Music can be found everywhere whether that be in movies, tv shows, podcasts, in apps like TikTok, even in your favorite cafes, music fills these spaces. The music sets the tone and establishes the atmosphere of what is expected when you interact with these places. A serious and sad movie would contain darker and more somber music to further reflect the feelings of the events taking place. Likewise, a comedy would contain happy and upbeat music. In video games, the music also helps set the tone and overall atmosphere of the game. But unlike media such as films and podcasts, the music in video games is adaptive. Depending on what the player is doing or where they are located, the music can change. It is a subtle but highly effective way to inform the player of their surroundings without using words. If an enemy approaches the player, the music can reflect this by speeding up the tempo or creating an ominous theme that would play anytime the player is in danger. Music in video games completely immerses the player in the game by further emphasizing the overall type of game you are playing and by complimenting the aesthetic of the video game.
In the article, “The Importance of Music in Video Games” by Patrick Shields, he explains how music “helps to hold our interest and engage us in our myriad aspects of life.” He points out the success of Super Mario Bros and how one of the most memorable aspects of the game was the catchy music that played throughout the levels. I guarantee that people who have never played Super Mario Bros would recognize the song “Ground Theme,” composed by Koji Kondo.
While the gameplay of Super Mario Bros is amazing, the music helped solidify its history as a cultural staple in gamer and nongamer worlds alike. As Shields states when talking about Super Mario Bros “Without the music, the game would still likely have been successful, but it would have felt empty. Conversely, if it was scored with terrible music, the game could have actually failed.” This goes to show that while music won’t always make or break a game, it will greatly impact the player experience and how the overall game is perceived and received.
The music in video games can get the player in the mood for what is to come. As stated before, the music can change depending on what the player is doing or what is near the player. During a fight scene, the music can become more fast pace and epic, getting the player in the mood for the fight. Creepy-sounding music can put the player on edge and get their hearts racing or slower calming music can put the player at ease and let them know that they are safe. Whether you are in an epic boss battle with a giant monster or planting trees on your island, the music that plays during those moments can be the difference from having a good experience to a great one.
UWP 13 Games and Culture 
Really good video game music can also tell the story of the game itself. While people might not enjoy spoilers for media they want to consume, musical spoilers are much different. Since they require lots of extra thought to dissect, musical foreshadowing is usually recognized after the fact, rather than being perceived in the moment. Pieces that are memorable, fit the tone, setting, or character it is trying to portray, and communicate the narrative of a video game are probably the best ones. I also really enjoy pieces that are arranged slightly differently to demonstrate a change in perception or echo a narrative beat like a character turning evil. I think one of my favorite examples of this is the difference in “Viridian Forest” between Pokemon RGB and Pokemon GSC. The change from an ominous theme to one of skipping through a forest while still keeping the similarities recognizable really demonstrates the wonderful artistry involved.
LikeLike
One of my favorite video game soundtracks is Undertale, I’m sure a lot of people across the can agree. It’s such a diverse soundtrack, but it does well on every front. There are slower and more ambient tracks (like “Snowy”), and there are faster themes during battles (like “Dating Start!” or the famous “Megalovania”). And all of them are memorable, the ambient tracks aren’t simply ambient, they are themes that will get stuck in your head. The sentiment about Mario that the game would have still been successful without the music, but bad music would’ve made it fail, could possibly be said about Undertale. Undertale is an indie game, it was worked on largely by one person, with another contributing great art. The game itself is amazing and definitely deserves a lot of praise. It became a huge hit everywhere on the internet. One of the things people love and took away from the game was the music. It probably didn’t cause its success, but if it was worse, all that impact the soundtrack did wouldn’t be there.
LikeLike