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Is Music More Lasting Than Graphics In Games?

Posted by simoniker on from the x-bleeps-to-the-pixel dept.

Thanks to Tokyopia for their article arguing that music may be more important than graphics for the most enduring videogames. The author, apparently a "a renowned game music composer who would rather remain nameless", argues: "In going back to look at a few rare [older] videogames that still [have lasting value] today, it struck me that the graphics have almost always dated horribly, but the music - almost without fail - still succeeds. At worst, old music elicits a smile. At best, a full on emotional connection that really enhances the game." He then references Sega's NiGHTS Into Dreams and Namco's Ridge Racer Type 4 as titles which benefit from this connection, concluding: "Over time, a game's graphics will inevitably be relegated to being the mere nuts and bolts of the experience. The basic structure around which the all important game play is wrapped. But the music? The music is our emotional connection. It's the experience. And it plays forever."

9 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. Emotions - order by Filik · · Score: 3, Funny
    2. The heart. Games that affect your emotions with happiness, sadness, or fear. Examples include Biohazard, NiGHTS, Mario.

    Yeah, Biohazard gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, Nights was pretty teardripping, and Luigi scared the living daylights out of me 8)

  2. Good old Doom riffs by dpilot · · Score: 5, Funny

    Every now and then, I hear my daughter (15) playing some riffs of Doom music on her flute.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    1. Re:Good old Doom riffs by zulux · · Score: 3, Funny

      $ man 15 daughter
      No entry for daughter in section 15 of the manual

      --

      Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  3. Defender of the Crown by vjmurphy · · Score: 4, Funny

    For some reason, the theme from Defender of the Crown sticks with me: great old Amiga game.

    Dum dum da-dum
    Dum dum da-dum
    dum-dum dum-dum dum-dum dum-dum dum dum da-dum..

    Hmm, of course, that could be about 80 other video game themes, now that I look at it.

    --
    Vincent J. Murphy
    Spandex Justice
    1. Re:Defender of the Crown by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Almost the wedding march song as well...

  4. Re:I think he's right by Andy+Smith · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wakefield! That's spooky! :-)

    I mostly went by the name Whisky and at the time of my one-and-only demo release the group was called Ghost. You may also not remember me from such classic intros as "the multi-coloured wibbly wobbly copper bars that move up and down the screen" and "half-assed starfield with a sine wave scroller". My coding abilities were... limited.

  5. No matter... by ArmenTanzarian · · Score: 2, Funny

    how many games I play with mood enhancing music, I'll never forget that like 3 tone midi that played when there was a man on in NES RBI Baseball. It was the same note played four times/verse and like an octave higher each verse. My cousin and I would just sit there and sing

    man on the base
    man on the base
    man on the base
    MAN ON THE BASE!!!
    (repeat until man leaves base)

  6. Daayyyytonnnaaaaaa! by SandSpider · · Score: 2, Funny

    Back in my game programming days, we had the old Sega Saturn running, and we'd play some Daytona. The only thing I remember from that thing is...well, I think Penny Arcade said it best.

    =Brian

    --
    There is nothing so good that someone, somewhere, will not hate it.
  7. You're forgetting one by roystgnr · · Score: 2, Funny

    Deus Ex: the only game with theme music this good.