The Game Developers Conference is gearing up not only for conferences and lectures but parties as well. We know that these game developers play hard and party even harder. General events are lined up for the whole week. Find out more on the events after the jump!

There's nothing like videogame music, really. From the simple mono thumpings of Space Invaders, made specifically to sound like a rapidly-beating human heart, to the epic, mountain-shaking chorus of an orchestra as you slay your very first colossus - it evokes a level of emotion that no other music form can even hope to emulate. It's an experience that's meant to be shared, definitely.

Video Games Live, an immersive concert event currently taking the world by storm, hopes to do exactly that, performing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Not for one, but for two performances (June 29 and 30) of nothing but classic and contemporary video game pieces any fan will surely recognize.

While the fact of VGL actually playing at a national monument alone is already big news, the even bigger breakthrough is that it's going to be the first time video game music to be performed at a live audience in Washington DC - and co-creators Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico can't stop gushing about it. The latter even gave a hint as to who would be strutting down the red carpet at the event, saying:

We've already started inviting as many local politicians and their families as possible. It's important for us to show everyone how incredibly creative, artistic and significant video games and the culture surrounding them have become.

Politicians, you say? Here's hoping a particular someone actually made it into the guest list, so he sees (and hears) how games aren't as bad as he makes them out to be. It's a long shot, but there's no harm in dreaming, is there?

You can check out the read link for more info about this spectacular event.

 

In an age where casual gaming has become too big a market to ignore, web-based puzzle games and mini-games of the casual persuasion have lacked much of the deeper elements of the more serious games: the storyline. In order to introduce the appeal of games with depth, nDreams, a developer company encompassing StoryGamer and Parody Games labels, has officially announced their first title to achieve that single purpose: Venus Redemption.

The episodic title, backed by a storyline of novel proportions, will be authored by interactive fiction pioneer Kate Pullinger of "The Piano" fame, with additional help from BAFTA-nominated writer Gordon Rennie. The story will be directed by Jane Campion, while the musical direction and score will be handled by game music veteran Tim Wright of WipEout fame.

The game heading to the PC, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii will target female gamers aged 30+, and further details on the game will be revealed on July 5 (after Independence Day), pegged by nDreams' founder Patrick O'Luanaigh as "Redemption Day".

O'Luanaigh was formerly creative director of SCi and Eidos. He also concluded the announcement as saying:

We can’t wait to present Venus Redemption to the world. After many months of development and exhaustive gameplay focus testing, we believe that it will prove a breath of fresh air for the casual game sector, and in particular for female casual gamers. With the technology behind Venus Redemption, we can now rapidly develop immersive and visually impressive story-based casual games that will run on almost any PC.

Dedicating to the avid gamers' world of game music devotion, the GCDC 2007 to start this coming August will also be seeing a live performance by the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague on popular game soundtracks from Starcraft, Final Fantasy IX, Ragnarok 2, Stranglehold, Metal Gear Solid 2: Snake Eater, Secret of Mana and The Abbey Turrican 2.

Conducted by Andy Brick, the orchestra will also perform popular classics in medley form in salute to the Commodore 64 and Commodore Amiga as pioneering game platforms for the game industry, as stated by an official press release.

The performance will be held at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on August 22, 8 p.m. and won't be an official part of the GCDC 2007 opening ceremony. Also to appear at the concert is Japanese star opera singer Izumi Masuda, singer Conny Kollet from Germany fame, and Konami-sponsored percussionist Rony Barrak.

Kollet is popular for her performances at the Symphonic Game Music Concert, of which this concert will be the fifth of the series, although many will know her for her rendering of the title song for SpellForce: The Breath of Winter.

Rony Barrak will be performing his version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Snake Eater together with the FILMharmonic Orchestra. Masuda, despite being an opera singer, is more inclined to pop-opera pieces, and could be identified as the same one who rendered the song "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy at the concert "VOICES: music from Final Fantasy." Tickets are already being sold as of this moment.

Koji Kondo is Nintendo's game Beethoven. Much like how Shigeru Miyamoto is Nintendo's game Einstein. But he isn't just a composer. During his work on the timeless Nintendo classics Mario, Zelda and Star Fox, he brewed the whole package for music, from the sound engine, to the effects, and finally the music.

In his hour-long speech over at the Games Developer Conference, Kondo revealed the three pillars that define his work and their final result. From Super Mario Bros. to Twilight Princess, he has been using these three components to create what he defines as effective game music. The three components are rhythm, balance and interactivity.

For most games, music is an additional accompaniment to the game, either to set the game's mood or to bless games with a personality. Kondo believes that in order to make music effective to the game, it must conform to the "intrinsic rhythms" of the gameplay.

Now we all remember Super Mario Bros. Who doesn't? In fact, we know it so well, that we could even hear the level music for World 1-1 and Mario's jump sound effects in our minds. Did you notice how the jumping sound effects match the music? And notice the tempo of the music. Remember the speed at which Mario skirts the ground? It also seems appropriate. But perhaps the most interesting is when you're down to 99 seconds, when the game hikes up the music tempo to assert a feeling of urgency.

The full article awaits after the jump!

 

Straight from the official site of Video Games Live, the special game music performance event to sport 21 composers, three designers, three performers and voice actor Dee Baker will bring its game music concert to San Francisco for the first time. Video Games Live, backed by processor giant Intel and the Games Developer Conference, will take place on March 9, 2007 at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium.

It will feature music from the most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs around the world, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussion and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

An original idea by Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall of Mystical Stone Entertainment LLC, Video Games Live is an event for musical composers, designers and performers to showcase their finished efforts in a grand scale celebration of game audio and music. The concert will serve as a closing ceremony for the Game Developers Conference also being held in San Francisco this week. The pre-show festival will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will be free to VGL ticket holders (tickets available at the Live Nation site).

 

Click on Full Article to get the full list of events, plus the music VIPs to showcase products of their talent at the concert.

A concert as a closer? Sounds good. That's exactly what the Game Developers Conference (GDC) is planning, and it has recently announced that legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo will be one of the performers for the Video Games Live's return to the GDC. Kondo is best known for his work on such beloved franchises as Mario and Zelda.

"There is clearly no game music more recognizable around the world than the themes that Mr. Kondo has created over the years." said Video Games Live executive producer and co-creator Tommy Tallarico. "What an incredible honor to have such a true legend in the gaming world join us on stage to celebrate video game music and the wonderful industry surrounding it."

Apart from Kondo, Martin Leung, the Video Game Pianist, will also be performing a brand new classic video game arrangement. A rare special acoustic performance by the original LucasArts composers performing a medley of classics from games such as Monkey Island, Outlaws and Grim Fandango is also in the lineup.

Voice-over legend Dee Baker will also be on stage, and guitarist and video game artist Chris Kline - aka "vertexguy" - will be debuting his live synchronized Contra "Jungle Theme" rock-n-roll presentation.

After the performance, there will be a meet-and-greet where fans can interact with videogame composers and designers. A whopping 20 luminaries (names yet to be announced) are slated to be at the event.

Video Games Live will be held at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium on Friday, March 9 at 8 P.M. Tickets are priced from US$ 38.50 to US$ 65 at LiveNation.com.

Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu is one of the most prolific video game music composers around. If his name doesn't ring a bell, all you have to do is listen to the music of the Final Fantasy series of RPGs. Yes, he's the man behind the distinct fusion of classical symphonies, rock, and new age sounds heard from Final Fantasy soundtracks.

Uematsu's music has been a large part of the Final Fantasy franchise's popularity, and once again we get to hear Uematsu's masterpieces in Final Fantasy III.

Square Enix has put up the Final Fantasy III OST page where fans are treated to a sample of fine music especially created for the game. All tracks are arranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito and Keiji Kawamori.

Fans can head on to the new OST page to get more info about the music of Final Fantasy III, as well as on The Black Mages, Uematsu's instrumental rock band.

... Well, at least that's what the organizers of the Leipzig Games Convention are expecting. Just in case you haven't heard of it, it's going to be held in Leipzig, Germany from August 24 to 27.

Last year, around 134,000 visitors came to attend the convention, and organizers are expecting roughly the same number of attendees or more, as 367 exhibitors (that's a lot!) have already signed up for the videogames expo.

The Games Convention will also have other activities aside from the main expo; these'll include a Gladiator Fight, sports on the karting trach and on the halfpipe, and a concert.

A bit more about the concert for ya - it'll feature game music and will be held in Leipzig's Gewandhaus on the 23rd. It's bound tp be exciting because music from games such as Two Worlds, Castlevania, Revenge of the Shinobi, Anno 1707 and Final Fantasy will be included in the concert. Unfortunately, tickets for the concert have already sold out...

We'll be bringing you the final list of the exhibitors at the Games Convention once the complete list has been released. Any of you folks going?