Something occurred to me the other day that seemed so obvious, yet has been overlooked - the lack of dedicated, memorable video game music over the past generation. This got me wondering why this has happened.
Obviously this is due to the change in focus for gaming during the generation, a shift towards pseudo-realism, and towards 'epics' with greater production values and less traditional 'gaming' elements. As a result, this element of gaming seems to have been relegated to indie titles, niche Japanese games, or dedicated music games. Yet, gaming music doesn't necessarily have to sound chip-generated. Rather than music adapting to the changing focus of the industry in the way that graphics have, the role of music in video games as a whole has decreased.
I think it's important to consider for a moment what an important element the music of a game is for many of the games that we love. Even if the music has never been the most important element of a game, it has still played a massive role in shaping our appreciation for a game. For example, consider the role that Yuzo Koshiro's soundtrack for Streets of Rage has played in how we remember those games. Or Street Fighter, or Virtua Fighter, or any other game with extremely memorable music.
Despite the perception of music as being unimportant for a game, I find that the music can actually be one one element that really plays with our senses and brings back that sense of nostalgia, possibly moreso than even the graphics.
I still get a chill down mu spine every time I hear this theme from Virtua Fighter 2, for example. I get flooded with memories from the Saturn days just by listening to this, memories far beyond just Virtua Fighter 2 itself.
And yet, gaming music has also never only been the catchy tunes such as the examples above, gaming mucis has also aken the form of ambience that has set the tone and atmosphere for the entire game. Have you ever tried playing Resident Evil without the awesome ambient soundtrack? Or Silent Hill? Something always feels missing, like an important element of the 'feeling' of the game isn't there, a gaping hole.
Remember the first time you walked into the police station on Resident Evil 2?
Obviously the industry moves on, gaming music will still have it's place on the fringes and in certain games. But the realisation that today's gamers, the gamers for whom today's games are their 'golden age', the fact that such an important element of our gaming experience (the music) will be completely alien to today's gamers... this realisation made me a little sad.
Obviously this is due to the change in focus for gaming during the generation, a shift towards pseudo-realism, and towards 'epics' with greater production values and less traditional 'gaming' elements. As a result, this element of gaming seems to have been relegated to indie titles, niche Japanese games, or dedicated music games. Yet, gaming music doesn't necessarily have to sound chip-generated. Rather than music adapting to the changing focus of the industry in the way that graphics have, the role of music in video games as a whole has decreased.
I think it's important to consider for a moment what an important element the music of a game is for many of the games that we love. Even if the music has never been the most important element of a game, it has still played a massive role in shaping our appreciation for a game. For example, consider the role that Yuzo Koshiro's soundtrack for Streets of Rage has played in how we remember those games. Or Street Fighter, or Virtua Fighter, or any other game with extremely memorable music.
Despite the perception of music as being unimportant for a game, I find that the music can actually be one one element that really plays with our senses and brings back that sense of nostalgia, possibly moreso than even the graphics.
I still get a chill down mu spine every time I hear this theme from Virtua Fighter 2, for example. I get flooded with memories from the Saturn days just by listening to this, memories far beyond just Virtua Fighter 2 itself.
And yet, gaming music has also never only been the catchy tunes such as the examples above, gaming mucis has also aken the form of ambience that has set the tone and atmosphere for the entire game. Have you ever tried playing Resident Evil without the awesome ambient soundtrack? Or Silent Hill? Something always feels missing, like an important element of the 'feeling' of the game isn't there, a gaping hole.
Remember the first time you walked into the police station on Resident Evil 2?
Obviously the industry moves on, gaming music will still have it's place on the fringes and in certain games. But the realisation that today's gamers, the gamers for whom today's games are their 'golden age', the fact that such an important element of our gaming experience (the music) will be completely alien to today's gamers... this realisation made me a little sad.
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