Just because playing video games is the preferred hobby of many nerds and otaku-types (like us!) doesn’t mean they lack class. Game music in particular has improved in leaps and bounds over the years, almost as much as the graphics themselves. These days, many big-budget games contain fully orchestrated scores by famous movie composers, and even those that don’t can be arranged to fit a symphony.

This weekend at San Diego Comic Con, a performance of symphonic video game music called Video Games Live will be taking place. And, for the first time ever, this highly anticipated show will be broadcast around the world, thanks to the live streaming web services at Twitch.

San Diego Comic Con is a massive-scale multigenre convention for comics, sci-fi, fantasy, video games, and other aspects of pop culture. On Saturday, July 20, starting at 8 P.M. PDT, a 20-song symphonic video game concert known world-wide as Video Games Live will be performed at the event. The set list will include many iconic game scores, such as music from Chrono Trigger, Shadow of the Colossus, and Skyrim, as well as some world-premier arrangements from new and upcoming games, like Dota 2 and Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag.

The live feed on Twitch will actually begin at 6 P.M. for a two-hour pre-show. This segment will feature a series of interviews with various musicians, conductors, and other guests of honor, including Austin Wintory, the music composer for PlayStation’s hit indie title, Journey, and David Hayter, the English voice actor for Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid game series.

Video Games Live has been performed in sold-out concert halls around the world for years. This free chance to hear and witness the power and complexity of video game music is a real treat. If you’re a gaming fan and you have the time, this concert is an absolute must-see, if not only for the music, then for the exclusive gameplay footage to be displayed behind the orchestra.

Just to reiterate, the concert’s pre-show begins streaming on Twitch at 6 P.M. PDT on Saturday, July 20. Residents of Japan can see the show starting at noon on July 21. Try not to miss it!

Source: Inside Games (Japanese)
Additional information and pictures: Video Games Live
Streaming site: Twitch