Exhibition : Video Games & Music

At the Philharmonie de Paris

Through to November 1st, 2026.

If the Philharmonie de Paris has become, in a decade, one of the most prestigious concert halls in Paris, it is also a major exhibition and visibility venue for the history of music and its major themes. Since spring and until autumn, it offers a very original and fascinating exhibition on the links between music and video games, Video Games & Music, where several generations meet.

For about fifty years, contemporary cultural heritage has included this very popular form of leisure known as video games. Inextricably linked to a musical universe that has evolved with technological advancements, these have grown alongside their users and have accompanied them since childhood. Active in games, players from around the world have transitioned from being listeners to becoming actors and even creators. We no longer just listen while playing, but we live and interpret this music, whether it is functional, experimental, perfectly complex, electronic, or even symphonic. It now has its own composers, and we speak of cultural emergence.

In a scenography designed as a vast animated projection set of several virtual worlds, the visitor will discover both the chronological and thematic history of video game music. Offering nearly thirty playable games, the exhibition is immersive and makes its participants highly active during a journey richly illustrated with works by famous artists like Invader or eBoy.

Listening to the evocative and catchy tunes of famous games, it is this entire auditory memory that floods gamers with memories of their frenzied sessions. More than ever, music is inseparable from the gaming experience, which it constitutes the soundtrack for, and contributes to a powerful collective imagination, whose rise, thanks in particular to the CD-ROM as a medium, has largely contributed to the upheaval.

An exhibition rich in emotions, during which it will be possible to dream, play,

dance, and participate in concerts or workshops, with prior reservation required.

Affiche de l'exposition ©DR

221 Avenue Jean-Jaurès

75019 Paris