Top Selling Video Games Of All Time:
1. Super Mario Bros. series
2. Pokemon series
3. Tetris
4. Wii Sports
5. Minecraft
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. Mario Kart Wii
8. Wii Sports Resort
9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Source: www.techtimes.com
John R. Emens Auditorium went all-out virtual Thursday night with "Video Games Live." The show combines lighting technology, a live orchestra and choir — provided by Muncie Symphony Orchestra and Ball State Choirs — and popular video games, past and present, to provide an innovative look at the world of digital gaming.
The stage was set with a trio of projector screens above the orchestra’s seating. A base of color-changing LED lights surrounded the conductor's podium. Soft green spotlights illuminated the side walls. Blue spotlights bore down over the band of musicians.
Composer Tommy Tallarico, producer and host of the show, holds a Guinness World Record for working on more than 300 video games.
“My mother’s very proud,” joked Tallarico, warming up the audience, and urging them to “cheer, scream, holler, yell and clap” whenever they felt the need.
Russell Brower of Blizzard Entertainment joined Tallarico on stage. Brower is most known for his work composing the "World of Warcraft" scores, and he said he loves to share the experiences of his work with others.
“I am honored to be here in your fine city and with this amazing orchestra and choir,” Brower.
The main projector screen featured clips of famous video games including “Castlevania," "The Legend of Zelda” and “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.” The side screens featured supplemental material from the game or close-ups of the musicians, Tallarico or Brower.
The audience experienced their favorite video games all over again — cutting from scene to scene, to opening sequences to boss levels, start screens to ‘"Game Over." Lights created a visual tie-dye to accompany the chorus’s rich and powerful vocals.
To split up the set, Tallarico presented introductory videos from famous video game creators and composers such as Hideo Kojima, Yuji Naka, and Koji Kondo. Joining those were humorous "VS." videos, demonstrating what it would be like if two famous games were combined, including “Grand Theft Auto” vs. “Frogger,” “Mortal Kombat” vs. “Donkey Kong” and “Contra vs. Duck Hunt.”
Prior to the show, a "Guitar Hero" competition was held in the lobby. The winner, 21-year-old Nash Klinefelter from Warsaw, Ind., joined Tallarico and Browser on stage to put his skills to the test.
He was given the challenge of reaching 350,000 points while playing “The Pretender” by The Foo Fighters on level hard.
Klinefelter said no. Instead, he pointed upward, signaling it was expert level or nothing. To a supportive and screaming crowd, he mastered the song with a few seconds to spare and a final score of 372,288.
His win guaranteed a $100 gift certificate to the show’s sponsor, Game X Change, and a download valued at $1,000 that included the show’s DVDs, soundtracks and sheet music.
“I was so nervous,” Klinefelter said. “It was cool to hear everyone in on it, though. I like the feeling.”
Klinefelter is no stranger to the world of video games or "Guitar Hero."
“We had a Battle of the Bands in high school, and we didn’t want to sing, so we played video game music,” he said.
He has also beaten every "Guitar Hero" game on expert.
“I love the game. I wanted to be able to do that,” he said.
Klinefelter's performance garnered the attention of the crowd, but much more went on behind the scenes and before the event began. Alena McKenzie has been executive director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra since 2011.
“This year, we were looking for something more modern and more up-to-date because we’re in the 21 st century,” McKenzie said. “It looks so glamorous when you come to the show, but it’s not so glamourous when you’re doing the preparation. We’ve been planning this for months. But tomorrow we will be able to breathe and relax.”
But she also understands the experience people have and the love they share for games.
“You can play a game by yourself, but it’s a lot more fun when you play with someone and share the experience,” she said. “That’s why people go to the movies and share the excitement or thrill or comedy and laughter. It creates some kind of imaginary world and makes you feel powerful, because you play and you win and you have the adrenaline rush. That’s the experience you love.”
Tallarico and Brower want the world to understand games the way they do, the way their fans do.
“They inspire people to create costume designs, to create videos on YouTube, to make art,” Tallarico said. “Thank you for helping make our dreams come true.”
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