Why Video Game Music is My Favorite Music

I listen to a variety of music genres, but my favorite, without a doubt, is that of video game music. Many people argue that Video Game Music is not in itself, a genre, because the genre of that music can easily be something different, even if it is featured in a game. I am not here to settle that argument, I simply want to share why I love music from video games more than from any other medium.

When you are playing a video game, the music is one of the most forefront aspects that you are experiencing. Unlike in, say a movie, where you need to focus on dialogue and interactions between characters, in video games, you are performing actions with the music becoming a part of the experience, whether this experience be a challenging RPG Boss Battle or your intense trek through the antagonist's stronghold. The music is a major part of the experience, enhancing it, establishing a mood and a connection to the action. 

Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

After giving Kojima and his team a rough time last week for character Quiet's outfit, I figured it was only fair to point to some of its amazingly strong points. Throughout the game, a number of different sound clips were repeated, two of which being women singing. As the game progresses, both are used in full songs that are emotionally charged. The first of these is "Sins of the Father," which utilizes the frequently used "Woah" (for lack of a better term) in a show-tunes-like song. The sound was one that most players had grown largely familiar with throughout the course of the game, and using it in a situation different than all of the previous enhances the potential emotional impact, all of this done in a situation that is considered to be MGS V's equivalent to the third entry's "Ladder Scene". Another song that did the same, this time with Quiet's familiar humming, was "Quiet's Theme" (the theme contains some potential spoilers for the plot of the game, if still interested, click here). The song does the same thing, using familiarity in its introduction to carry an impact. It also has plot significance that no player would realize until after having finished the game. This song certainly subverted the familiarity of the humming to create the biggest impact possible. Speaking of games that subvert expectations...

Toby Fox's Undertale.

Undertale is one of the finest games of 2015, it takes what years of playing video games has taught you as the player, and turns that on its head. Talking about the greatness of Undertale is another subject for another day. For now, I want to discuss Megalovania. The first time I heard this song, I had just begun the game and had developed no real attachment to it. I just thought the song was some great and fun music. You hear this song exclusively in the "No Mercy" playthrough of the game, the playthrough in which you have to kill every character that you had grown to love in your other run(s) of the game. This run of the game is not just sad, it is guilt inducing. After having experienced the entirety of the "No Mercy" run, it was impossible for me to listen to Megalovania as "some great and fun music" any longer. I had developed an association with the song that had changed what the music meant to me and the emotion it made me feel.

Associations with music are far from exclusive to video games. However, what I think makes those associations special is that in many cases, video game soundtracks are written with the intent of developing those associations. Toby Fox knew full well in what circumstance you would hear Megalovania, and he knew what it would be followed up with. Most game composers know the scene that they are writing music for before they begin, and they seek to enhance the tone that the game is attempting to create. Music written on its own can try to foster certain emotional reactions, but because there is no way for them to know when you will hear the song for the first time, they have no control over what your association will be, while in most games, they do.

YouTuber "Smooth McGroove"

Another reason I have such a fondness for video game music is one of the reasons I (usually) love video games as a whole: The Community. Smooth McGroove is easily one of my favorite people to watch on YouTube, and in my opinion, also one of the most talented. He creates acappella versions of beloved video game songs, tapping into the previously discussed associations as well as most peoples love for hearing new and unique sounding music because of the different sound his voice brings. Smooth McGroove is just one of an huge number of talented artists all over the internet that puts their own spin on well known music, with a countless number of songs having gotten a somber reimagining, as well as songs getting remixed to sound more fitting in a club setting.

I can't help but love any art form that inspires other art through its beauty. Video game music can be brilliantly crafted, that cannot be disputed. Many songs used today in video games could pass for many different genres aside from "Video Game Music." I love most types of music and can listen to a number of bands and artists frequently, but the songs I find myself coming back to time and time again, and for multiple hours sometimes, are the songs that come from video games. The associations I carry of them can almost always create whatever emotional response I am looking for, whether I need a song to get me cheered up, or a song to slow me down and let me lie comfortably in a low place. 

Please let me know how you feel about video game music, perhaps share the song that you have the strongest association with. Thank you for reading.

Have a tremendous day.