Ask 100 video game fans what makes a game great and you'll probably get dozens of answers about level design, clever AI, or sensational graphics, but surprisingly few that mention music. Despite being as vital and integral a part of games as the control scheme or the story, music gets shockingly little acknowledgement from the gaming population. Rob Oblivion of its sweeping orchestral soundtrack and it becomes empty and lifeless; try playing Geometry Wars music-free, and watch your score drop. Though video game music has had a quiet, but loyal, following for years, it wasn't until the Dear Friends concert, featuring the music from the Final Fantasy series, that the gaming community at large really started to pay attention to just how powerful in-game music can be. Two of the men behind Dear Friends, Jason Michael Paul and Arnie Roth, felt there was more aural room to cover, and thus we have Play! A Video Game Symphony, featuring music from Shenmue, Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear Solid, and The Legend of Zelda, just to name a few.

Fans of the Dear Friends concerts may be surprised to hear that Paul, producer for both it and Play, actually prefers the new show to the old. "Play is a much better show," he says. "It's well rounded and more appealing to a wider audience than Dear Friends. Dear Friends was so successful, we wanted to do a show for all gamers, not just Final Fantasy fans." Roth, principal conductor and music director for Play, is similarly enthusiastic, saying "Play has a wide variety of genres, from rock orchestra to big band to sweeping cinematic scores…I'm having a great time with the variety of Play."

Choosing the music for Dear Friends was a no-brainer; if it's in a Final Fantasy game, it qualifies. Choosing the music for Play, on the other hand, was a slightly more difficult task, but Paul tried to focus on the big picture when selecting the program. He explains, "We use a very stringent process for choosing which scores will go into the show. The publishers we get lots of support from are higher on the list than those that don't, we try to listen to the fans, and include what they would like to see from their feedback. We look at the sales of soundtracks, and of course, we all have personal favorites." Such as? "I'm particularly fond of the opening fanfare which was composed by Nobuo Uematsu specifically for this show," he says, totally cheating. Come on, Jason, pick some favorites. "I like the Swing de Chocobo, the Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross Suite, there's a piece from Blue Dragon, which is a new game coming out designed by the original creator of Final Fantasy, and some pieces from Koji Kando, [namely] Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda. When you hear this music live, it's unbelievable."

Roth, also being a big old cheater, refuses to name favorites. "I don't have favorites," he says. "Some scores are less complicated than others, but just as powerful and beautiful. Battlefield, for example, is a lot of fun to do with the orchestra. If I were to pick a favorite, it would discount the other pieces." When pressed, Roth (who we're sure loves all his children equally, too), grudgingly named names: "I love the Swing de Chocobo, One Winged Angel, and Oblivion. I also love World of Warcraft, which is more color and texture than structure…it's like an orchestral fantasy!"

Video games on the whole are generally considered at best pulp entertainment and at worst completely devoid of artistic merit, so how does a professional orchestra, used to playing the work of geniuses like Bach or Mozart, feel about playing the theme to Super Mario Brothers? "These orchestras don't look down their noses at these scores because they are video game-related…[rather]I think the preconception was that the scores would be too simplistic," says Roth. "We didn't have much rehearsal time with any of these shows, and the program is very challenging for the artists."

Finding the necessary rehearsal time was just one of the challenges facing a promotion of this size and scope. Video Games Live, a similar game-themed concert tour, ran into some much-publicized difficulties getting off the ground, canceling several rounds of concert dates. Paul's experience as a concert producer served him well and helped him avoid pitfalls along the way. "We've been fortunate in that we've had no problems. Play is fully funded by me, while other shows dealt with Clear Channel. We are very careful with decision making, such as limiting the amount of show dates so we can remain successful. We understand that we need to educate fans and be able to appeal to a mass market. We have learned from the mistakes other shows have made," he says.

If you've been lucky enough to catch Play in one city, don't think you're going to experience déjà vu in another city, as the performance varies from venue to venue. Special guests have been known to pop up, such as Nobuo Uematsu and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi at the Toronto show, and the program will often change based on the limitations of a particular theater. "Many orchestras have performance limits," explains Roth, "which makes it a challenge to give the audience as much music as you'd like to. Ninety percent of the shows are the same, but…[every show] is unique. In Detroit, we had Stella Deus. In Chicago, since we didn't have a limit, the show went to almost 3 hours and we played the score from Oblivion. There will be surprises for every show on the tour."

Play will certainly be a special evening for video game junkies, but don't feel like you need to know the Nintendo catalog by heart in order to enjoy yourself. "We have an amazing mix of people that attend these shows," says Paul, "more so than any traditional classical performance. For some, this is the first concert they've ever attended, and we find children explaining what's going on to their grandparents. We have visuals from the games on screens in the background, but the orchestra is the star of the show."

Personally, I can't wait to check out the extravaganza when it comes to Philadelphia; if you'd like to join me, or perhaps catch Play on another stop of its tour, get clicking at www.play-symphony.com, where complete ticket information is available. I'll give you my thoughts on the show (and show you the sights) next week.

-Maj1013