Ask any parent or partner what their main concern is with us gamers and it will be that they fear that we are wasting our time indoors in front of the TV and not learning anything new. Well fear not, as Video Games Live is touring again, giving you all the chance to get outside and sit in a larger room, staring at an even larger TV.

VGL is brought to you by a few of the biggest names in video games music, hosting is Tommy Tallarico, who has been writing video game music for well over 18 years and has links to titles like Metroid Prime, Earthworm Jim, Mortal Kombat, Advent Rising and Pac-Man. The conductor Jack Wall has wide experience in music, from films, albums to video games like Splinter Cell, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and Myst IV. This travelling troupe goes from town to town, using what-ever orchestra is in the area to spread the message that gaming is more than just about getting square eyes and sore wrists. The show itself has been going now for 6 years and with each year passing the show grows, adding more songs, altering the set list and including new elements to the show.

I was lucky to see this show at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with the amazing Royal Scottish National Opera playing the pieces. The venue alone is something to be in awe of, the layout of the walls and stage make for a truly amazing sound experience, allowing for a rich range of instrumental and vocal performances, that at times was spine tingling.

I know a lot of people will be thinking that going to the show will be the last thing in entertainment, sitting in a boring auditorium, gently clapping in appreciation of each song, but thankfully right from the offset, both Tommy and Jack make it clear that this is a different approach to music. You are all encouraged to clap, holler, shout and laugh at any time, the more you get involved, the better the experience. There are even crowd participation moments where a member of the audience is selected for a bit of prize winning on the huge screen, fancy playing Space Invaders with you as the main ship on a giant screen or even getting a top score on Frogger?

Other than the orchestra, you also have a huge video and light show which all ties into a massive audio and visual onslaught. The humour starts right away with a great little video of real life Pac-Man running around an American city and the now classic "all your bases belong to us" tag line, then the show starts for real, the PS3 boot up noise plays and the smiles start, Pong appears on the screen and the orchestra plays in time with the ball hitting the bats, the crowd goes mad with applause and surprise, then we are treated to a short medley of the early days of gaming with music from Dragons Lair, Gauntlet, Joust, Ghosts and Goblins, Donkey Kong and plenty of others.

After a few introductions the show starts in earnest with music for a good few hours from huge titles like the Metal Gear series, Myst, God of War, Civilisation and Castlevania. Each piece has a small introduction either from the hosts or from a video link from the games composers. Not at any point does the show get tiring, even music for the games I am not too familiar with stunned me when I heard how good they were and I enjoyed every minute. 

There are some truly spine tingling moments, including a huge choir singing the "SEGA" boot up which leads into a truly mesmerizing medley of Sonic tunes. Days after you will still be humming all of your favourites.

The last few songs of the show take on a much rockier attitude, with Tommy strapping on his guitar and rocking some classics like Halo and One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy, it was at this point that I realised that this is all just an excuse for an ageing rock wannabe to get his guitar out and rock out to huge crowds, only later finding out he is related to Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, family rivalry?

There is one real problem with the event and that was the pre event festival, with only a competition booth and a guitar hero booth this was a bit on the weak side, there was some entertainment to be had though thanks to the dressing up competition, the quality of the costumes were great, with Mario and Luigi taking the prize, however the girls from Pheonix Wright should have won. Compared to the American shows this really should be better, however, if the show returns to this part of the world, maybe support will be better, hey, hopefully there will even be a Wonderwallweb stand.

The VGL is constantly touring, mainly in the States but it does occasionally move to our side of the globe, there is a London gig lined up and at around the £20 per person mark this is well worth your time. This has to be one of the best nights out I have had for a long time, where lots of people with the same interests all get together and have a really good time. 

If you would like to know more about videogames live and when it will be near your area, then visit : http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=home