre visuals and story of the game.
Since then he has contributed his talent to games like “Maximo,” “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” and “Advent Rising.” However, his focus has now shifted towards bringing video games out of the living room and into live venues across the world.
“Video Games Live” is the brainchild of Tallarico and fellow composer Jack Wall. Together, they set out to create an event that brought everything they loved about video games to the masses. One of the main goals of the show is to bring together “all the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra combined with the energy and excitement of a rock concert, mixed with the technology and fun that video games provide.”
Tallarico emphasizes the point that you don’t have to know a lot about video games in order to be entertained by the show. A large portion of the emails that they receive are from attendees who knew little to nothing about games before hand, leaving them completely stunned by the quality of the experience.
The show is rapidly growing and evolving every year. While 2005 was only home to three shows, with 2006 hosting a dozen, 2008 is scheduled to have well over 50 performances and double that in 2009. Along with additional shows, the actual performances themselves are also growing as new music and themes are blossoming forth from current hit games.
Attendees can look forward to hearing all of their favorite classic video game themes. From “Mario” and “Zelda,” to “Final Fantasy” and “Warcraft,” the show is going to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for longtime gamers, and an eye opening experience for newcomers.
Tallarico compares the growing success of “Video Games Live” to that of Cirque du Soleil in the early 90s. Because the show was so difficult to translate into words, it had to be seen in order to be fully comprehended. Tallarico is confident that gamers and non-gamers alike will all fall for the show as soon as they experience it.
The conversation moved from a discussion of the show, to a critique of the current state of the video game industry, specifically the aspects of it revolving around sound. When asked whether sound design will continue to evolve at the current rate that visuals are progressing, Tallarico professed that audio has reached it’s ceiling, calling it, “photo-realistic.”
This is quite true, as it has become impossible to differentiate between a quality video game score and a quality film score. In fact, Tallarico claims that a score is even more important in the world of games for one very simple reason.
In most films, dialogue takes the center stage in storytelling as the music is relegated to the background. Storytelling in games is usually the opposite, with action being used to progress the story, thus all forms of sound design are able to exist in the foreground.
Tallarico cites games like “Call of Duty” and “God of War” as examples that excel in the sound department. They use the music and effects as a mechanism to further enhance the user’s bond with the game, creating a link between the art and the observer that is as strong as it is in any medium.
Tallarico stated that the main goal of the show is to, “Prove to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games have become.” From the sound of it, it seems like his mission is nearly complete.
“Video Games Live” is coming to the Riverside Theater on March 1.
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