Video game music, why?

[Octopod]

Am I the only gamer that could care less?

I am not trying to put down you guys that do like video game music, I have just never really seen the appeal. I have never heard video game music that I would choose to listen too. I just see threads about it all the time and I know that there are people who collect sound tracks, sometimes at crazy prices. Is it for the novelty of it?

Does anyone else hear this stuff and just feel completely ambivalent to it?

[Jrecee]

For the most part yes. But there are some games where the music, to me, is as good as any cd I'd go out and buy.

When I was about 11 I was thrilled when I tried putting Sonic CD (pc version) into a cd player and the music played. And since that game only works on early versions of windows, it now sits in my car and I listen to it from time to time.

The Sonic series to me has some of the best videogame music. Part of that is probably because an actual pop band composed the music for the first 2 games.

There are other older games with really good music, although I typically don't listen to the music straight from the game, I download remixes at ocremix.org.

I think game soundtracks are somewhat like movie soundtracks for the most part though. They are there to give a mood to the game/movie and don't always stand on their own. I thought the music from The Dark Knight was fantastic in setting the mood of the movie, but I probably wouldn't listen to it in my car. Most games are the same way, although a lot of recent games have really generic music. I think game music was better when they had limited resources and had to come up with really catchy melodies because there were only so many sounds the machines could make.

[khyrox]

I suppose some people could say the same about collecting vintage video games at crazy prices?

I appreciate video game soundtracks and I appreciate it like any other genre of music that I enjoy. For me, there's a lot of variety to the kinds of music used in video games, and the best ones complement what's going on on screen just like films. Some tunes are catchy, some tunes are moving, and some tunes just trigger that feeling of nostalgia. I also find the evolution and progression of video game music to be really interesting. I'm always especially impressed with what some composers have done despite the limitations of the sound hardware in older systems.

[AppleQueso]

For the most part yes. But there are some games where the music, to me, is as good as any cd I'd go out and buy.

When I was about 11 I was thrilled when I tried putting Sonic CD (pc version) into a cd player and the music played. And since that game only works on early versions of windows, it now sits in my car and I listen to it from time to time.

The Sonic series to me has some of the best videogame music. Part of that is probably because an actual pop band composed the music for the first 2 games.

There are other older games with really good music, although I typically don't listen to the music straight from the game, I download remixes at ocremix.org.

I think game soundtracks are somewhat like movie soundtracks for the most part though. They are there to give a mood to the game/movie and don't always stand on their own. I thought the music from The Dark Knight was fantastic in setting the mood of the movie, but I probably wouldn't listen to it in my car. Most games are the same way, although a lot of recent games have really generic music. I think game music was better when they had limited resources and had to come up with really catchy melodies because there were only so many sounds the machines could make.

This probably nails it, though the only game soundtrack I've ever personally listened to outside of the game it belongs to is the music of the Silent Hill series.

[Ack]

Personally, certain older songs really kick the nostalgia in. Listening to the intro to Mega Man 3 gets me every time, and I love the different stage music from Mega Man 2. Bubble Man is a particular favorite, considering how mellow it is.

[Octopod]

Personally, certain older songs really kick the nostalgia in. Listening to the intro to Mega Man 3 gets me every time, and I love the different stage music from Mega Man 2. Bubble Man is a particular favorite, considering how mellow it is.

I do understand the nostalgia factor. Legend of Zelda music will kick in some memories and make me smile. I think that is about the only one though, not even Mario music does that. I can not even recall what Sonic music sounds like on my own.

[fvgazi]

If you're not into video game music just listen to this...
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8saW9rKpUw ]

I didn't really get into video game music until I started listening to 'The Advantage' (feat. members of Hella). After that I started paying really close attention to the music (especially on NES / SNES games). Now I've found music from tons of games that I love listening to.

I'm not a fan of music in modern games. I like the nostalgic feel / sound of chip tunes. It's akin to liking analog recording over digital recording for me.

[Pabstblueribbon]

I can agree with this. I can enjoy video game music from a musician standpoint but there are few that i would actually listen to.

I do enjoy bands that take video game style music and turn it into something else, such as Horse The Band though.

[Luke]

Might as well ask why people like video games, or why people like any genre of music.

The answer is as obvious as it can get: they just like it.

[CRTGAMER]

For me the draw is not really a reminder of a particular game sequence, but the uniqueness of the music itself. So many game soundtrack genres to choose from be it classical, new wave, rock etc. Just that its different from the regular top hits one normally hears.

Posted earlier somewhere ...

Just as an example one of my favorites, older DOS game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAHOVKFwWME

Crappy dialog to scroll by, jump to the middle for a taste.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kygk-xLv ... re=related

Other favorites include God of War, Skies of Arcadia, Dance Revolution PS1 Remix and Bust a Groove.