Ongaku Overdrive is Central Florida’s celebration of video game music and fan culture. Founded in 2013 by game developer and longtime event runner Kent Ward, Ongaku Overdrive has showcased live video game music in a variety of genres and provided fans with incredibly memorable experiences. We are based out of Orlando, Florida and hold multiple events in central Florida throughout the year.

Live Music and Events

Video game music is powerful because it covers every genre of music and brings together people from all walks of life to celebrate. Ongaku Overdrive recognizes that and has made it their mission to showcase the best live video game music possible in an environment that is both friendly and welcoming to everyone.

Find out more in our Code of Conduct

For over a decade, we have featured acts that have performed rock, jazz, metal, hip hop, classical, acoustic, and electronic arrangements of video game music. We have also featured performers that have made original songs about video games and topics relevant to the culture of video game fandom. We have also put on themed shows dedicated to beloved franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Persona, Mega Man, Castlevania, Metroid, and more.

In addition to live music, Ongaku Overdrive events have featured game setups, vendors, artists, costume contests, prize raffles, and even video game-themed drink specials. We always look for ways to make our events an exciting experience for fans beyond the music.

Game Streams

On Wednesday nights, we have game nights on our OngakuOverdrive Twitch channel. We play fighting games, party games, and even retro fun. For our online gaming sessions, we encourage the community to join in on the fun for friendly games.

Cosplay

You don’t see cosplay at your standard concerts, but over the years it has increased at our events. Fans love to cosplay their favorite video game characters at our shows, and we absolutely encourage that. As a matter fact, we even have a costume contest at our OngakuVania Halloween Party every October!

Charity Streams

During the pandemic, we launched the Virtua Ongaku series on our Twitch to give performers in our community a chance to shine and fans to have music events to enjoy. As live events are back in full force, Virtua Ongaku has evolved to be charity shows. With the power of video game music and our awesome community, Ongaku Overdrive has raised nearly $10,000 for organizations such as Give Kids the World Village, Asian Pacific Fund, and Zebra Youth.

Community Meetups

Throughout the year, we hold community meetups for fans to get together and have fun outside of our events. We have done arcades, ramen, pinball, and movie theater nights. It’s always fun to see everyone at our meetups!

Getting Involved

Our success comes from community support. We have a Discord so you can keep up to date on shows, streams, and meetups. You can also give event feedback or talk about games and music. You can also signup for email updates. If you want to go above and beyond, we have a Patreon you can subscribe to for advance updates and exclusive content, among other cool perks. But most of all, we want to see you having a good time at our events.

What Does “Ongaku” Mean Anyways?

Ongaku (音楽) is the Japanese word for music, which is what our events celebrate the most..