The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is doing its part to combat the stereotype of the culturally vapid, socially reclusive role-playing gamer.

On October 8, at the Orpheum Theatre, the ensemble will perform Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, one of the world’s most popular video-game franchises. The performance of music penned for the game by Nobuo Uematsu will include the North American premiere of the Final Fantasy VII Main Theme, and be presented along with video projections of game sequences.

For those whose last contact with gaming were the nondescript midi bleeps and bloops of Pac Man and Donkey Kong, news that video game soundtracks are being performed by symphony orchestras may come as a surprise. But along with ever-more sophisticated graphics and storylines have come complex and lush musical scores. In fact, Uematsu recently made the list of Time Magazine’s Time 100: The Next Wave—Music feature.

The VSO will be lead by conductor, composer, violinist and producer Arnie Roth. Roth has devoted a fair chunk of his time of late presenting concerts of video-game music, including Voices: Music from Final Fantasy; Play! A Video Game Symphony, which featured music from Final Fantasy as well as World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and Battlefield 1942.

Time will tell if the orchestra scores big on this venture—or gets pwned.

Tickets go on sale July 27 at 10 a.m., available at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by phone at 604-876-3434.

Here's a clip of Nobuo Uematsu and Arnie Roth in a live interview: