An event titled “We Play Together: Music & Gaming” took place from April 17 to 19, blending music, video gaming, and career exploration. The Wake Forest Symphony Orchestra performed music from video games like “Starfield” and “Fallout,” composed by Emmy award-winning composer Inon Zur. Zur praised the orchestra, stating, “Something here is magical,” highlighting their energy and understanding of the music.
Junior percussionist Haozhen Xu, a politics and music major, noted the complexities of video game music. “Video game music combines classical elements with the excitement, energy and immersive atmosphere that can only be found in new platforms of art today,” he said.
The event included a pop-up concert, a gaming music class, and a masterclass on composition, among other activities. Special guests included Pete Hines, former senior vice president of Bethesda Softworks, and retired NASA astronaut Dan Tani. Hines compared launching a video game to preparing for a rocket launch, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the work. “We need people from across academic disciplines to create, build and support the gaming industry,” Hines remarked.
Dan Tani shared his space experiences, equating them to global citizenship. “Since my time in space, I am proud to be a citizen of the planet Earth,” Tani stated, describing the view of Earth from space.
Music professor Aaron Hardwick, who organized the event, linked gaming and music with themes of “joy, wonder and discovery,” significant for the Wake Forest orchestra. Hardwick praised the collaborative effort, saying, “We created together has already begun to spark conversations and inspire new ways of thinking about the relationship between music and games.”
The event underscored the career potential in the gaming industry, which, as of 2022, was an $85 billion industry in the U.S., with projections to reach $533 billion globally by 2027. Pete Hines encouraged diverse career paths in the industry, mentioning opportunities beyond traditional roles, including areas like marketing and legal expertise: “If you want a career in interactive entertainment, it’s there.”
Hardwick concluded, “We Play Together was more than just a collaboration of disciplines—it was a celebration of creativity, community, and the powerful intersection of sound and play.”
