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

Answering here because the quote tags here are easier to work with than at STC!

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

Original music that appears in a videogame and was composed for the sole purpose of appearing in the game. I would be careful to differentiate between licensed music that appears.

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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?

Always liked it. I'm a fan of anthems (wrestling entrances), so having a memorable, high-energy tune accompany the action onscreen is highly appealing to me and adds to the impact of the visuals and gameplay, because the music is also vying for attention. I tend to enjoy the sounds of many chiptunes as well as many instruments, so old-school tunes tend to have that unique charm to them as well. I dislike mood music and music I don't care for, but is supposedly "musically" superior to others (cue laughter).

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

Many.

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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?

Metal/hard rock. I enjoy music that does away with being subtle and makes itself known to all. VGM is probably 30% of what I listen to now, but that is because I scaled back drastically and only listen to the percentage I can honestly say I have an emtional attachment to (whether it be from the music or nostalgia). Very few new soundtracks hold any appeal to me...The majority of this 30% is 16 bit and earlier music or arranged stuff.

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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 download and buy whatever I feel deserves my money. No problems if the gamerip is good (I still use a rip of the Valkyrie Profile OST, because the tracks loop twice).

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

Anything melodic or at least that has a decent riff or solo is fine with me. I've grown away from a lot of electronica and have never liked any sort of ambient music.

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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?

Yes.

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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?

Yes. I feel better about it nowadays, because it seems retro is cooler than it once was.

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

Very few modern soundtracks hold any appeal to me. I feel the scene is very dry right now and lacks any kind of excitement. Many soundtracks I listen to are 16 bit and prior or arranged stuff.

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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?

Depends...Chip music isn't good by virtue of being chip music. It's the composition that matters. I do think a lot of composers ended making good music by fighting the limitations imposed on them by the sound systems. With a lot more freedom, I think a lot of composers are exposed to not be as great as once thought.

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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?

In the past, I'd say I couldn't fathom the idea of replacing the original music. However, nowadays, most of the original music isn't worth keeping and is mass produced garbage (eyes Basicscape), so...

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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?

There's nothing wrong with popular music if it sounds good. Uniqueness is overrated if it's not enjoyable to listen to.

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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?

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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?

This is why I think it's important to have the ability to input licensed music or other VGM, due to the silliness of this practice.

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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?

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is something that drives me up a wall on its' own, but it's good for getting in the zone ingame. The individual tracks didn't distinguish themselves very well, losing the anthem effect of prior games.

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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?

Yes, but this is true in all music. There are definitely too many similar games (looks at FPS genre).

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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?

I like very little American VGM. Most of what I listened to growing up was Japanese, although Japanese VGM is pretty stagnant right now as well. I have nothing more to say about this...It's just how things have worked out.

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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?

Make music I want to hear and release the albums for it.

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

Melody, nostalgia, excitement.

How ya doing, buddy?