WHY DO VIDEO GAMES HAVE MUSIC?
Have you noticed that great video games have great music? What makes a good video game great? Of course, the title must have a good gameplay, because that’s the only way a game can really be fun. Excellent graphics also play an important role, so that the player can also enjoy a good visual experience. And also the story should be well written in the corresponding games, so that one is completely captivated.
There is one element that many of the players often forget about video games, it is the soundtrack. Music makes the mood at the games and can therefore make the difference between a good and a bad video game. Freely following the motto “Find your sound”, each player has different preferences when it comes to music in video games.
One likes elaborate soundtracks recorded by large orchestras, while the other prefers to listen to “real” songs by well-known artists in video games. Fortunately, the variety of music in video games is as great as the choice of genres. There is something for every taste. To help you learn the meaning of music in video games, today we take a look at how music can create mood while playing.
Let’s look at some ways music is used in video games. What kind of music is used in a game is primarily based on the corresponding game. Here are some of soundtrack types in video games.
ORCHESTRAL SOUNDTRACK
An orchestral soundtrack is mostly used in games in which a particularly intense atmospheric atmosphere is to be created. These include role-playing games, adventure games and first-person shooters. But also in other genres, such as strategy titles, an orchestral soundtrack is often used.
LICENSED SOUNDTRACK
A licensed soundtrack is usually used in sports, racing or similar games. The developer of the game acquires the license of songs by well-known artists. This type of music is usually used in the menus of the games, but can also be played in the actual game.
DIGITALLY CREATED SOUNDTRACK
Last but not least, there are games that use a digitally created soundtrack. Often these are smaller productions (so-called Indy Games) that cannot afford licensed music or orchestra. However, it also happens that large AAA games use digitally created music.
HOW MUSIC CAN INFLUENCE MOOD IN VIDEO GAMES
Every fan of video games will know how important the soundtrack is in terms of the atmosphere of a game. Just like a movie, a good soundtrack in a video game manages to get the player fully into the action. Especially in role-playing games like Skyrim, Zelda or The Witcher, an epic soundtrack is often used, which is recorded by a huge orchestra.
In sports games such as FIFA, NBA2K and similar, however, it is very important that many songs by trendy artists are represented in the menus. The same applies to racing games such as Gran Turismo or Need for Speed. In short, music is a crucial factor in the gaming experience that is possible with a video game.
CONCLUSION
There are many examples of great soundtracks in video games. In principle, the list is almost endless, because there are now thousands of video games, a large part of which offers really fantastic music. No matter in which genre, you will find countless examples with unique and beautiful soundtracks that put you in the right mood when playing.
Even if people think of video games primarily as graphics, gameplay, or story, the meaning of music should never be neglected. To test, you only have to mute your TV during the next game session. So you quickly realize how important good music can really be for a video game.