May 19, 2012

  • Video Game Music

    For you gamers out there, AND for those who don't, here's my take on why game music resonates so well with us.

    I perceive that people are much more interested in shooting people in a game then playing through a story.  Even Modern Warfare 3, all the Call of Duty games, and Battlefield games aren't played for the story.  They are played for the fast-paced multiplayer aspect.  While there is some strategy and eye hand coordination involved, it is pretty mindless.  You die, respawn, and continue to rack up kills.  You don't need great music for this.

    The olden days of 8-bit Nintendo games were something else altogether.  True, there were similar aspects of dying and the starting again, but this was done with various save points.  If you died midway through something, you had to start over and do it again from the last save point, which can be incredibly frustrating.  As opposed to multiplayer first person shooters (FPS), games used to have more story involved.  Yes, you also had to be eye-hand coordinated (in the case of 8-bit Nintendo, a 4-way directional pad and two buttons), but you played your way through a story, even if it involved shooting something. 

    Where there is good story, there is also be the best music and fondest memories.

    People recognize and enjoy the Original Zelda music because they had to explore a world, save a princess (doesn't it seem like most stories involve saving a princess, the world, or universe?).  Countless hours were spent burning bushes to see if it revealed a hidden stairwell.  And yes....you died numerous time. 

    But here's the difference between dying in a FPS and a story based game.  In a FPS, death doesn't really matter.  Sure, you'll tick off a bunch of people on your "team" if die too much, but death is just an means to continue the game.  In a game like Zelda, Castlevania, Dragon Warrior, Ninja Gaiden, or Guardian Legend (one of Nintendo's greatest heroines) death entails a finality to part of the story.  You did not save the princess, the universe, or defeat evil.  You hated dying because stopping there ended the story in failure.  In spending the time to play through a story, you became part of it.  Such a personal investment was accompanied by great music.  In fact playing the music often recalls the best memories of fighting through adversity to reach a goal.  Whether this was to defeat Dr. Wily, Dracula, or to save Zelda or the universe, the music was what made it memorable.

    Next time you play a game with story, pay attention to the music.  It's done for a purpose.  Sometimes it's a march, a fugue, or opera.  Whatever the case.  Enjoy it and get back to playing stories!