By Mitch Rice
When we play video games, the music often blends into the background, and we don’t give it a second thought. That’s because most of us think of graphics and gameplay when we think of a good game. That doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the music; it just may not be at the forefront of our minds. However, a soundtrack can make or break a game, adding a depth of emotion that the title would lack without it.
Games like The Last of Us, where composer Gustavo Santaolalla uses just the right melodies and tones to convey what’s going on in a particular scene, are examples of how music works when used correctly. In this game, as you wander around the post-apocalyptic, everything feels real, and a lot of that has to do with the game’s score. The adaptive music in Red Dead Redemption 2 does something similar as players make their way through the game’s huge open world. With all of that in mind, here we take a look at music’s role in pulling us into a game’s world.
Music in Sports Games
While music doesn’t come to mind when we think about video games with sports themes, it plays an important role in setting the mood in many of these games. If you think about it, live sporting events almost always feature some kind of music, and it’s the same in the virtual world of sports games. The right soundtrack can energize players and simulate the environment of stadiums and arenas in the real world.
It adds to the interactivity of these titles and makes players feel like they’re really a part of the gaming world. As sports betting has become more popular among fans as a way to engage in the world of sports from afar, online sportsbooks like Wildz Sports offer them an array of opportunities to place wagers on their favorite teams and events. In the same way that music draws players into the virtual sports world, wagering adds another layer of excitement to the sports experience.
The Emotional Connection Between Music and Gameplay
If you’ve ever felt a special connection to a character in a game or become deeply invested in their fate, the title’s music probably helped you form that virtual bond. When composers put together a game’s soundtrack, they often set out to guide our emotional responses and even influence the decisions we make.
You can see this explicitly in horror games, where the music is designed to keep us on edge and thinking carefully about every decision we make. In contrast, in action-adventure titles, the soundtrack is usually upbeat, matching the tone of the game. A game’s music has the power to make us feel all sorts of emotions, including sadness, joy, and tension. In the game Undertale, the music shifts as the story develops, which helps players feel a deep connection to the story and its characters.
Memorable Game Soundtracks That Define Worlds
Some gaming soundtracks are so powerful they’ve had an impact far beyond their virtual worlds.
Composers like Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo have had an immeasurable impact on the gaming industry, and the scores they’ve produced are immediately recognizable to millions of gamers around the world.
When talking about iconic gaming soundtracks, the Final Fantasy franchise is one of the first to come to mind. Uematsu’s masterful work on this soundtrack shines through, as does Kondo’s compositions for Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. These soundtracks are so good they’ve become synonymous with the games themselves. If you’ve played one of these titles, there’s a good chance the score left a lasting impression on you. Although many of the titles in these franchises are now classics, their music remains popular to this day.
