Pushing Buttons: Pokémon goes to the Proms – is gaming respectable now?

It was such a joy earlier to tune into the Proms on TV and see a concert dedicated to video game soundtracks. Although gaming concerts have been a thing for more than a decade, recognition from this festival was a watershed moment. To watch conductor Robert Ames and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform thrilling renditions of scores from such diverse titles as The Legend of Zelda, Journey and Dear Esther was a moving example of how video game sounds, sights and ideas are escaping the cultural cul-de-sac they once inhabited. Successive generations have grown up with games, and so the aesthetics and conventions of the medium are seeping out into the wider cultural landscape. I recently looked at the growing phenomenon of video game soundtracks.