Tommy Tallarico
He turned video game soundtracks into stadium-rocking spectacles, proving game music deserved a seat beside classical and pop.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American video game composer·Birthday: February 18·Generation X
Biography
Tommy Tallarico's career is a loud, proud argument for the artistic merit of video game music. Starting in the early 1990s, when game audio was often an afterthought of simple bleeps, he composed hundreds of scores, bringing a rock-and-roll sensibility to titles like 'Earthworm Jim' and 'Advent Rising.' His true legacy, however, is as a showman and evangelist. In 2002, he co-created Video Games Live, a touring concert phenomenon that pairs full orchestras and choirs with synchronized gameplay footage on giant screens. The show, which he hosted with electric guitar in hand, didn't just perform music; it celebrated gamer culture, transforming niche tunes into shared, emotional events for thousands. Through his long-running TV shows 'Electric Playground' and 'Reviews on the Run,' Tallarico was also a familiar face in gaming media, tirelessly championing the industry with unapologetic enthusiasm.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Tommy was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tommy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Tommy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and produced the globally touring concert series Video Games Live, which debuted in 2005.
- Composed music for over 300 video games, including the 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater' series and 'Disney's Aladdin' (1993).
- Held the Guinness World Record for the person who has worked on the most commercially released video games.
- Co-hosted and produced the television series 'Electric Playground' for nearly a decade.
Did You Know?
He is a cousin of Aerosmith's lead singer, Steven Tyler.
Tallarico claimed to be the first person to legally skydive onto the grounds of the Guinness World Records headquarters.
He voiced the character of 'The King' in the video game 'BattleTanx.'
His company, Intellivision Entertainment, attempted to launch the Amico video game console.
“I wanted to prove to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games have become.”
