Just by adding good music, it can change the entire experience of something. Whether it’s a movie, TV series, or even a party. Without decent music these things won’t be as entertaining. As Alfred Hitchcock said, “33% of the effect of Psycho is due to the music”. Music is undoubtedly important in video games that have storytelling as its main focus. It is the core of the emotion that video games need in order to be successful, whether story-based or not. When I play a video game, it has to have good music that makes me want to listen to it even when I’m away from the console.
One series that I immediately have to address for its ever-evolving musical excellence is The Legend of Zelda. Ever since my beginnings with Twilight Princess nearly a decade ago, some tracks have stayed with me to this day. Twilight Princess, composed by Nintendo’s dear sound director Koji Kondo, is one of the darker games of the series and it is shown through the use of sombre chorus in various tracks throughout the game. The use of such a chorus is also found in games such as Halo 3, pretty much the only first-person shooter I ever used to play. The main title piece, Luck, still manages to give me goosebumps even if I don’t fancy playing it anymore.
Breath of the Wild, winning ‘Game Of The Year’ in 2017, was praised for being one of the most beautiful open world games. Of course, the entire open world experience wouldn’t be complete without its mesmerising and epic pieces composed by Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, and Hajime Wakai. From minimalist piano-based pieces to jolly accordion themes, these composers knew what was needed for one of the most anticipated games of 2017, from one of Nintendo’s most renowned franchises. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, another popular open world game, was composed by Jeremy Soule, who has been dubbed as “the John Williams of video game music” which makes more sense as he also composed music for Harry Potter and Star Wars video games. I have never played Skyrim myself, but I understand that it did have a mass appeal and the music was very much appreciated by its fans. The composer was able to incorporate a fictional language into its chorus-driven theme sung by Vikings ready for battle. Having listened to this, I found it convincing and impressive. This is how music contributes to world-building in addition to storytelling which is crucial in the fantasy action adventure genre.
Sarah Schachner won ‘Best Original Score for Video Games’ at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards in 2019 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Again, I have no care in playing first-person shooters. However, I feel that after watching her interview with Pensado’s Place and listening to some of the games’ soundtrack, I can’t help but feel awe-inspired to see a female video game composer who had the opportunity to work on such a large project using mostly technology to produce the soundtrack and be awarded for her talent. She told Pensado’s Place (2020), “I don’t know if I’ve seen many female executives in the gaming industry. I typically work with teams of just 20 dudes”. Despite this, she did comment on the diversity in the gaming industry saying, “I think it’s growing … I think they’re more welcoming”. This was certainly reassuring for someone like me who is also a female that enjoys both music and video games immensely. It would be such a pleasure to see more of a gender balance in the gaming industry, especially with composers.
As video games become increasingly popular amongst an ever-diversifying population, its music is becoming just as important as the music heard in other forms of media. It has evolved into such an essential part of storytelling and world-building that it can immerse the player in the virtual experience and reach its goals of emotional intensity just as much as a typical heart-wrenching movie can. Video game developers have followed after the evolution of film and implemented more of the realism that audiences and game players alike crave in a virtual experience. With this is mind, composers face an even more daunting challenge with the industry’s rapid advancement in technology. It looks like the future of the entertainment industry is video games and as they get better, so will the music.
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