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Video Game Music Recognition Gets a Boost
kghapa writes to tell us that for the first time ever, video game music is getting a much higher level of recognition through inclusion in this year's Ivor Novello Awards in London. "With the growing recognition of the immense detail and complex music compositions that are dedicated to video games, it seemed only a matter of time until game music was given some rightful spotlight. As the huge success and popularity of the fully orchestrated 'Video Games Live' concert has proved, modern and even classic games of days past have truly awe-inspiring musical scores. This concert alone has sold up to half a million tickets and featured music from a wide variety of games and gaming eras, from World of Warcraft to Zelda."
Honestly, I'm not to surprised. The music in video games have increased in complexity and quality on an exponential scale. Now full orchestras are making music with real instruments versus the previous 8-bit simple tunes. But I still prefer the classic themes. Maybe I'm just overly nostalgic instead of knowing my music...
I was thoroughly impressed. I don't know how to describe it fully, but it was a great mix of Nostalgia, awe inspiring, evocative, cultured, and fun all mixed into one. The guy who started it and organizes it knows how to make everyone feel like they are doing more than just sitting and listening to music, he gets the crowd into it. There are even a few times where there will be crowd interaction. He knows how to play the guitar and is usually part of the Halo Theme song, since he loves to rock out.
All in all, I'd recommnd seeing it at least once. I don't know if I'd go again unless they add more music to the show that I'm familiar with, but it was still a good time.
Plus any opportunity a geek can get out and actually enjoy his or herself is like a winning lottery ticket.
Start with Vampire Killer and go from there.
Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
Uematsu did a little bit of the Chrono Trigger score, but the majority of it was by Yasunori Mitsuda
Green Monkey
I'm putting a note here, huge success!
I had high hopes for video game music, expecting it to be a perfect chance to break out of the conventions of mainstream movie music. It didn't work out that way, though.
In fact, it seems that the music in most big games is even less likely to be very interesting today than it was a few years ago. It's like every top selling game out there sounds like the music was written by a bored John Williams, who even at his best, is pedestrian. Even worse is the trend toward just stringing together a bunch of pop and rock hits, just like in the movies.
I see that a lot of the commenters above thought Final Fantasy schlag and Mario Brothers tunes are the height of game music quality. Nostalgia can be a good thing, but it's not a great recipe for interesting art. And with the current "retro" movement infecting contemporary games, I don't have high hopes for the future of the genre of game music.
Even with the amount of creative energy going on in the Indie games world, the forces of corporate hegemony and consolidation are going to be just too strong. There's no reason to believe that the future of creativity in gaming is going to be much different than the future of movies: More big, bland blockbusters sucking all the air out of the room for creativity.
You are welcome on my lawn.
"Mario Paint -Through Fire and Flame" will get it's due.
Ask, and ye shall receive.
It seems to me that sooner or later, every sound or piece of music will be a repeat of an older piece.
What are we going to do when every possible piece of music (words excluded) exists? Sure hope the copyright overlords don't get their hands on all the tunes.
Oh, slightly OT, but a few days ago I was watching a rerun of Psych when I recognized one of the Stargate Atlantis gate sounds. I can't count the number of times I've heard Starcraft noises in TV shows.
Jeehun Hwang's soundtrack to that Activision 1995 Game of the Year stunned me when I first heard it. Each track was an mp3 on the game disc, and I played it like CD for years in my car. It transformed a giant robot game into Wagner.
In the meantime, those of us who have been following what serious music have been doing for the past 80 or so years don't really treat program music (including game or film soundtracks) very seriously. I mean, I appreciate them for what they are - I think Nobuo Uematsu does a great job, is a very capable composer, etc - but ultimately, it's schmaltzy, cliche-ridden, and sentimental. It sort of has to be to do its work: I don't blame it for being what it is.
But the inferiority complex about it being "taken seriously" is really sad - it's still, generally, re-using classical music (high-romantic, to be specific) tropes from Wagner through Shostakovich, with an occasional nod to Holst thrown in. It's a hodge-podge of borrowed goods, and not done better than what came before. Videogame fans only get excited about it because they don't know very much about music.
In any case, my favorite game music is Jonathon Colton's "Still Alive" for Portal - it's just the end-credit song, but it actually works so well with the black humor of the game, is so fresh and surprising - it stands out completely.
Not a lot of variety. Howsabout "Asteroids to Zelda?"
Speaking of Japanese game music composers, I have to mention Akira Yamaoka. His music fits the games very well, and music from Silent Hill 2 can also be appreciated outside of the game, it's among the tracks I really like listening to. One great track by him and another here
My daughter (16 yr old) plays a lot of video games and about 50% of the time she plays music from her iTunes collection rather than listening to the game soundtrack. For example, she plays World or Warcraft and rarely has the music or sound effects from the game playing. Even while in raids she'll listen to a mix of vent dialog and iTunes music. On Xbox 360, she uses the game soundtrack only when necessary (i.e. Rock Band), but at other times uses her own CD's or iTunes shared library.
This probably has less to do with the music soundtrack of the game and more to do with the multi-tasking that teens are doing. While playing Warcraft she has iTunes playing, AOL IM running with a dozen friends online, vent running with raid members, and her cell phone handy. When I play Warcraft I listen to the soundtrack and effects, but it's probably because if I had iTunes playing as well I'd get distracted. :)
"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
I just wish the likes of Nobuo Uematsu, Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, James Horner and the like would release the scores
Sheet music exists (at least for piano), you just have to find it before it goes out of print.
(note: I use cdjapan a lot and they're fairly decent, but I've never ordered from vgmworld, so I don't know how good of a store they are)
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
"They say Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil / I can beat Through the Fire and Flames on Expert level" ...
"Beating Mario Paint doesn't mean you have perspective."
MC Lars, Guitar Hero Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7V7BaRAy0k
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
If I only know four games, and all of them are just the most accessible, well-known casual games in the world - let's say, "Farmville" - and I go around praising Farmville because it's so engaging and original, aren't you going to say "you don't know what you're talking about - you just know about these games because you're on Facebook. I'm glad you enjoy Farmville, but it's neither deep nor innovative,"?
Well, you're being that guy, but for music.
The best era for 'computer music' was the 80's. Fact. Rob Hubbard, David Whittiker (sp?) to mention just two.
I also love the chip tune music that is sometimes still to be found today on 'cracktros'. Great, simple melodies that tend to loop indefinatly, sometimes making it very difficult to switch off.
I still have an serial-gen (windows) exe for Nero that has an amazing chip-tune.
THIS is what computer music is.
Oh and also don't forget the 8bit sound / pop crossover that has sort of happened with the likes of Max Tundra.
All this new stuff on your Xbox's and you Playstations is NOT computer music in my opinion...