Music and Games: Their Need for Each Other

Music is something that is as common in every day life as air is. Music is everywhere and it is constantly flowing. Music for me is something that is a part of my life every day. When I wake up, I listen to music. Music is present when I shower, when I drive, when I create it and when I go to sleep. I am a musician and music is something that I treasure every day. If I were to go deaf, I don’t know how I would be able to manage.
Music is important to everyone. I would consider it impossible to find someone who doesn’t like music of any form. If there’s something that everyone has in common, it’s an appreciation for any type of music. All cultures have different music; what sounds strange to one culture, the other finds it to be very enjoyable.

Video games have always had some form of music. I can recall back in the 8-bit days, hearing synthesized themes that were clever and catchy. Nearly anyone can remember songs from games like Mario or Zelda. Even those who occasionally play video games can call out “MARIO!” when they hear that game’s theme. For some reason, when one hears it their eyes seem to light up. I’ve noticed this before when I’ve played that music. Some people may call out the title, while others may seem to mask their enthusiasm. I can still notice that they recognize the theme because for a second, their interest is piqued. I don’t know how something like this is possible. It is a very simple tune, no complexities. It is straight forward, cheery and just easily recognizable. Maybe that is why so many people can recognize it because the song is simple.

In the old days of the Atari and the Commodore 64, few games featured music. If they did contain music, there would be a small sample at the beginning of the level. As Nintendo came along with the NES, nearly all games featured music. While it was not the best music in the world, it still worked for the game and it drove the game play at a fast pace. Many games would just loop a 30 second sample of music through out the entire game, but the music was catchy enough that it didn’t get annoying. A game that comes to mind here is TECMO Super Bowl. This American football game featured the same song when plays were commencing. It was a frantic, fast paced song though because it captured what it would be like being on the football field. When one is focused enough, they may not notice the music during the game, but the music grabs hold of the player and it gets their blood pumping.

As games became more sophisticated, music seemed to follow suite. Technological advances allowed digital music to be played during games and more complex songs could be composed. When Lucas Arts created the “X-Wing” and “Tie Fighter” series for the PC, players could hear the all too familiar “Star Wars” theme when they booted up the game. Not only that, but actual music from the movies was included and was featured during the missions. Hearing these timeless pieces in their entirety really evoked emotion in gamers. The Tony Hawk skateboarding series were the first that I can remember to feature licensed music. Punk rock dominated at the time the game came out and it helped get a lot of bands noticed. The next game to feature licensed music was Madden NFL 2003. The first song heard when the game started was Andrew W.K.’s “Party Hard.” It was a driving, punk rock anthem that really made you prepared to take on anything.

After Madden 2003, EA started featuring licensed music in nearly all their games. This worked two fold, because it allowed CD quality music to be featured in games and it also allowed small bands to get noticed. Bands like: JET, OK GO, Good Charlotte and Avenged Sevenfold all owe part of their success to the Madden franchise. For some reason, one could become pumped up hearing this music blare over the PA system during a game. EA Trax was something that just simply worked well.

Games from the Tom Clancy franchise also featured music. The music was often instrumental and very patriotic. During a fire fight or a crucial part in the game, the horns would come in with that patriotic music and made the player more focused during the missions. I don’t know how this is all possible, but music just does something to people. Music evokes emotion and it brings back memories. It is a part of every day life and it affects all people of all walks of life.