Video Games: More Than Just Games

Most of the music we listen to had been intended to be listened to by itself, as its own individual art form. However, this is not to say that all music is independent of another media. In fact, today I will talk about video games, a place where most of us don't think to go to for good music. But just because video game soundtracks are usually made to supplement the gameplay of a video game, by no means should video game soundtracks be discounted as mere background noise.

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Most video games (unfortunately excepting some of the most popular video games of today) are designed to provide the most immersive narrative that modern technology can provide. To do this games combine relatable characters, well-written storylines, captivating visuals, fun and dynamic gameplay, and of course, powerful music. In a video game masterpiece, all of these elements are incredible and work together to create a virtual experience the player could never forget. It follows then that if even one small part of a video game is just not all there, the whole game could suffer. If a video game's soundtrack is inappropriate, unprofessional, or just plain bad the entire game could be ruined.

We know that music is implemented in many other media forms, like television and movies, where occasionally a song will be playing in the background to help set moods of suspense, excitement, joy, grief, or any other mixture of emotions. However in movies and television, music only plays once in a while to create a desired effect. In video games, the music does not stop. If the player were invited to venture around a world in complete silence, it would be extremely easy to become tired, bored, and possibly even lonely. Thus, a song needs to be playing at almost every moment throughout the entire game (of course silence can be used to achieve certain effects at times, but this is rare).

But if the same dull music were playing the whole game that would clearly not do much either. Thus it is extremely important for a developer to come up with a video game soundtrack that is appropriate to the theme of the video game, new and original, and above all enjoyable. An upbeat and fun video game should reflect its tone with lively music, a sad video game should have pieces to tug at the heartstrings, and a dark game should have music edgy enough to put the player in the mood.  So if music is so important to the game, it should follow that a good video game soundtrack would be enjoyable even on its own.

One of my favorite video games of all time is Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box. The premise of this game is the existence of a mysterious box that is rumored to kill anyone with the courage to open it. Professor Layton and his trusty apprentice, Luke, must go to the ends of the world to find the box and learn its secrets. Such a dark and mysterious premise as a box that kills people who so much as sneak a glance would certainly warrant a dark and mysterious soundtrack as well. Below is the game's overall theme, opening with a chilling piano melody and a cello that invokes cold fear into the curious player. The song later transitions to an accordion and brings the spirit of adventure into the player, exciting them for the game they are about to immerse themselves in.

Video game's require great soundtracks to be great. Games achieve this in a variety of ways, and listening to a game's soundtrack can be as enjoyable as any other type of music.

A Journey to the Ports of France

As college continues to plow on, seemingly without a single moment to take a breath, it's often easy to get caught up in the hundreds of tasks we must accomplish on a daily basis. As soon as one huge assignment is submitted, several more come flooding back in. As college students, all of us have a variety of ways to destress. My favorite way to get away from the stress of school is, by far, music.

In the past, whenever I have brought up easy listening, people have replied by saying that they wouldn't be able to get into it because it is too sleepy, repetitive, or just straight up boring. While I can understand that easy listening would certainly not be the best music to play at a party, or to add to your running playlist, it should not be dismissed as wholly unlistenable.

Easy listening can take a variety of forms, but at large it is intended to relax the listener. It's great to listen to while trying to plow through homework, trying to fall asleep at night, or even to take a breather between classes. I believe that listening to this kind of music can make any medial task more enjoyable, and any stressful time more breathable.

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My favorite easy listening music artist is Port Blue by far. Many of you may know Owl City, the musical genius behind Fireflies. The man behind Owl City also has many other projects he works on, one being Port Blue. The song below is entitled "Over Atlantic City".

I understand that Atlantic City is very close, in New Jersey, but when I listen to this song I always imagine myself on a cruise liner right outside the ports of France. The song starts off with a man calmly speaking in French (perhaps this is why I imagine myself in France), with subtle hints of birds chirping in the background, his voice muffled and faint, as if he were speaking over the sea water winds. The pianoesque synth also reminds me of the calm of floating right above the calm waters at port. At 0:20 the beat is introduced, with a variety of different sounds, some low pitched drums and some higher pitched rattles. This beat may remind the listener of the slow, steady rocking of the ship, with the big bass boom, and then the rattling (perhaps of chairs or other furniture on the deck) almost as a reaction.

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Characteristic of easy listening music at large, the song dwells on the same elements for a while (usually around twenty or thirty seconds), before subtly introducing a new element to the ones from before. The song starts out with a high pitch, relaxing piano synth at 0:20, and at 0:36 a more mellow, lower pitch piano is added to the existing. By slowly adding various new parts to compliment the old, the song remains peaceful, without becoming too repetitive or boring. A few ornamentations are introduced at 0:56, and the full melody is revealed at 1:03. Once all the elements combine together, the listener can feel like they have truly been taken to a new place, breathing in the fresh air, relaxing in the sun, swaying with the soft waves, enjoying a hot cup of tea, and all stress magically fades away. And the rest of the song continues to build on these central themes.

While we may not be able to take ourselves away from the everyday stress of school literally, this genre can often do a great job of at least taking our minds away from it for a time, letting us come back refreshed and ready to tackle our responsibilities head on.