What is it in game music that you like so much and how could it be better?

I'll just answer these questions, since I'm in no mood for any coherent thoughts on the subject.

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1. If you had to describe what VGM is to someone ignorant on the subject, what would you say?

Music. From games. (Why bother frillying it up with things like "nostalgia" and "appreciation of music as is", when those are quite point strangers among many vgm listeners, unfortunately.)

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2. Why do you listen to game music on a stand-alone basis? What elements do you like or dislike from it?

When I was younger and more stupid, I'd listen to practically everything. That really frustrated me, because I found maybe 2% of vgm good enough for a second listen. Now I just listen to the good old soundtracks and try out a small portion of new interesting stuff from reliable composers. So, I heart some (usually generally popular, and for a reason) composers and hate most of their fans.

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3. Do you listen to music from games you haven't played?

Yes. Why not.

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4. What percentage does VGM represent on your playlist vs. non-game music? If applicable, what kind of music do you listen to outside of VGM? If you don't listen to mainstream music (i.e. not VGM, film, or anime soundtracks), why is that so?

About 10% nowadays. Outside vgm, I listen to almost everything "genre"-wise, inside vgm not so much (I hate most of vgm rock, for instance, and for a reason). That is so, because I like good music with whatever means it is conveyed.

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5. How do you feel about music that was not published as an official album? How much of a problem is it to you if you want to listen to it? Also, do you actually buy official albums or strictly download them illegally (or a mix of both)? Do you think these albums are adequately priced?

I don't understand the first question. If it's talking about game rips, sure I listen to a few. Why would listening such be a problem for me? I sample the album (by listening to it completely) and decide if it's worth putting money into. Usually it's not good enough. I don't really care about the prices anymore now that dollar has continued to sink notably for around seven years. Everything's becoming more and more dirty cheap for euro users.

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6. Which genres/styles do you mainly listen to? Which do you avoid?

Inside vgm? I'm not much into styles in vgm. I just like most of the work of certain composers, and some of them can be VERY versatile. And I try to avoid vgm rock, just because it's so bad.

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7. If one of these genres also exists in non-game music, do you also listen to it from that category? If not, why?

Usually the vgm equivalent of a particular genre is crappier than that of non-game music, but I just give vgm lower standards and cut some slack to make it listenable again.

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8. Video gaming had a reputation for a long time of being a childish or geeky hobby, and a part of it persists today. Inevitably, to a certain extent, the music also fell under this denigrative categorization (especially retro chiptunes). Do you think VGM is as valid as any other music from a listener's point of view? Additionally, are you fully comfortable about mentioning you listen to VGM when you discuss with someone who isn't into gaming?

It's not childish anymore, that p.o.w. has diminished a lot over the years around here. Excessive gaming, however, is still considered very nerdy and geeky, but so what? | Vgm is an acquired taste. I couldn't really recommend the general portion of it to a person outside the gaming loop or even to a casual gamer. | Because my musical taste spectrum is quite broad, I don't feel the need to tell everyone EVERYTHING I like listening to. People who need to know or would even want to understand, do. It would just overly confuse some people, if I told them I like some Madonna albums, for instance. Schitzophrenics of music should indeed be careful.

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9. How would you compare game music from the past (aka chiptunes, up to the SNES era) and modern material?

Today, more emphasis on the means (unfortunately) and less on the oversimplification of content. And I can't compare them. And the transformation from "chiptune" to "modern" isn't even that unambiguous, so this question doesn't deserve an answer.

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10. During its infancy, VGM was unique in part because of its electronic sound coming from limited sound chips. Today, any kind of instruments can be used and thus this uniqueness doesn't always persist. Do you believe VGM should sound different from other music categories? If so, how could this be achieved nowadays?

Yes. And this is "achieved" quite naturally. It just is of a different standard, which always sets it apart. And yes, it should sound different. If it didn't, I'd throw it away it completely and switch wholly to non-game music.

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11. Most gamers don't particularly care about game music (or at least, to the extent we do). Thus, it's most probably not part of their playlists. Some producers believe that players would prefer to hear their favorite mainstream songs while playing rather than original music, hence the use of licensed material. What is your opinion about this?

I hate the use of the word mainstream, when something is opposed to soundtrack music. And sure, why not implement this "mainstream" music if it's good. In most action and racing games it gives off a better overall mood while playing than music composed solely for the game ever could, anyway.

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12. Other producers, which aren't as radical, may still hire a composer, yet ask him/her to create something that sounds extremely close to popular music. This does not make highly unique VGM, yet it can still be very enjoyable and is a creative process. Do you see a problem in this?

Wrong. This makes some highly unique vgm, but not very unique in a larger scale. No problem at all, though, since vgm is a smaller sentience and even bad music can sometimes be enjoyed while playing a game.

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13. A popular trend these days (notably in the West) is to make games that are very cinematic in nature, mimicking Hollywood down to the use of (usually) orchestral cinematic music. How do you feel about this? Since these two media are converging when it comes to telling a story on screen, should games (and their music) be any different from films? If so, how?

Games include some interaction between the player and the game. Films usually don't. This is a definition as clear as a day. If the game is supposed to be cinematic in nature, then I think the music usually should at least try to fit the mood. Games and films aren't that different, though, so I still don't see any problems.

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14. Certain producers and composers believe that the perfect music should not be noticeable unless it's not there. Another way to formulate this would be to say that the music shouldn't be in the forefront to avoid distracting the player. In practice, this often results in the use of an adaptative music system, playing an ambient (see "usually unmelodic") track when nothing special is going on and then loading a more dynamic cue when action kicks in. When listened to on a stand alone basis, these soundtracks often make an inconsistent experience (unless for huge ambient fans). What do you think about this?

If the music is not noticeable, it's either bad or not turned loud enough. | Dynamics and seemless transition in music during play of game, yes (see e.g. Shadow of the Colossus).

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15. VGM is inevitably linked to the games it comes from. In fact, it's created to suit them in the first place! Is there any soundtrack which you regard very lowly from a listener point of view, but that you found worked well in-game? If possible, how could it have been more enjoyable to listen to while still working as well in-game?

Kooji Kondoo's music is impossible to listen on its own, but it fits the childish games well enough to not be irritating there.

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16. Do you think there is too much music sounding the same? If so, could this be because there are too many similar games? If the games weren't to change, how could the music become different without sounding out of place?

WHAT. I don't understand this. I can't really find two too similar soundtracks even if the games were about the same.

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17. Do you notice any difference between VGM created in Japan, America and Europe? If so, what does one do better or worse than the others, and vice versa?

Japanese music has catchy melodies, but usually lacks in mood when it comes to something that isn't completely over-the-top cheery. Western music is the polar opposite sometimes. I guess those are the main contenders for me in mainstream game music.

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18. VGM is a lot more popular in Japan than it is in the West, with album releases being a good indicator. How could things get better in the West on that matter?

The game publishers could finally start noticing that people really listen to video game music as standalone music. Then I'd finally get my Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank Original Complete Soundtracks. Yes, indeed.

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19. If you had to sum up in three words what you expect from VGM, which would you choose?

"Pre-listen, not much." It's always nice to be positively surprised when listening to vgm.

Yes, I'm cynical about vgm. Boo. Hoo. I'll always love vgm for being the bastard son of the music family it clearly is, though. <3

Jam it back in, in the dark.