theconversation.com: One of my clearest musical memories is playing the video game Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo in the winter of 1995. When my character first entered the forest where the game is set, I stopped immediately on hearing the musical theme written by the Japanese composer Yasunori Mitsuda. Despite knowing it was a loop, I sat listening for almost an hour, completely transfixed.
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This article makes me think about how music and the purpose/ thoughtfulness of music have changed. People used to make beautifully crafted music, something that had a message, and used instrumentals or vocals that fit this. Now it seems like this has changed, people listen to music that originates from a video game. When I first read this, I thought it was unfortunate and said something about how society is regressing. On the other hand, music has always been an outlet for people. It bonded people, made them happy, and inspired them. So what is the difference? Why should it matter where the song comes from if someone loves it? It doesn’t I guess, it is just the way the world is turning. Technological games are loved by many people nowadays so it makes sense why game soundtracks are inspiring to people. I do like video games, yet I do not see myself listening to soundtracks– except the Geometry dash one of course.
I have always found music to be a key part of my enjoyance of video games so this article really resonated with me. I appreciated how it covered a number of key topics within the umbrella of video game soundtracks - both some of the good and some of the bad of the field. I had never heard of the field of Ludomusicology before so that was my interesting discovery of the week! There being a whole field of research into video game music makes a lot of sense and I’m sure it is a very interesting dive into the themes, music and history of the genre. It was also super interesting to me that the composer of Final Fantasy VII, Nobuo Uematsu, created customized synthesized instruments of various types to help with the creation of the music - that kind of craft and specificity within music is really a big part of what makes video game music so special.
I have always loved video game music and how sound can provoke emotions in many aspects of the world. I learned a lot of new information from this article that I didn’t know and had never thought about. The strong female presence in the industry is cool, especially in such a strongly male-dominated industry. I was also fascinated by the Japanese presence in the industry because I always think of America as being the hub of video game development nowadays, but Japan has always been a central point in the industry as well. I didn't know about the video game orchestras that exist and I would really love to see a performance from one because I bet it is a surreal experience like watching a movie with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack. It is quite sad that the commercialization of the industry is causing a lot of financial problems.
I don’t usually play video games, and when I do, I don’t usually turn the sound on much, and even if I had it on, I didn’t pay much attention to the soundtrack. I know a few iconic soundtracks like the Mario cart one, which I used to study to a couple times, and I surprisingly enjoyed it a lot. Songs almost always add to the storyline, especially in games where you are the one maneuvering the storyline. Before reading this article, I didn’t know that there were so many organizations working on video game soundtracks all around the world. I often stumble upon video game music not knowing it to be a video game soundtrack, and I always seem to notice that there is a story within the song itself as well, and not only to decorate and help the game be more enjoyable.
I used to not pay attention to sound very much in my life. Starting around a year or so ago, out of nowhere, I started listening much more to the world around me. I would notice and pick apart sounds of nature, movie scores, background noises of songs, and notably video games. I recently started playing a video game, and the first thing I noticed was how phenomenal its soundtrack was. The game is a zombie survival game, and the soundtrack is quiet and calm at most times, but it will steadily ramp up when near a horde of zombies, and it manages to create extremely strong emotions in me. This was the most I had ever noticed sound in a video game, so I decided to briefly play through a few games I had previously played, and I was shocked at how little attention I had paid to these amazing soundtracks before. Sound is an incredibly important part of video games, and I love that it is also bringing a new audience to classical orchestra, as the article described.
While I don’t think I was ever really ‘moved’ by a video game soundtrack, this article caught my eye because I had a handful of friends in school who were, for a while, determined to become composers for video games. I always thought that the music was just okay, and I never would have imagined that there would be an entire field of study on that specific type of music. I find it really interesting how universally appreciated, to say the least, video game music is, and I wonder how it got to be that way in the first place. I think one thing that makes video game music so unique as compared to other types of music is that it’s usually a purpose built song, so they are inherently packed with much more emotion or mood than regular music. I also had no idea that orchestras were the popular real-world medium for video game music, but it sounds (literally) really cool.
The collaborative nature of theater-making is a well-known fact, and it's precisely this aspect that draws not only me but also a diverse range of audiences to love it. What's particularly intriguing is the theater's ability to draw inspiration from unexpected sources, such as video game soundtracks. This revelation has prompted me to ponder how the design of theater has rapidly evolved in such a short span of time.
In the realm of traditional theater, one typically encounters straightforward flats and basic background scenery. However, in contemporary theater, I often find myself pleasantly surprised by the myriad of creative ideas that designers bring to the stage. These innovations can range from incorporating a 4K movie screen into the theater for live filming on the stage to creating an immersive experience that even involves your feet, achieved by adding rubber flooring. What makes these ideas even more captivating is that they are often borrowed from fields outside of theater. These numerous and intriguing factors, akin to adding diverse ingredients to a main course, significantly enhance the overall theatrical experience, making it all the more delectable. It's a testament to the ever-evolving and dynamic nature of theater as an art form.
I absolutely love video game soundtracks, I always feel like music in general is such an integral part of the immersive experience (whether in a movie, youtube video, or video game) and the music of something just has such a massive amount of control over the emotional feel of a moment. Video game soundtracks make awesome studying or napping playlists, and things such as the Minecraft soundtrack have been classic well-known songs for several years. I don’t want to say that video game soundtracks are underappreciated, because I think there is a relatively decent amount of appreciate for the songs themselves, but I definitely think that basically all of the talented composers and artists making the songs are somewhat unsung heroes. I’ve never heard of any of the names referenced in this article, and it was really interesting to read more about what goes on behind the scenes of making something that so many people love.
I love listening to video game soundtracks and OSTs. My favorite has got to be the journey soundtrack, whenever I listen to the song “Apotheosis” from the ending, I genuinely get tears in my eyes. I think that it has something to do with the fact that the music is intricately tied to an experience the audience is having. For example: in the game Minecraft, a lot of people are really moved by its nostalgic music, because they have previously had the experience of playing the game and experiencing it for themselves for the first time. There's something magical about playing a game for the first time and hearing an incredible swell of music, and I think that listening to the soundtrack apart from the game aims to capture that feeling and try to bring it back. I deeply love whenever new music to games is added, and it’s one of the best parts of any new update.
I haven't really thought about the career of composing for game soundtracks, and it was awesome to learn about in this article. I grew up in a big Wii family, and I still will hum the songs and tunes sometimes, especially when my sister and I go back to play it when we’re at home for breaks. There is something so addictive about those songs, similar to a jingle, I want to bop with each note similarly to how I might mumble “we are farmers” at the end of the song along with their classic line. I had a friend who was really into Undertale growing up, and she would constantly listen to the soundtrack and would sometimes share the music with me. Composing is so amazing, and composing for a game is so cool as you have to make something that’s entrancing for players but doesn’t distract them too much and fits the mood of the world, but I assume you are also composing for the story and arc of the game similarly to how one would compose a film. It’s so complex and cool, and I’d love to discuss it with a composer sometime!
This is a really interesting read. Video game soundtracks are honestly not something I thought about. But after reading the first sentence I realized how many video game soundtracks there are engraved in my memory. The first two memories that came to mind were the Mario and Minecraft soundtracks. I would be really interested to hear more about something like the Minecraft soundtrack and the meaning and inspiration behind it. To me it is just some silly goofy song without meaning but maybe I am wrong. When I think about it I really can see how video games would be similar to film or other performing arts. Depending on the game there can be incredibly developed stories and characters. I also thought it was really cool to read about designing sound for video games. That is not a job I really would have thought about much before reading this.
Video game music was some of the first music I listened to. When you’re a kid music playing around you doesn’t impact you that much but if you’re playing a game it’s an entirely different story, the music can be one of the central parts of the design so it grabs the attention of a child much better. And so I grew up listening to video games before “traditional” music. This has continued to today where I still listen to the same videogame music I grew up on with it occupying a good third of my liked songs on Apple Music. Some of the video game soundtracks I listen to have driven me to get games just because of the soundtrack knowing nothing else going into the game. That’s how I got Cuphead, Lethal League, and Hades; all great games but I would’ve never even gotten them if it wasn’t for the soundtrack.
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