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The History of Video Game Music

When video games were first designed, little importance was placed on the quality of the music. Today video game music is an industry within itself, and it is common to have world famous orchestras performing musical scores for many popular games. The soundtracks of many video games today feature techno, hip-hop, and punk bands. Many musicians today use the songs of video game music from the 1980s. The music lyrics for many video games are also impressive.

Music makes up only a small part of video game design. Despite this, it can be argued that video game music has made faster advances than even the graphics within a shorter time span. The invention of surround sound technology has allowed video games to improve in their quality of sound. Many modern games like Splinter Cell, Metal Gear, and Deus Ex require the players to listen to the sound of their enemies in order to progress through the game.

Not making noises in many games today is a important factor in survival. Other games like Dance Dance Revolution make music the central theme of the game, and understanding the music is the key to success. Many games like this have introduced dance pads or electric guitars. Video games have gone from being a source of entertainment for techies and nerds to a much larger segment of society. It is now having an impact on the film and television industries.

Just as movies had no sound 90 years ago, little emphasis was placed on the importance of sound in video games when they were first developed. The reason for this is because sound doesn't have the same dramatic effect that graphics or visuals have. Sound has a tendency to effect you on a subconcious level. It can increase your tension or change your mood. Quality sound and music will effect you in ways which you may not notice. An example of this would be Resident Evil, a game where the sound sets the mood in the game itself.

Though early games like Space Invaders didn't have much in the way of sound quality, the repetitive beats and intense sounds would have an appeal on those who played it. It is things like this which have made the game so popular and a household name. Many gamers understand the importance of sound and the role it can play in making a games a classic. Many feel that today is the golden age of sound in video games.