During university, I realized an interesting thing about video game music. It helped me focus while doing homework. I realized that listening to other genres of music could easily distract me. The games that held the most nostalgic value allowed me to focus easier.
I never thought about why until after I finished univeristy. The purpose of video game music is to enhance the experience of the game. Subconsciously we listen to the music as we play the video game. The music enhances the gameplay and it allows the player to become immersed.
Listening to video game soundtracks outside of the game gave me a similar sense of focus as if I was playing a video game. My homework became a game and I was getting high scores because of it. You could say my straight A’s were my reward like a video game achievement.
If you came here because you were trying to find out if video game helps you concentrate or study, well it does from my experience. This article is going to show you a few soundtracks that I benefited the most from. I have compiled a good collection of them into a Youtube Playlist. There are over 80 different soundtracks in the playlist.
This article will introduce a few soundtracks that I find particularly immersive. This won’t be an in-depth review of each composer but a short annotated list of each soundtrack. Alright, let’s get into it..
Fallout: New Vegas
This is the best of all the Fallout games. It came out just as I was starting university in 2010. I didn’t get a chance to play it until the following year. I ended up playing it during the summer when my studies ended. I didn’t listen to the soundtrack until much later in life. By then the game’s music had cemented into my subconscious. When I listen to this soundtrack I can snap into the Mojave and back again with more experience points! I recently got my character to level 50, only took 9 years!
With a game like Fallout: New Vegas gaming had become advanced enough that music changes based on what you do in the game. It is no longer a static repeating track played in a particular part of the game. Fallout: New Vegas has music that changes based on a variety of circumstances, and it all seems to fit.
Imagine being a composer and trying to compose for that. What skill. No longer can a composer write an individual piece of music for one part of the game. The composer has to consider how each track sounds next to one another. They would have to know every potential possible combination of music sequences. That some serious complexity if you ask me. Great game, great music, and you probably knew that. So have another listen, courier.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
This was one of the first real RPG’s I played on the SNES. Even though marketing in North America depicted Mystic Quest as a beginner’s RPG, it was still a great game.
The soundtrack is particularly immersive because of how it reflects the in-game environment. The ice level sounds icy, and the forest level seems to evoke beautiful foliage.
Like wailing chip tune guitar? The battle music is hands down the best in the Final Fantasy series. Doing dishes to this song makes the chore a breeze, I always win.
Chrono Trigger
I upgraded to big boys RPG from Mystic Quest to the powerhouse SNES RPG Chrono Trigger. Hailed as one of the best RPG’s ever made, the soundtrack is second to none. Accept for the next one on this list.
It seems that every bit of music fits into the storyline of the game. When I listen to the music I flashback into the story where I first heard the music. The track People Without a Hope is a great example of how the music depicts the ruined world setting. I have never felt so immersed within a video game soundtrack.
Zeal Palace still kind of gives me the chills. I remember getting to that part of the game and I didn’t have my characters prepared enough for it. It put me on edge!
Earthbound
Yep, this is the one. Earthbound also known as Mother 2. This soundtrack spans many genres of music with heavy metal, funk, jazz, psychedelic, experimental, world music, rock and roll, and muzak.
It seems like there is a soundtrack for every bit of the game. Every moment has it’s a unique theme. Resting in a hotel to recover your stats, saving the game, losing a battle, and the all memorable Say Fuzzy Pickles moments that take you out of the game. It feels like the game creators thought of it all. You do not want to miss hearing this soundtrack.
Breathe of Fire III
The last soundtrack gets honorable mentions. Breathe of Fire had always been a sleeper series. Despite being a good RPG series, it never seemed to gain the same mainstream popularity as other RPG games.
When the third game in the series continued on the Playstation the music seemed to change drastically. It seemed to move from a medieval theme to something more jazzy and contemporary. I loved the change in musical direction for this game. It was a breath of fresh air, no pun intended. It seemed to capture the sense that the game had upgraded itself from the previous generation of game consoles.
Closing Experience
I see video game music as a continuation of program music. This was music accompanied by programme notes or physical performance and had a sense of narrative. The music connects with the accompaniment to elicit a transcendent musical experience. For me, I see video game music as the modernized version of program music. We experience the music within the game to enhance our immersive experience.
I find that the transcendent experience with video game music happens when you take the music out of the game. When I listen to video game music while working I am aided by the psychological wiring of having played the games. The music evokes moments of the game superimposed over real life. Using video game music in this way can create a new experience and a sense of focus.
There have been studies to show that listening to music helps study, and you should read more about it if you feel inclined to. One such university study is available here. That article’s suggestion for music is good, but I am going to stick with my video game ost.
I hope you enjoy the experience you will have with each of these soundtracks. There are over 80 different soundtracks collected on this playlist. My recommendation is to set it random and have it loop. That way you have endless experiences with the music.
Like video game music? Try Mainland Empire Records. The music done in Sibelius using low-fi synth sounds. Check it out here.