Games and music have a lot in common – more so, for example, than music does with a more static medium like Films and TV. That's because music, like games, is hugely participatory – whether you’re playing it, or listening. As such it should come as no surprise that the two areas of entertainment should have collaborated on unique productions more than once.
In fact, there are many legendary tunes that have come about through close association with the world of gaming – of all forms. Below we’re going to take a look at some modern classics and enduring mainstays that demonstrate just how deeply in the dialogue music and gaming truly is.
Korobeiniki (aka The Tetris Theme)
Few melodies in the world today are as instantly recognisable as the theme song of everyone’s favourite shape-sorting puzzle arcade classic, Tetris. What people don’t realise though is that this song was not always the chosen theme-song for Tetris – the original 1988 arcade game featured a wholly different composition by Hirozaku Tanaka.
It was, in fact, the Nintendo Game Boy release of Tetris in 1989 that kicked off its long running association with this legendary chip tune. To date, Tetris has sold over 520 million copies in its various guises – putting it ahead of the likes of Grand Theft Auto V and Minecraft as the all time best selling game.
As for the song itself, there’s a good reason it’s so catchy. That’s because it’s actually a 19th century Russian folk song, called Korobeiniki (The Peddlers). The reason for its inclusion is that the heads at Nintendo in charge of publishing the game wanted to emphasise Tetris’ Russian origins.
Created by one Alexey Pajitnov in 1984 on the early Soviet computer the Elektronika 60, the game was a viral hit in his homeland and soon broke out of the Iron Curtain to be enjoyed in the West – however it wasn’t until several years after the fall of the Berlin Wall that Pajitnov would get to monetarily benefit from his creation.
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
This classic ditty has seen several iterations over the years, but it was the music hall legend Charles Coborn’s rendition of song penned by Fred Gilbert that has gone down as the definitive version.
It tells the real-to-life tale of one Charles Wells who, in a stunning run on the Casino de Monte-Carlo in 1891, allegedly broke the bank, walking away with the sum of 1 and a half million francs, equivalent to £7.2 million in today’s money. At the time the casino was the most famous gaming parlour in the world, and the news of Wells’ success spread far and wide.
Nowadays a new generation of tech-savvy casino aficionados are trying their hand at emulating the effortless abilities of Charles Wells on reputable platforms home to a wide array of digital variants of the brick-and-mortar pursuits that made his name. Of course, times have changed since 1891 and among the novel experiences today’s patrons will be empowered to explore the digital successor to the classic fruit machines of yesteryear.
And while the prospect of breaking the bank is destined to be out of reach for today’s casino fans, this classic song will no doubt serve as a stirring soundtrack to those seeing what the modern industry has to offer.
In fact, there are many legendary tunes that have come about through close association with the world of gaming – of all forms. Below we’re going to take a look at some modern classics and enduring mainstays that demonstrate just how deeply in the dialogue music and gaming truly is.
Korobeiniki (aka The Tetris Theme)
Few melodies in the world today are as instantly recognisable as the theme song of everyone’s favourite shape-sorting puzzle arcade classic, Tetris. What people don’t realise though is that this song was not always the chosen theme-song for Tetris – the original 1988 arcade game featured a wholly different composition by Hirozaku Tanaka.
It was, in fact, the Nintendo Game Boy release of Tetris in 1989 that kicked off its long running association with this legendary chip tune. To date, Tetris has sold over 520 million copies in its various guises – putting it ahead of the likes of Grand Theft Auto V and Minecraft as the all time best selling game.
As for the song itself, there’s a good reason it’s so catchy. That’s because it’s actually a 19th century Russian folk song, called Korobeiniki (The Peddlers). The reason for its inclusion is that the heads at Nintendo in charge of publishing the game wanted to emphasise Tetris’ Russian origins.
Created by one Alexey Pajitnov in 1984 on the early Soviet computer the Elektronika 60, the game was a viral hit in his homeland and soon broke out of the Iron Curtain to be enjoyed in the West – however it wasn’t until several years after the fall of the Berlin Wall that Pajitnov would get to monetarily benefit from his creation.
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
This classic ditty has seen several iterations over the years, but it was the music hall legend Charles Coborn’s rendition of song penned by Fred Gilbert that has gone down as the definitive version.
It tells the real-to-life tale of one Charles Wells who, in a stunning run on the Casino de Monte-Carlo in 1891, allegedly broke the bank, walking away with the sum of 1 and a half million francs, equivalent to £7.2 million in today’s money. At the time the casino was the most famous gaming parlour in the world, and the news of Wells’ success spread far and wide.
Nowadays a new generation of tech-savvy casino aficionados are trying their hand at emulating the effortless abilities of Charles Wells on reputable platforms home to a wide array of digital variants of the brick-and-mortar pursuits that made his name. Of course, times have changed since 1891 and among the novel experiences today’s patrons will be empowered to explore the digital successor to the classic fruit machines of yesteryear.
And while the prospect of breaking the bank is destined to be out of reach for today’s casino fans, this classic song will no doubt serve as a stirring soundtrack to those seeing what the modern industry has to offer.
Bleep Bloop Beats
Sounds are one of the most impactful parts of video game design as they are utilised as cues to give feedback to players as to what they’re doing. From vocal cues tied to jumping or striking, to jingles designed to convey success to a player at the completion of a level, the defeat of a boss or the unlocking of a treasure chest, sometimes the singular sounds that permeate certain games can find a second life in modern pop hits.
Among the sounds that have escaped the confines of their games are the coin sound from Super Mario Bros which made its way into Charli XCX’s “Boys” and a number of sound effects from DOOM which added to the layers of samples in MF DOOM’s tune “That’s That”.
Sounds are one of the most impactful parts of video game design as they are utilised as cues to give feedback to players as to what they’re doing. From vocal cues tied to jumping or striking, to jingles designed to convey success to a player at the completion of a level, the defeat of a boss or the unlocking of a treasure chest, sometimes the singular sounds that permeate certain games can find a second life in modern pop hits.
Among the sounds that have escaped the confines of their games are the coin sound from Super Mario Bros which made its way into Charli XCX’s “Boys” and a number of sound effects from DOOM which added to the layers of samples in MF DOOM’s tune “That’s That”.
