Whether you’re a fan of video games or music festivals, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s a symbiotic relationship between these two beloved subgenres of pop culture. Both electronic dance music (EDM) and video games are both high-tech. Electronic dance music is produced using synthesizers, drum machines and samplers etc whereas gaming scene is being revolutionised by virtual reality and it’s only a matter of time that the gaming graphics will be up to par with the CG movies. Apart from both genres being high-tech, both music festivals and video games love the idea of constructing a fantastical world with swirling neon colors, or incorporating cyberpunk (dystopian futuristic) style aesthetics. Given the similarities, we are seeing more video games and EDM crossovers in recent years. So the question is, do ravers and gamers also share some similarities given that these two genres are complexly intertwined? We have rounded up a list of things that ravers and gamers have in common in terms of their styles, lifestyle and values. 

Ravers and Gamers Both Love Technology

Gloving or light show is decidedly a big part of the rave experience. LED gloves and glow sticks can accentuate trippy patterns and we are seeing more DJs like Rezz and Deadmau5 performing with LED masks on. It’s fair to say technology has taken the rave experience to the next level. Gamers also love LED lights which provide a sick ambience to the gaming room and set them in the right mood. There’s nothing better than booming bassline that gives ravers spine-tingling feelings. With that said, ravers love transforming their rooms into a rave with good audio system. Gamers also value audio system as it gives them a fully immersive and multi-sensory gaming experience. 

Ravers and Gamers Both Have Their Own Slangs

Both electronic music scene and gaming have developed their own lingos in the past few years. You can easily tell if someone is a real gamer or raver by their knowledge of the slangs or terminologies. The common terms in rave scene include “PLUR” which means peace, love, unity and respect. “Headbang” and “Shuffle” are styles of dancing. “B2B” stands for the act of DJs playing tracks back-to-back and totem is a cardboard cutout or flag that represents the spirit or culture of your “rave fam”. “Gloving” basically means LED gloves light show.The common gaming slangs include the “smurfing” which means a high ranked played using a new account to dominate new players for fun. The other commonly known slang is “gg” which means good game. 

Ravers and Gamers Are Both Nocturnal Animals

The other similarity between ravers and gamers is that they are both nocturnal, meaning they can stay up all night doing what they love and get back to work the next day. This might be foreign to the outsiders but for gamers and ravers, but sleeping is secondary when it comes to their passion. 

Ravers and Gamers Are Both Familiar With Retro Wave

Synthwave is a microgenre of electronic music that is predominately inspired by the 80’s aesthetic nostalgia in the video games, sci-fi and horror films. The music is often funky, old school and reminiscent of the 80’s disco vibe. You may have heard it at some funky, retro bars, speakeasies or raves with the gasby or old school themes. Synthwave is also known as Outrun in many video games that adopts the retro aesthetics in the 80s, such as bright purple neon lights, the 80’s cyberpunk and vintage sport cars. Games that have retrowave elements include Neon Drive, Katana ZERO and the OUTRUN map in the old school zombie game Left 4 Dead. Some of those games also have synthwave music in it. It’s interesting to see EDM and video games crossovers. 

Ravers and Gamers Like Connecing With Strangers 

Ever had a friend that wandered off from your group, then few hours later found him with a different group of “rave fam” that “adopted” him? Yep, that’s decidedly the beauty of raves. It’s interesting how you meet strangers from all walks of life at those raves and you hit it off as if you’ve known each other for ages. It’s because people who listen to the same genres of music are usually on the same wavelength. For instance, the people at those grungy underground raves are more likely to share the same tastes in none-mainstream music. This happens a lot in video games too - platforms like Twitch and Discord allow gamers to connect with other gamers from all walks of life.