As a composer for video games, I have lots of experience producing original game music. Over the years, composing soundtracks for games has given me many opportunities to reflect on music in video games. To test where it works best and what it brings to the table of game development.

I believe music properly utilized is one of the most vital tools a game developer has to create a lasting impression on players.

You're a composer, I hear you say. Of course, you think music is exceptional!

It's true, I deeply love music. I've dedicated my life to performing and writing it, and I'll champion it at every opportunity. But in this blog, I want to share some objective evidence that supports my instinct about why music is a uniquely valuable asset in video games.

Arctic Awakening Video Game - Robot Alfie in the woods. — Arctic Awakening - Developed by Goldfire Studios - Original music by Joff Winks.

The Psychology Of Music In Video Games

Music has a powerful effect on the human psyche, and this is especially true in video games.

Numerous studies have shown that music affects our emotions. For instance, pleasurable responses to music go hand in hand with stimulation of particular brain regions. According to the paper by A J Blood and R J Zatorre, Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion, activation of the ventral striatum, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex are responsible for this pleasurable effect.

The brain structures mentioned in the study are known to be activated in response to pleasurable or euphoria-inducing stimuli like food and sex but also to music.

So, we know that music has a powerful impact on our emotions and activates areas of the brain associated with pleasure. We also know that humans are a pleasure-seeking species. We are highly motivated to seek rewarding experiences.

When thoughtfully used, music positively influences how players react to the games they play. And it keeps them returning to a game, seeking the pleasurable experience it produces.

Video Game Music And Memory

Human brain with music notes. Line drawing, black and white. Retro game pad.

Music often creates a sense of nostalgia. Many gamers have fond memories of the music from their favourite games. And hearing that music again can instantly transport them back to those moments.

In the 2016 paper, Music Evokes Vivid Autobiographical Memories, authors Amy M. Belfi, Brett Karlan & Daniel Tranel explain how music brings to mind more vivid autobiographical memories than images of faces.

Participants in the test looked at thirty famous faces and listened to thirty pieces of music. They then documented the memories evoked by each.

Evaluating the participant's transcripts using a technique established in the 2002 study, Ageing and autobiographical memory: Dissociating episodic from semantic retrieval. Psychology and Aging, 17, 677-689, revealed memories evoked by listening to music are more vivid, contain more internal details and have more perceptual features than those conjured by faces.

Nostalgia can be a powerful tool for game developers. The memories formed in association with game music create a strong connection between players and their games. And we have learned music evokes more potent memories than visual stimulation.

Music In Video Games As A Narrative Device

Music is an essential tool in the art of storytelling. Often more memorable than the visual details of video game narrative. But perhaps the famous Hans Christain Andersen quote, "Where words fail, music speaks", articulates this best.

As mentioned earlier, music appeals to our emotions. It can fill a seemingly tranquil scene with trepidation, lift a dull moment with excitement, add pace and direction to an action sequence or reveal inner feelings and unspoken thoughts.

Music can uncover parts of a story where other devices struggle or are too heavy-handed. For instance, setting the era of a game, identifying different cultures or revealing a hidden threat or an ominous presence felt but not seen.

Music often reveals the subtext of a story and is another powerful attribute. The creative uses for music as a storytelling device are endless. With the imagination of a skilful director and music composer, there are many artistic opportunities for music and narrative in video games.

Video Game Music And Immersion

Used well, music strengthens the atmosphere of a game by working with and supporting the sound design.

For example, I use music to add a sense of stark anxiety to a fierce snowstorm during the opening scene of Arctic Awakening. Our protagonist, Kai, slowly comes to after crash-landing his plane. We see a wild landscape with steep mountains on either side of a thin clearing, the final resting place of the plane wreckage. The sound design reinforces the scene: a powerful storm, gusts of wind, trees swaying, and branches breaking under the force of the blizzard. But, the music tells a deeper story. The score taps into the feeling of being stranded, the sense of bewilderment and fearfulness of the desolate surroundings.

Understanding a character's feelings, especially the emotional reactions of the characters we adopt in games, increases the sense of immersion.

Check out the Arctic Awakening page for more tracks and details on the upcoming release in 2024.

Video Game Music And Replayability

I believe there's a strong relationship between the games we love and their soundtracks.

I have often returned to games I love, like Homeworld or What Remains Of Edith Finch because I love the feeling the music evokes. I get to escape into these beloved worlds, and for a few blissful, nostalgic hours, I can leave the trials and tribulations of the day behind.

The feelings a soundtrack sparks in us are often a strong motivation for replaying a game. And even when games have low replayability, the music can be motivation enough to return to the experience.

Final Thoughts

Music and video games are natural allies. From emotional connection, memory and recognition to immersion and replayability, music enhances the pleasure of video games.

As a composer for video games, I love the opportunity games provide to experiment with composition. Using non-linear horizontal mixing, vertical sequencing, or other dynamic techniques, I'm genuinely excited to find unique ways to adapt music for games.

For developers, original game soundtrack compositions provide more control over how their games make audiences feel. Music can place a game experience deep into the psyche. It can increase immersion and the desire to revisit a game. And music creates strong, abiding memories that influence brand loyalty.

If you're developing a video game that needs an original soundtrack, feel free to get in touch. I'm always interested in new ideas and collaborating with like-minded creative people!

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