When people talk about video games, it always seems to be the same areas that are discussed. The graphics, storyline and gameplay of a game are (rightfully) considered to be the holy grail of video gaming. All of the best games combine these three into one amazing package, with breath-taking visuals, smooth and dynamic gameplay, and a storyline that really sucks you in and makes you care.
But for me, I think there’s one aspect of gaming that is really under-appreciated: the music.
In games, as with pretty much any form of entertainment, a heart-wrenching storyline or tense confrontation just isn’t the same without a soundtrack to really emphasis and underline what’s going on. I always remember a clip that I was shown at school. It was of nothing more complicated that a shark swimming around in the sea. With a menacing soundtrack the shark looked like a terrifying creature, but with an uplifting, gentle soundtrack, the shark wasn’t any scarier than a teddy bear.
To really appreciate the impact of music, I think an example is really important. This isn’t from a game, it’s from the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, but the exact same idea applies: changing the music of a scene can change completely how you see the story, characters and tone of it so quickly and easily.
The music of a game or film is what really portrays all of the emotion. Can you imagine Gears of War or Halo without a grand, epic soundtrack? Can you imagine Titanic or Jaws without the music to really get the fear and sadness over to the audience? Any game would be so much less impactful, and dare I say it, so much less fun without the soundtrack. Even a game like Mario Kart wouldn’t be as fun and jovial without the music to drive (pardon the pun) the emotion and excitement home.
Imagine this without the jaunty music. It wouldn’t be the same at all!
I’d even go as far as to say that, for me, it’s the music that really makes a game stand out. When I think about all the games that I count as the best ever, each of them has an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, which perfectly sets the mood, scale and emotion of the game.
Final Fantasy VII is my all-time favourite video game, but would I care as much about the characters or their personal little trials if there wasn’t the sweeping, saddening music to drive it along? Or would I be anywhere near as terrified of the Sephiroth character if he didn’t have such a haunting (and awesome) theme song? The video below is the scene that really demonstrates the character of Sephiroth to the player for the first time. The scene plays twice, first with no noise at all, and secondly with the soundtrack. Take a second to listen and just see what a huge difference it makes to how you feel about the character and the event. Granted, you’re not going to like him either way, but there’s so much more reason to hate him, and so much more emotion, when you have the soundtrack playing.
Note, there are some mild spoilers here, but there’s nothing too revealing.
Possibly my favourite scene in the entire game.
The same can be said of another of my favourite games: Bioshock Infinite, and the Bioshock series as a whole. The soundtracks absolutely bring the worlds of Rapture and Columbia to life. The haunting wails of old soul records and early 20th century music makes Rapture feel so eerie and uneasy, and really reinforces the fear and disorder that’s torn the city to shreds. The same can be said for Bioshock Infinite, where the soundtrack is actually designed to play into the storyline of time travel, with early 20th century, barbershop renditions of 60s and 70s songs like God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. These perfect little songs add real depth and life to a city which could easily have been a bit disappointing and hollow without them.
It’s not even just in the context of a video game that game soundtracks are starting to be seen as important musical and creative achievements. For example, in 2010, a video game soundtrack was nominated for the Ivor Novello songwriting awards for the first time ever, demonstrating that game soundtracks aren’t just a forgotten corner of music any more, but are starting to be seen for their own artistic merit.
If I’ve not managed to convince you of the importance of game music by this point, then I’m never going to manage. But for me, it’s definitely the music that really makes a lasting impression on me. The Final Fantasy VII soundtrack can bring all the emotions and memories rushing back much more than a picture or soundless video clip, and I just hope that as graphical and technical accomplishment becomes so much more central with the new console generation, the underrated and vital role of video game music isn’t forgotten.
