You Know The Score; The Importance Of Gaming Music

It’s easy to forget how essential music is in modern-day video games to their narrative’s, and your overall experience, sometimes heightening titles beyond their rivals. I’m ashamed to admit that during my recent play through of Skyrim, I only just finally began to realise how important game soundtracks are to your journey, and the fact that I hadn’t really responded to the musics influence during my time is testament to the care and attention that Bethesda have taken, so the game has time to flow and isn’t overshadowed by its admittedly incredible musical score or by the detail of its wonderfully constructed world, the balance is perfect. The immersive experience you undergo as you traverse the wide and varied landscapes of Skyrim, are already so engrossing that the entire game could be on mute, and it could still challenge the more stereo driven titles to claim the game of the year plaudits. But with the exquisite score that accompanies you as you plunder derelict tombs, battle enraged dragons and generally, bask in the decadence of the world around you, the music effortlessly encapsulates whatever situations you find yourself involved with.

The epic concertos, beautifully mirror the extensive lands of Skyrim, from every gruesome battle to every sombre death, your senses are noticeably heightened by the renditions. It’s not just the more traditional type of music that has this effect either. Games such as Devil May Cry and Dead Rising are also equally harmonic, although for a more alternative reason. The Heavy metal and break beat inspired sounds, give each of these games a huge sense of grandeur, and when your continually battling demonic demons from the depths of hell, and shuffling cannibals from, well, there probably relations, or possibly neighbours, is an important factor when attempting to accentuate the importance of any given situation. But this is a case of perception and what kind of musical score’s inspire you, personal preference is paramount. It’s apparently clear though, that music in any form, is a key element in gaming, whether it’s the epic scale of Uncharted or FIFA’s more popular, mainstream approach. Hearing is as integral to your experience, as what you see.

What games do you believe are heightened by musical scores? Let me know your opinions.