While looking up a topic for this blog, I found an article talking about videogame music and the Grammys. The article discussed Baba Yetu which was the first song made for a videogame to win a Grammy. The song was originally written for the opening theme of Civilization IV and won “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist” back in 2011. But Baba Yetu isn’t the only piece of videogame music to be nominated. In fact, Journey was nominated for “best score soundtrack for visual media” in 2012. I’m glad that videogame music is starting to get some more recognition, but I am wondering why it took so long.
Videogame music has always been fantastic, even in the 8 bit era. Back then, there was a limited amount of memory and notes that could be recorded, so the music was simplistic. But just because the music was simple does not mean it was not memorable. I’m sure if I played the Super Mario Bros. theme, everyone would recognize it instantly. Not to mention the Tetris, Mega Man 2, and Pac-Man theme songs. Just mentioning these songs causes the tunes to start playing in my head. They are catchy, they are fun, and they set the mood for each of their respective games. I am impressed that the musicians who made these theme songs were able to do so much with what little resources they had.
With the increase in memory and processing power, music has drastically changed. People now have the ability to hire complete orchestras to write the music for the games. Some games even have albums and the bands that go on tour playing the in-game music. Other games even use famous tunes throughout history. Just look at Fallout and its use of 1950’s music or Rock Band, where you actually get to play old and new songs. One could even argue that the quality of music in these games is comparable to that of movies.
But why do we need music in games? What does it do and how does it improve the player’s experience? Well like I stated before, music helps set the tone. It helps the player know how they should feel at a given cut scene, during a battle, or even before the game starts. For example, consider the intro music to The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker. It is such a happy and upbeat tune and when I hear it I know I’m about to embark on a great adventure.
It can also be used as a game mechanic. For example, it can be used to warn the player if an enemy is near, if they are approaching a new area, or if they are in a safe or dangerous zone. Again, let’s consider the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. In the game, anytime an enemy is nearby, distinct battle music begins to play. This helps change the mindset of the player and allows them to prepare for whatever awaits them. If the music is not playing, then they are free to explore with little fear of danger.
As one can see, videogame music plays an important role in games. It makes the world feel more alive and interesting, it gives the player clues on how to play the game, and it has given us plenty of catchy songs over the past decades. Games without music would not be the same, so the next time you design a game try and think of how you can use music to improve the experience.
Some of my favorite games are my favorite games, just because of the theme music. Any of the legend of Zelda games have some of the best music, almost always composed by Koji Kondo. It seems as though Japanese style games have some of most amount of emphasis on music. The assassin’s creed games have some amazing soundtracks, the music that plays when you synchronize a point is a good example. The indie game Journey is another great example of a game that without music would seem much less polished of a game. The campaign of any Halo game is also only made with the signature halo soundtrack. I can definitely relate when you say music plays an important role, and for some it means everything.