eonmusic: music for life.
  • Home
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Video
  • Reviews
  • Features

Music & Video Games – More Than Just an Accompaniment

20/7/2022

 
Here in 2022, video games are often a multi-sensory, cinematic experience. Even games played on mobile devices are carefully crafted to totally immerse the player into whatever world it is they’re exploring. In the age of the Metaverse, Virtual Reality and Web 3.0, it’s no wonder that gaming is as all-encompassing as it has become.  
Picture
Far from simply being a convenient way to pass the time, playing video games is an experience that gamers treasure. Not only do titles need to have a gripping, movie-worthy storyline, but they also need engaging gameplay, a diverse selection of characters, and immersive, interactive visuals. Equally as important are the sound elements of a game, which, if done incorrectly, can make or break its future success.  

Using Sound Design to Ensure Maximum Engagement 
The sounds that gamers hear when playing their favourite games foster a deep sense of immersion. No matter how otherwordly a game environment could seem, the correct implementation of sound design grounds players in the gameplay, ensuring maximum engagement as they make progress through the game. 

Sound can be a way to ensure realism in the gameplay, but it can also be a powerful way to motivate players to complete specific tasks. Sound, whether a musical score or more individual sounds, sets the tone of the game and should change as players work their way through it and achieve goals or missions.  

It’s also one of the most powerful ways to evoke emotional responses in players. Game designers have the freedom to utilise sound and music in different ways throughout their creation.  

In the iGaming sector, for instance, audio effects can be the most effective way to create an engaging casino gaming atmosphere. The sound of slot machine and spinning wheels elevate an online slots gaming title by establishing a sense of realism. In addition, music also influences and is present in the wide variety of environments that are recreated in the games, which allows them to increase the dose of realism and make the user live a unique experience.

Then, there are ways to use atmospheric soundtracks to immediately orient a player into the genre of game that they’re playing. Horror-themed video games are a great example; designers working on horror titles generate a palette of eerie sounds that build and build a sense of dread as the game progresses.  

The Greatest Video Game Soundtracks  
30+ years of video gaming has resulted in some truly unforgettable video game soundtracks and scores. Here are some of the most memorable, whose popularity has transcended the medium and broken into mainstream culture.  

The Legend of Zelda – Koji Kondo 
Koji Kondo was the most prolific composer of the Nintendo generation. While he was also responsible for the endlessly catchy Mario Bros. theme tune, it’s the music created for The Legend of Zelda that sees his name go down in history.  

Tetris – Alex Kostov & George Strezov 
As vintage as Tetris may be, there is yet to be a person alive who hasn’t memorised ‘The Tetris Song’ after playing this inimitable, catchy game. Interestingly, the theme started life as a 19th-century Russian folk song, Korobeiniki, but was arranged by composers Alex Kostov and Geroge Strezov to fit the debut GameBoy edition of the game.  

Halo – Martin O’Donnell 
For a game that’s been in existence since the start of the century, Halo is still considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Naturally, a game of this calibre deserves a suitably blockbuster soundtrack too. Martin O’Donnell’s creation packs a major orchestral punch; no wonder then that it’s the top-selling video game score of all time. 
​

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Jeremy Soule 
Skyrim, easily the most epic instalment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, wouldn’t be half as epic without its blistering score from the ‘John Williams’ of game soundtracks. Jeremy Soule unleashed a true masterpiece with this score for the 2011 game, as evidenced in the 30-strong choral passages written in the game’s own unique language. ​
Picture
Composing music – or compiling music – for a video game is no different to scoring a movie or television series. Video games need to be seen as interactive films; they tell epic stories, and narration is present in even the most basic of games. Music and sound in video games are often a cue, either for a specific action or to evoke a response in players, and should serve the overall encompassing experience of the game.  ​

Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture
    Wrapping Up Iron Maiden's Latest Tour, We Catch Up With Steve Harris For An EXCLUSIVE Chat.
    Picture
    Trevor Horn Singles Out Yes’ ‘90125’ As The Best Album He’s Ever Worked On.
    Picture
    Ronnie Montrose Remembered: We Chat to Keith St. John.
    Picture
    Billy Sheehan Talks Mr.Big, The Winery Dogs & David Lee Roth.
    Picture
    Courtney Cox Talks 'Being' Adrian Smith & Life In The Iron Maidens.
    Picture
    Hank Marvin Looks Back On His Incredible Career.
    Picture
    EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Phillips on Genesis' Early Days.
    Picture
    Andy Summers Says Every Breath You Take “Was Crap Until I Played On It”.

    Archives

    June 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

© 2016 - 2025 eonmusic.co.uk

Contact: [email protected]
ABOUT
  • Home
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Video
  • Reviews
  • Features