[Intrepid Homoludens]

The Evolution of Video Game Music | National Public Radio (audio news)

All Things Considered, April 12, 2008 - In May 2004, a composer named Nobuo Uematsu joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a single performance of his most famous work. The show sold out in three days. In fact, there was almost a riot at the box office when people couldn't get tickets.

What was the music? Uematsu's soundtrack for the popular video game Final Fantasy....

As personal computers became more agile and more powerful, suddenly the music track could handle something resembling real music. It was 1993's Myst that made [top video game music composer John] Wall realize the power of music in a game. He says the game actually aided the player through the mysterious worlds, functioning as clues....

The news story includes excerpts of music from Myst and Myst III: Exile, and a video of the opening act of the 'Video Games Live' concert.