It's a bittersweet symphony, this life

Hello again friends,

Merry Christmas! I know everyone is currently surrounded by family, friends and Christmas music. Personally, music always gets me in the holiday spirit. Tonight I want to talk about something just as magical - music in video games!

Music is such an important component to any video game. I mean come on, can you actually say it's fun to play a video game on mute? Sure, we've all probably had to do it occasionally, but it really takes away from the overall experience.

Check out this story from NPR (thank you to a little birdie for the inspiration!). In a segment of All Things Considered, Robert Siegel and Guy Raz talk to composer Jim Dooley. Dooley wrote the music for recent Wii release Epic Mickey. Dooley talks about how video games have opened up a whole new world of opportunity to composers. Just like the film and television industries, many are competing for jobs to put video game soundtracks together. To me, this further proves how prominent the gaming industry has become in recent years.

Dooley also mentions an interesting difference between composing music for a video game versus the traditional movie soundtrack. In film, songs are often melodramatic, instructing the audience to feel a certain way at a certain moment in time. Dooley discusses how video games do not have a fixed time line and how he must consider this when writing the music.

Think about it. Gamers all play through a game differently. Some fly through it, while some take their time. One may make a particular choice, while another could avoid it. The music must adapt to these varying situations. This concept is especially relevant in a game like Epic Mickey in which the player must choose between good and evil. I had never really thought about this issue before, but I like to see that composers do. I feel like it really adds value to a game.

The hosts also bring up a good point. Siegel and Raz talk about how video game music has not always been very complex, alluding to the iconic sounds of Pac Man. While memorable, music in old-school games did not necessarily play a vital role in actual game play.
In contrast Raz says, "today, the video game's musical score is as essential to its success as the story and the graphics." Some critics may refer to this statement as to why Epic Mickey apparently missed the mark. Maybe developers should have focused less on the score and more on the game play and mechanics? I still think little details positively benefit the bigger picture. Positive reviews for the game have noted it's interesting creativity and acknowledgment of Disney nostalgia. Since I got the game for Christmas this morning, I will definitely let you know if the score helped contribute to this!

Mood is incredibly important in games, because it's all about creating an atmosphere. Music can take you to a certain place and really help you feel like you are in the game itself. I know it personally helps me get pumped to play a particular genre. Anyone who has ever played a Silent Hill game knows what I'm talking about. The eeriness of the music honestly scares the crap out of me! One day I thought it would be a good idea to listen to the actual soundtrack in my car. I couldn't sleep the whole night! If that isn't effective I don't know what is!

I personally believe some of the most famous gaming music is from the Final Fantasy series. The series is famous for compelling and memorable soundtracks. Final Fantasy VII is one of the best examples. In FFVII, there was only written dialogue. You never hear an actual voice. The soundtrack of the game, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, helped give it a lot more depth as a result. The music from Final Fantasy is so world-renowned, fans can now hear it performed by a symphony orchestra! Distant Worlds is a concert tour featuring the music of Japanese video game composer Uematsu and conducted by Grammy award-winner Arnie Roth. Apparently, it's an entire "experience," which you can see from the video below. I would honestly kill to see a show like this, but there currently aren't very many tour dates. At least you can buy the symphony soundtrack here!



Fans are even creating their own versions of video game music. Check out the video below. Known as W3sp, this pianist from Germany has covered a ton of different video game compositions. He is insanely talented. Enjoy his awesome rendition of the Zelda theme! Make sure to check out the rest of his videos too - he has a ton!



That's all for now! I'm having some technical difficulties with my computer, so I'll make sure to post more frequently when they are resolved. Happy New Year! :)

Love,
The Girl Informer