I Don’t Play Video Games - But the Music Played Me at last night concert at San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

I walked into the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse last night with one simple confession: I don't play video games.

So when Video Games Live returned to Los Angeles after 12 years, bringing its spectacular multimedia concert experience to the historic Mission Playhouse in partnership with the San Gabriel Valley Symphony, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect.

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What I discovered was far more than a concert about video games. It was a celebration of music, storytelling, technology, imagination—and the power of bringing people together.

The theater was packed with an audience spanning generations and backgrounds. There were longtime gamers who knew every character and every soundtrack, families sharing the experience together, young fans dressed for the occasion, and curious newcomers like me.

And somewhere between the first notes and the giant screen coming to life, I began to understand.

Music truly is a universal language.

When the screen comes alive. Video Games Live combines a full orchestra and choir with synchronized gameplay footage, spectacular visuals, lighting, special effects, and interactive stage production. Watching it from the audience, the enormous screen became almost another performer.

The music and images were so perfectly connected that you could feel as though you had stepped inside the game. I could have closed my eyes and simply listened. And honestly, the music was beautiful enough to stand on its own.

But I kept my eyes open.

I was fascinated by the relationship between what I was hearing and what I was seeing. The orchestra wasn't simply providing background music to the game. The music was creating the emotion of the story—building excitement, suspense, tenderness, drama, and anticipation.

It made me think about how much storytelling can happen without words. From Halo to Studio Ghibli. The all-new 2026 program brought together music from some of the most beloved names in gaming, including Halo, Final Fantasy, Tetris, Warcraft, Skyrim, Kingdom Hearts, The Last of Us, and Undertale.

There were also Video Games Live world premieres featuring Minecraft, Studio Ghibli, Expedition 33, and more.

For the first time, anime music was officially incorporated into the Video Games Live setlist, making the evening an even richer cross-cultural celebration. As someone who grew up appreciating the arts and the power of music to connect cultures, I found that especially meaningful.

Different games. Different stories. Different generations. Yet the emotional language was the same. The musicians behind the magic.

For me, one of the highlights was watching the San Gabriel Valley Symphony musicians bring this extraordinary repertoire to life. Their talent and finesse transformed what many people might think of simply as "video game music" into a sophisticated live orchestral experience.

Under guest conductor Esin Aydingoz, the orchestra and choir became part of the storytelling itself.

And that was the moment I realized something:

You don't have to be a gamer to appreciate great musicianship.

The technology may draw you in, but the music is what makes you feel.

560 performances—and counting

There was another detail that made the evening particularly special to me. This was the 560th Video Games Live performance since its journey began at the Hollywood Bowl in 2005.

Think about that for a moment.

From one performance at the Hollywood Bowl to 560 performances around the world—that is an incredible journey and a testament to the lasting power of music and storytelling.

And last night, the journey came home to Los Angeles.

My unexpected takeaway

I went to the concert expecting to observe something that belonged to a world I didn't know. Instead, I found myself immersed in it.

I may not know how to play Halo. I may not recognize every character from Final Fantasy. I may never become a serious gamer. But I know what it feels like when an orchestra reaches that emotional place where everyone in the room becomes connected.

I know what it feels like to watch a child become completely absorbed in a story.

I know what it feels like when generations sit together and experience something new.

And I know that music doesn't require translation.

Perhaps that is why this concert exceeded my expectations so much. The games may have provided the stories. The giant screen provided the visual world. The technology created the immersion. But the musicians provided the heart.

And as I walked out of the Mission Playhouse, I found myself thinking about how often we limit ourselves by saying, "That's not really my thing." Maybe sometimes we simply need to press play. Because you never know what new world you might discover.

Thank you, Video Games Live and San Gabriel Valley Symphony, for reminding this non-gamer that there are some experiences we don't have to understand to appreciate—we simply have to feel them.

And yes…

I would definitely press play again.