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

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

Video game music is the music you hear when playing a game. Like film scores, it's not a genre - video games are just the medium the music is made for. It's very often worth listening to, despite being relatively unpopular. It's important to emphasize that the music is (generally) created by talented composers, as opposed to amateur musicians.

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

I like VGM (as well as some film music) because it's representative music - i.e. it might represent the emotional context of a scene, or a character (leitmotifs). I like music like this because it's purpose is usually very clear. I enjoy it then, on the basis of how well the composer can fulfill the pupose. It's not the only way I enjoy VGM, but I can say it's a major factor.

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

Not really. Not that I'm completely opposed to the idea or anything. I picked up a few songs in the BSC last year from games I never played, but it wasn't the majority. Further, there's some songs in that contest that I may have enjoyed much more if I knew what the song was intended for. Anyhoo, if there's any VGM I've been meaning to check out, I usually do so through playing the game.


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?

30% (about 600 of 2000). I'm all about variety, all sorts of stuff. In short - rock, classical, and jazz, and all the 53252332 sub-genres within that I don't worry too much about. Some of it's mainsteam, some of it isn't - as long as it's good i don't care. That said, i'm less drawn to mainstream stuff cause it tends toward conformity and/or compromise more often. Your less likely to strike gold in the mainstream, so to speak (but you still occasionally do).

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?

If we're talking about remixes and the like, I don't really care for them at all (e.g. arranged albums, Black Mages stuff, doujin). I've tried some of it out, but I haven't really found them to be necessary. I get too attached to the original tunes, and then perceive the changes to the songs as flaws rather than improvements. I don't mind the stuff for novelty, but it never makes my hall-of-fame playlist.

I don't buy official albums too often, thogh there are some that I intend to purchase when I have the cash to do so. However, many of the songs i listen to don't even have an official album (chiptune era), so I couldn't buy them if i wanted to. I don't have as much of an issue with VGM downloading as I do other standalone forms of music. Bands survive primarily off of their music, whereas video game companies get MUCH more money from game sales than from VGM soundtrack sales, so downloading won't ultimately cripple them financially or anything.

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

I tend toward VGM which has the inherent 'video-gamey' sound to it, which I don't know how to put into words, but I hope you all know what I mean. That applies mostly to music from the 8-bit and 16-bit era.
I also love music from RPG's particularly. This is because I feel they are much more emotional (they're well developed, epic stories after all), leading to the kind of music i like.

I avoid any VGM which sounds (to me) like second-rate rock/metal music (the same can be said for some of the epic classical music stuff i hear, but it doesn't irritate me quite as much). For example, I despise the music of Battle Gear and Guilty Gear. A lot of what I like about VGM comes from the characteristic timbres it has (mainly due to the hardware 'limitations' of the past). Throwing in rock instruments isn't a problem in itself, but most of what i've heard just comes off as if it's made up of stock riffs and chord progressions (prove me wrong folks..prove me wrong!).

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

What I said in Q6 doesn't apply to non-VGM for me, mainly because lyrics and/or attitude of a rock artist can make a huge difference.
I try not to favour one genre over another, be it written for video games or not - quality is all that matters in the end (P.S. country sucks balls). So there's bound ot be some genre overlap betwen VGM and non-VGM to a more or less random extent.


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?

Absolutely. Some of the best music I've ever heard comes from VGM. I'd say anything pre 8-bit might not be so valid, being so severely limited (sounding something like the bleeps, the sweeps, and the creeps ). But if you enjoy it, g'head - i'd never want to come across as someone who would make fun of someone else for what they listen to. Anyway, Lots of the 8-bit stuff is on the same level as rock music, i.e. Megaman stuff. That music is as musically complex, if not more, than your average pop rock/metal tune.

The only people I really talk about VGM to are other musicians and my friends. Musicians are the only group of people I've run into who might care or give it a chance - I find they judge music more on intrinsic merits rather than for social reasons. This also includes serious music listeners who don't play anything, but know enough about what good music is through listening. Non-musicians don't be offended, I'm only generalizing and I'm glad to hear when am wrong about about such stereotypes!

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

I don't know if i can answer this question too well, because i'm usually a generation or two behind the curve (I'm just starting up on PS2 now). I don't know if one era is any better than another, as I always manage to extract some really respectable material from each that I've played (i hope that trend continues).

I don't like the idea of VGM becoming mainstream - I think that may kill its charm. If it becomes mainstream, gaming producers will actually start to care about how their VGM sounds (whereas in the past it seems composers were given a wonderful degree of freedom). I hope I'm wrong about this, but i think that if VGM becomes significantly profitable, it will ultimately end up losing its interesting, quirky, eclectic, unpredictable qualities.

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?

I think timbre is arguably the most distinguishing factor in 8-bit/16-bit music. Much of the music is composed and arranged the same way any regular pop song would be done (see the previous Megaman example). But the timbral difference makes it very unique and gives it an entirely different character. I don't know if VGM ought to sound different than other musical categories, but I know I prefer it that way. Off the top of my head i have no idea how this could be done nowadays, because in the past i believe the character stemmed much from the limitations imposed (limits aren't always a bad thing).
Bottom line, as long as VGM continues to be interesting, i'll be a happy listener.

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?

As a VGM fan I hate it. But I can totally understand why someone would want to do that if they could care less for VGM. I think it's a horrible for games artistically, but not all games are meant to be art forms (i just like the one's that try to be, myself). I hope that kind of approach doesn't become the norm, personally.

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?

No it's not a problem - some people like that stuff, and all the power to 'em. Personally, I don't really tend to care for such music that i've heard so far, as I've already said in Q6, but that's just preference. And maybe i'll hear some stuff in the future that'll change my mind (hopefully).

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?

This one's pretty much circumstantial to me - I've heard some pretty decent stuff and some pretty lame ass stuff. I think eventually film music and game music will be more or less indistinguishable though, at least for games intending to be realistic and movie-like. I hope the cartoony-ness of games doesn't die off though, as I love games games of that style.

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?

I've never totally agreed with that principle. I understand where it comes from, and it has its places (i.e. you don't want to drown out dialogue with music). But I can say that for many of my fav movies, i can listen to selections from the score outside of the movie and really enjoy it. I guess to me the music is created to support the movie, but that doesn't have to be at a 0/100 ratio at all.

Good music + Good movie > Mediocre music + Good movie

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?

Off-hand, a good example would be Metroid Prime 3 (and many other Metroid games, i'm sure). Pretty bland music on it's own, but does OK at setting the tone of the game.

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?

I couldn't say I've noticed this anymore than in any other musical medium, but as i said i'm slightly behind the times..

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?

Not really, but it's not something that's all that pertinent to me when listening. I can say that most of the VGM i enjoy came from Japan though.

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?

I think it's just a matter of time. We're still at the point in the west where listening to VGM is considered somewhat 'hardcore' in terms of being a VG fan.

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

variety, intricacy, fun


BTW, that was a really fun survey to fill out! Really interesting, important questions for the most part.

How ya doing, buddy?