In response to our discussions in class and a few of the blog posts, I thought it would be fitting to talk about how much sentimental and reminiscent video game sounds can be for us. Since we are from the “Nintendo generation,” a lot of us grew up listening to the Mario theme song, or the tunes from Zelda. To this day, as demonstrated in class, most of us can still identify which one note sound corresponds with the movements that Mario makes. At the same time, these sounds take us back to the fond memories we have of playing these games as children. For example, here is the commercial I was referring to in class that most people who didn’t play Sonic or Mario wouldn’t understand. But since these were our games, we know that Mario is up the flag just by hearing the few bars that indicate this movement for him. This, I like to believe, is one of the most integral components of having music in video games. Sure, the game would be rather boring without it, but it would also be entirely less memorable. The audible sounds have such strong ties to the memories we create while we play these games. And especially in terms of the older games, where the graphics weren’t really anything special, it was the sounds that created and transformed the screen into a game world.

Beyond the simple noises and original pieces created for the games, I know personally that the menu music for EA Sports games, like Madden and Fifa, also tended to be real sticking points for me. These were songs that were actual soundtrack music from artists in the music world that would play on a loop during the stand-by menu. I know sometimes, and this may have just been me, but I would leave the menu up just to have the music play while I was doing something in my room. After about a week of playing these games, I would have most of the words to these songs memorized. It made the game that much more enjoyable for me.

In conclusion, I agree with shandler and their saying that music really does a lot in enhancing the game for us. I think that music isn’t just an important side note in a game. I really believe that it is an essential part of the game.

Also, here is a clip of music from the other game that I was talking about, Swords and Sworcery, revolved solely around the music of Jim Guthrie.