Opinion Piece – Behind A Good Video Game is Good Music

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.

For the Love of Lo-Fi: Finding peace in the imperfections

Struggling to find the zen in your day? Sometimes meditation music just doesn’t cut it. It could make us fall asleep, when we have so much to get done in our day. Lo-Fi music has the right balance of mellow sound and head-bopping rhythm that you can work or just relax to. It’s particularly popular with Gen-Z listeners. According to operations manager for Netherlands-based Chillhop Music, Björn de Water, 73.4% of its audience is aged between 18-34. This demographic may be students or those just starting out in the world of work. However, let’s take it from the beginning! What is Lo-Fi music? Why is it so popular with Gen-Z? Let’s discover a new kind of zen.  

Lo-Fi stands for “low fidelity” and is described as the culmination of various technical flaws like distortion and limited frequency response to create a soothing, stereo-like aesthetic. Its “low quality” aspects are manipulated in such a way that the sounds complement each other as opposed to noticing its unconventional elements that aren’t typically favoured by industry standards. Despite it being a “Gen-Z thing”, it’s not as new as you might think. Lo-Fi sound techniques find their roots as early as the 1950s, when up-and-coming musicians had to compromise with below average recording spaces, where unusual interferences would slip their way into recordings. DJ, William Berger then revitalised and popularised the term with his radio show, named after the genre. Lo-Fi is now often used as an umbrella term, including subgenres such as Lo-Fi hip-hop and Chillhop.  

Nowadays Lo-Fi extends beyond music into photography, video, art and fandom. The Lo-Fi aesthetic is heavily associated with anime and video games with the introduction of the infamous image of the Studio Ghibli-inspired Lo-Fi anime study girl created by Juan Pablo Machado for YouTube playlists. This aesthetic is comforting for many people, creating the ideal cosy atmosphere that many of our demographic aspire to be a part of.  

In an interview with Lo-Fi hip-hop artist, Jokabi, we discussed the importance of Lo-Fi and the technicalities behind its calming aura. “I listened to a ton of Lo-Fi hip hop during my architecture studies. It was extremely comforting during night shifts and helped me get through some tough times. During my final year at university, I thought it would be nice if I could help others get through difficult times by producing my own chill music”. I relate to this personally, being a final-year university student who is flooded with assignments, commitments and the headache of job-hunting. 

“I think the most aesthetic thing about Lo-Fi is its simplicity. The combination of simple and chill melodies with slow but punchy drums is just a perfect match”. This is what makes the genre such great focus music. It’s not downbeat to the extent of boredom, and not upbeat to the extent of distraction. It’s a balance of the two, where melodies are predictable, but the percussive elements add a steady rhythm to your work. “Lo-fi always has a slow bpm somewhere between 60-90 which is the sweet spot for relaxing beats. Since there are either very few or no vocals at all there's also nothing that can distract you from concentrating”. As a member of Gen-Z, I’ve noticed that we’re a generation that thrive on staying contemporary and on trend, but we also love taking trips down memory lane quite often. Lo-Fi delivers both in one beautiful mixture as Jokabi explains that “the dreamy and often nostalgic tunes take people back in time, but the head nodding drums make it a modern genre. That's what makes it such good background music. And again, I think it's the simplicity that allows listeners to forget their troubles in life”.  

With Lo-Fi being very popular among the anime and gaming communities, it’s no wonder you see many remixes of popular names like Naruto or Metroid. Jokabi remixes from popular Nintendo series and anime such as Studio Ghibli movies. I was keen to understand his motivation behind recreating these beloved tracks. “I can remember listening to a very simple Zelda Lo-Fi beat on YouTube years ago and I thought it was a perfect combination. Lo-Fi is often about nostalgic tunes and there is nothing more nostalgic than old video games such as Pokémon, Zelda, etc”. My go-to playlists are usually Zelda and Nintendo Lo-Fi and listening to them makes me want to play those games again that I enjoyed thoroughly as a kid. However, whilst I am working away on my laptop, it provides a sense of familiarity and security, where I feel in control of my tasks.  

“With anime it’s the exact same situation. I'm personally much more of an anime fan than I am a gamer. But there are a lot of similarities between video games and anime, especially when it comes to soundtracks. My favourite games were all made in Japan, so are the majority of anime and because of that they have a very similar vibe”. One significant pioneer of Lo-Fi hip-hop was Japanese record producer Nujabes. Jokabi mentions that he “made the OST for my favourite anime Samurai Champloo”, a very significant work that fused hip-hop influences with Japanese historical drama.  

The genre’s significance on mental health and work focus reminds us of the balance we need in our busy lives. Social media trends and influencers tend to have negative connotations attached to them, where it is thought that youngsters are pressured into living up to these trends by their peers. Whilst the Lo-Fi aesthetic is what many Gen-Z people admire and aim to recreate in their own lives, it can be viewed as a positive influential trend. “I hope it allows listeners to create a space where time is a bit slower and gets them away from their daily problems”. Lo-Fi music and filters are used on TikTok and Instagram reels created by gamers and anime enthusiasts. A lot of them feature the importance of self-care, working in cosy environments and the therapeutic nature of gaming and pop culture. It reframes the idea of gaming and anime being a mind-numbing pass-time and steers it towards being a tranquil hobby. Everyone deserves to treat themselves from time to time, even stressed students and career-aspiring twenty-somethings. 

With Lo-Fi being such a broad genre, it’s difficult to know where to start. Jokabi has named some of his personal inspirations like Jinsang, Kupla, Flitz&Suppe, Joey Pecoraro “and of course my brother Mikel who inspired me a lot”. Mikel received immensely positive feedback after his release of Zelda & Chill (2018) with over 900,000 views on his YouTube channel alone. If you’re looking to delve into the world of Lo-Fi as an artist, Jokabi advises “to put their emotions into beat-making and try to take their time with tracks until they really feel the right vibe. I think a lot of new Lo-Fi artists try to jump in as fast as possible and put quantity over quality. That’s the wrong way to go if you’re trying to reach people's emotions. They should find a way to make their music recognisable. Listeners will appreciate the effort”. 

With its history and constant evolution, Lo-Fi continues to be the cherished genre built upon audio imperfections.“There's not that much like it around and since it’s such a comfort to people it could take a while until something else takes its place”. Despite this, Lo-Fi isn’t conditioned to be a 'Gen-Z thing'. “I usually choose melodies from my childhood that weren’t as hectic as a lot of the things are nowadays. These melodies created a lot of comfort and made me happy. I try to transport those emotions through my music and make them accessible to everyone”. The message hasn’t spread far enough with how zen this music can be.“I think it's still quite new to a lot of people and hasn't reached its peak yet”. 

One era’s trash is really a future era’s treasure.