I'm not a big fan of weddings. Maybe it's cause I'm a guy and all the sentimental stuff wears on me. I mean, I'm not heartless. I just think all that love and affection is something you share privately and don't really put it all on display in front of a crowd of people.The wedding I attended last night was quite a bit different though. One of my good friends, Cecile, was getting married, and if you're a video game dork like the rest of us, you would have been able to feel that influence during the ceremony. I know we're in Austin, but it wasn't weird like they were in full cosplay or that it was a themed wedding. But I'll tell you, I've never been more moved when she came down the isle and Celes' Theme from Final Fantasy VI was being played on a harp. I felt like I was in scene as powerful as the Opera Scene from Final Fantasy VI. Maybe I was one of her crewmates and she was leaving for bigger and better things, but the rest of the crew was upset and vowed not to show up. But she's a friend so I had no choice but to be there for her. Plus, what if some crazy gambler showed up and kidnapped her during the ceremony. All these emotions and memories flooded into me and all I could do was put of this big goofy smile. She saw me grinning and she knew that I approved of her musical choice. Here's the song if you can't remember it by memory.
This brings up the discussion. What is the role of music in video games? First off, I love music. I've got my Zune with me 90% of the day. It's filled with all sorts of Japanese Music and a few Anime themes, but I don't have any video game music on it right now. I love music from video games but I have a hard time listening to instrumental tracks with no lyrics to go along with. Is this a case of me not liking the music enough or that video game music is more situational and is used as a supplement to what's going on screen?
What do you think?
David
Congratulations Jared and Cecile!
9 comments:
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that video game music is more situational, most of the time.
There are some exceptions, none of which I can think of right now, that I listen to frequently for no other reason than that it's a good song.
As for instrumental tracks being hard to listen to, I find the same is true for me. It's fine in songs of certain genres or just good beats, but for the most part, if I can avoid it, I will.
im the opposite actually i love the instrumental versions, thats not saying some like final fantasys "a place to call home" isnt good with the singing, it is, but some are just as good if not better with just the instruments.
id recommend checking out the album 20020220 on itunes, its a medley of final fantasy songs performed by a full orchestra and it rocks.
how important is music in video games????
:O
for me its one of the most important parts of the game. think of any game at all u loved and imagine it with crappy music. its just not the same. u don't get that eerie feeling with horror games or the epicness of adventure games with epic music. and the feeling of being link in the legend of zelda without that faithful tune.
i also have my zune with me everywhere. I have mostly music with no lyrics because I love music a lot and lyrics don't mess up a song but i would rather just listen to the instrumentals of it.
but everyone has their own opinion on it, but i just have to say that music is very very important to a video game.
You know me David, I can't get enough of video game music. I personally don't need a visual to supplement the audio but I do think it is necessary to have good memories associated with the music. I think Video Game music is beautiful but part of it's charm is the wonderful memories you had playing the game.
It's awesome though because its a style of music that can really only be appreciated to its full potential by people who have experienced the game that the music originates from.
I have a huge love for video game music, and I actually tend to listen to it more often than "regular" tunes if given the choice. A lot of it might be nostalgia, but I do listen to some soundtracks for games that I don't have a particularly strong connection with (for instance, I'm listening to the Klonoa 2 OST right now, and I've only rented the game once years ago).
I guess what I most like about it is how diverse you can get with style in game music, and it works very well in setting tone and emotion. If there's a song with a nice tune but with stupid lyrics, it drags down the experience for me, and most game songs don't have that issue.
Reliving fond memories of a game is nice, but it's not the whole of it, I guess. I mean, I dare you to listen to the credits from Super Mario Galaxy and tell me that you don't feel somewhat triumphant afterward.
i feel that a games soundtrack is a reason to buy the game.visual isnt always needed if its a great peice of music.
on my mp3 ive got like every mgs and silent hill peice ever made
For the first question, the "what is the role of music in video games", I think is easy enough to answer from a simple average gamer standpoint. Music sets the mood, the atmosphere, and suggests how an overall area, person, or situation is by tempo, notes and melody.
If you want a more exact definition, I'd say music is one of the most important functions in a video game, same as it is in film. A truly good score can draw you into a gaming experience completely. For the best example I can think of, Shadow of the Colossus. I carry that around on my iPod, and I love listening to the battle music. It's just grand and powerful, it evokes the same kind of emotion you would need to feel while playing the game itself. A massive orchestral score for a massive task to overcome.
I think as far as liking instrumental tracks versus tracks with lyrics, it's simply a matter of taste to the listener. Some music is just more catchy to others. Maybe you didn't connect with an instrumental piece while playing a game, because you just wanted to get to the next part; so the music seems unnoticeable. There's just too many variables to list why a particular song may have a greater effect on one person than another.
I haven't played Final Fantasy VI to that point and heard Celes's Theme, but I am a huge fan of Nobuo Uematsu. I think a lot of his music stretches beyond video games or media and makes for wonderful stand alone music.
-Elizabeth
Skyliner12
It would probably take you guy a whole podcast just to define how much music is important into video game. VGM is there for a reason, because most of what we see is what we ear. I know it's sound dumb, but it's true. Picture yourself walking in the wood with a bambi music. Nothing big there. But if you got a SH music, you see thing in a much different way. The music is really there to summon up feeling inside of us.
This is kind of like asking what the role of music in a film is. At its core, music is used primarily to emphasise what you're seeing (Or in the case of video games, doing). Music can really heighten the drama or raise your adrenaline. Remember when in the bathysphere in Bioshock as you entered Rapture, the music set the mood perfectly. and tbh, I don't think I could ever play a racing game without a good licensed track playing to get me pumped.
That's not to say you can't listen to them on their own. I find myself listening to many orchestral video game soundtracks one their own and loving them. But I guess they'd be better accompanied with visuals that went along with it.
Post a Comment