The importance of music in video games

Have you heard any modern video games without music? Whether you've noticed it or not, it's always there: the background music that hums with ominous portent as characters venture into blackened corridors; that crackles with awakened energy when a sabotage risks the fictional finish; or that bombards gaming heroes with frenetic assaults as they attempt the final obstacle.

Now integral to the atmosphere and course of every modern game, what was once incidental music has become a vital part of the gaming experience. It is never more conspicuous than when it is absent or unsympathetic and has engendered a multi-million dollar industry to back it up.

But what difference does music really make to a game? Is it really that important?

To see how and why video game music has become the symphonic swells that rouse even the most somnolent of players, you must cast back to the recent beginnings of the industry. It was only 1978 when the panic-inducing baseline of primitive icon, Space Invaders, upped the adrenaline, heart-rates and awareness of millions of people experiencing electronic gaming in its early life.

The purpose of the music was to heighten the tension, prey on the 'Oh my God, I'm going to die, I'm going to die' frenzy coursing through the player's blood. And thus it has evolved.

While evolving, it has also continued to raise its own bar, with people having ever higher expectations while keeping the same principle in mind: in any game, music must complement the current surroundings while not overloading the player with noise and distraction.

Faster music increases the heart-rate, fuelling tension and excitement, while silence allows for concentration, enabling players to solve puzzles faster. Swapping the two tracks around would spell disaster for any game.

Of course, the intensity of a symphony would be entirely out of place in a game like MotorStorm for example. This is where beat-heavy music often from main-stream artists - catching on to a new avenue of money and publicity - are streamed through the virtual car stereos, enhancing the familiar in-car environment, while subconsciously adding to the tempo to keep you on the edge.

As Nashville is to country music, and the Deep South is to delta blues, so Tokyo is to video game music. It is its birthplace and spiritual home. Native composers are famous names and soundtracks from the latest games constantly vie for places at the top of the nation's contemporary music charts.

Though their name recognition falls off outside the Japanese archipelago, Koji Kendo's jolly ragtime for Nintendo's Super Mario games can be hummed by 66 per cent of American college students, according to Matthew Belinkie, a Yale scholar who entitled his 1999 thesis 'Video Game Music: Not Just Kid Stuff'.

Modern composers of video game music are now afforded as much professional respect as any other creator of what is often ostensibly classical music. Courses on composition for computer games are offered at many of the world's best conservatories and music schools and renowned orchestras from across the globe dedicate tours and concerts to recreating themes from Tomb Raider and Halo and classic medleys from Pong, Pacman and Space Invaders.

It is clear that the importance of video game music goes beyond whether it helps you get to the next level or not; its importance props up an industry, provides livelihoods and plays a role in shaping modern culture. And with budgets only set to increase and more time and manpower afforded to composing and developing, things can only get better for gaming music.

Article Source: http://gamblingarticlessite.com

Sounds2Buy.com is specialised in flash game music, pc ames, tv ads and much more. If you are looking for a very cheap but effective service, do not hesitate to contact us

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated