For the gamers who have played "Final Fantasy" for 14 hours straight in the basement with nothing but a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew and the sheer will to roleplay another hour, the dream has become a reality.
Video games, "Final Fantasy" in particular, are permeating mass consciousness. Even the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra is beginning to understand what gamers have known all along: Something culturally captivating lies within that console.
The score to the "Final Fantasy" video game series has been arranged into a symphony, appropriately titled "Final Fantasy- The Symphony" and was performed in sold-out venues in Los Angeles and Chicago.
The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra's public relations assistant Ryan Stark said there is enough support from fans of either side of the hyphen.
The performance could be in Albuquerque as soon as this summer.
"We are tickled when we get this kind of opportunity," Stark said. "It's exciting for all of us to entertain these folks with something they obviously have a passion about and reach a segment of the community who probably hasn't come to a lot of symphonies."
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UNM student Jono Costa said "Final Fantasy-The Symphony" is a creative way for gamers to expose themselves to the symphony.
"If you go off the stereotype of the sad gamer playing alone in a dark room with nothing but the glow of the screen on his pasty face, you can imagine that the symphony isn't exactly on his mind," he said. "But this seems like it would have a universal appeal, maybe broadening peoples' view on art and good music. I'd go see it."
Stark said the composer of the score for the games, Nobu Uematsu, won't conduct the show in Albuquerque. It would be done through the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.
A petition drive is under way, and the symphony is encouraging anyone curious about what a performance based on a video game series might entail to show some support.
"The more responses we get, the greater the chances this will happen," Stark said. "Apparently the music from "Final Fantasy" is pretty complex, and there simply aren't that many other video game scores for symphonies to perform."
Photography student Sheena Whitaker has played the game since high school and said she expects people wouldn't take the symphony seriously because of its music.
"Just because it's from a video game doesn't make (the music) any less inspired," she said. "If you went to a movie and it had no music, you would lose half the experience, and that holds true with video games, too. Music ties together the characters, scenes and plots."
Despite her stance, Whitaker said she would not see the performance, but added, "If it gets more people from our generation into the symphony, that is certainly not a bad thing."
Before anyone gets overly excited and begins flooding Stark's inbox, a performance overview is in order.
"This will certainly not be your grandfather's symphony concert," he said. "It has the symphony orchestra performing the music, and it also has a visual presentation. For those who are familiar with 'Final Fantasy,' it would give them the opportunity to experience these games that they are so passionate about in a different way."
Stark said hearing the live music will be completely different.
"The symphony is very organic compared to hearing it through speakers," he said. "It cannot be replicated on any sound system."
To help bring this concert to Albuquerque, send an e-mail with your request to rstark@nmso.org.
