How music affects the way we experience video games
Video game music can be the best part of a game. It’s one of the main components of a game’s aesthetic and can really contribute to the wholeness of the soul. The music of a game is the foundation of the tone, and has as much (if not more) impact on the atmosphere than the visuals. That being said, the music can indicate what kind of game you think it will be.
If the music is upbeat or cheesy, you might get the feeling that the game is supposed to be upbeat and upbeat, just for you to have a good time. If the music is slow, solemn, or dark, you might get the feeling that you’re getting into something serious, with an oppressive atmosphere. If the music in a game doesn’t fit, it can all make the game feel bad. It may not take away from the game, but there is always a chance.
Chip-tune is easy to replicate by humming, and if a piece is catchy, it’s easy to replicate by humming as well. If you can hum it long enough, it tends to become memorable.
Some ind games don’t require music, they just require sound effects, various noises, and maybe the occasional bit of ambience here and there. Expertly made examples of this would be Ditto and the Fallout New Vegas add-on Dead Money. Ditto has a very calm but dark and oppressive tone, and the silence broken only by sound effects and the occasional drip of water drive this home. Dead Money is meant to be scary. Its random noise environment emphasizes this to the fullest, working with the visuals to purposely make you nervous. Boy does it do well.
In the past, when the technology of the time hampered music a lot, music had to resort to much simpler means to convey atmosphere. They couldn’t use the detailed compositions of actual music. Heck, they couldn’t really get anything to sound like instruments. Instead, they composed strong melodies from compressed sound bites that make the chip-tune style unique. These strong melodies are simple and generally catchy. It is because they are catchy that they tend to be more memorable. Chip-tune is easy to replicate by humming, and if a piece is catchy, it’s easy to replicate by humming as well. If you can hum it long enough, it tends to become memorable. Also, its simple nature makes it easier for you to remember it, but that doesn’t involve humming, so it’s boring, whatever.
Some games may have nice, proper music that just isn’t all that memorable. You can remember it when you hear it, but you just can’t remember how it works on your own. These tend to be on the environmental side of things. Fez is big on this. You don’t really use strong melodies, just random notes that fit the tone you’re trying to convey. This type of music is usually slow-paced, providing just enough space between chords so that it doesn’t sound like an inconceivable jumble of sounds. This type of music is not bad, as it can fit very well with the game it is played during. It’s just not impactful enough to hear outside of the game, that’s all.
The door is open for amazing things in the realm of game composition, but remember that with great power comes great responsibility.
As time passed, the games gained access to quality sound instruments, as well as other advancements in the field of music. The floodgate of the variety of musical feats one could achieve was now open. Games now have ways of doing amazing things with their music, and it’s awesome. Some may continue to stick with the chip-tune style, updating it and making use of the complexity they can achieve with today’s technology. The door is open for amazing things in the realm of game composition, but remember that with great power comes great responsibility. Let’s just hope the video game music of the future doesn’t screw things up.