The melodies of iconic video games such as League of Legends and Assassin’s Creed will take center stage this weekend during a live performance of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
Principal Conductor Andy Brick said video game music is different from film music.
“That physical reaction creates this visceral connection that the player has to the music because the player is getting more and more physically engaged with the game,” he said. “They’re becoming more active in music.”
There's been a growing popularity of video game concerts globally, with concerts held in places like Minnesota and London.
The concert comes as new leadership at HSO has been trying to attract a younger audience to engage with orchestral music and help boost the nonprofit's revenues.
A 2022 study showed that people under 35 years old are more likely to listen to orchestral music and attend concerts than their parents.
Brick said he's trying to reach the Gen Y, Millennials, and Gen Z since they grew up playing video games — from those who play GameCube and Gameboy to others who played Nintendo 64 and PlayStation.
Brick said he was the first in 2003 to connect a symphonic music concert in the western world. Now 20 years later, Game ON! has debuted with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and been performed in Asia, Europe, the U.S. and Canada.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m., the orchestra will perform at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall on Oʻahu. The performance called Game ON! will feature The Witcher 3, World of Warcraft, Ori, The Elder Scrolls, Assassin's Creed, Guild Wars 2, Portal 2, Bioshock, and more.
To buy tickets, click here.
