BBC Gaming Proms 2022
Image Credits: BBC
As described by Wikipedia - The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London.
The proms started way back in 1985 and this is the first time since then they have done a gaming prom in which they showcase the gaming music in orchestral form.
What I love about the proms is that many younger people think that they don’t like classical music however things like the gaming prom highlight how great and important classical music is within our games. I personally got into classical music through the first Halo game and a documentary which came out some time before or around the release which showcased how the music was composed. It is one of my favourite games of all time and the music in it just brilliant, it brings out and evokes so much emotion which all different classical music can do. Don’t get me wrong classical music is not my daily music I listen to but I certainly appreciate a lot more than did before. I love the name of the gaming prom - 8 Bit to Infinity - Perfectly describes what to expect. Plus the prom is broken up into section of 8 bit orchestral conversions, 80s and 90s compositions and then to finish off with a special composition of sounds from battlefield 2042.
What is cool about and special about the gaming proms is that the BBC commissioned well known and famous composers for some of these compositions of the music especially for the proms which makes the music that you listen to unique and special to this event. So not something you could just listen to on Spotify or in game.
There were some really cool ways to get the sounds just right like a sheet of metal which gave a deep thunderous type of sound and this strange plastic thing that one of the musicians was swirling around in the air which gave a high pitch whirling sound and that added on to the standard instruments you would find in any orchestra makes its unique and awesome experience watching and listening.
Some of the games of which music was featured in the gaming proms are Final Fantasy 8, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Shadow of the Colossus, Pokemon Red and Blue, Chronos Trigger and Battlefield 2042. Personally I did not like the first part of the first composition of Chronos Trigger, sounded a bit mish mash of sounds to me but it does get better as it goes along, however that is just my opinion.
One thing I would recommend doing is listening to this prom through a nice pair of earphones or headphones especially the Battlefield 2042 piece as it just makes it so much more immersive and with a really nice pair of headphones / earphones, it almost makes you feel like you were actually there.
One thing I would have liked to see is some visuals of the game to go along with the music or at least for the people at home watching on iPlayer because for some of the game music that I don’t know You can watch the gaming proms on BBC iPlayer or Listen to it on BBC Sounds.
Do you listen to gaming music? Have you watched the gaming proms? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below or on Instagram, Twitter or Tiktok. Also if you like this article or want to see more on gaming then follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Tiktok to see more and also to know when new articles are published.
