Dubstep in game soundtracks

[Zing]

To me, when they do it, it just seems like they're jumping on a bandwagon.
Dubstep has existed, as it currently does, since around the year 2000, and I can't think of a single game that has had any in it prior to 2011. That's about a 12 year span for people to put dubstep in their soundtracks. I think it's just odd that, now that dubstep is suddenly popular it's magically the sound every game studio claims "fits" their games.

Let's just say I'm doubtful a single studio is putting it in their soundtracks to achieve a certain sound, and more just because it's cool and popular and they just want to appeal to what's seen as hip.

It's a British genre that's been "Americanized" so to say, and you know America has more of an influence in music nowadays than Britain anyway. That's why it's popular today, rather than back then.

Also, the sound is much different from it's East London/Bristol roots. Obviously it still retains some of the sound (otherwise it wouldn't be called Dubstep), but most of it's Garage influence was gone, instead replaced with an aggressive Dub style that has nothing to do with the core Dubstep sound. Now, I'm all for evolution in music, but not a evolution that totally destroys the spirit of a genre.

This is Dubstep, notice how different it is from the mainstream stuff. It's like a whole different genre.


The orginal Dubstep sound thrives on atmosphere, rather than a metric ton of obnoxious bass drops. Which makes it sad that not much of this style is being made anymore.

Firstly Dubstep has its roots in South London, Croydon to be exact, and although dubstep has evolved a lot you can still find the earlier sounds. Benga and Skream have been releasing tracks consistently since 2002. The two dudes who basically started the genre. There dubstep is still very different to Skrillex and other american counter parts.



Personally I enjoy this old school dubstep and the later aggresive massive drop dubstep thats most popular today. Both have their appeal.

 

[Alexnader]

To me, when they do it, it just seems like they're jumping on a bandwagon.
Dubstep has existed, as it currently does, since around the year 2000, and I can't think of a single game that has had any in it prior to 2011. That's about a 12 year span for people to put dubstep in their soundtracks. I think it's just odd that, now that dubstep is suddenly popular it's magically the sound every game studio claims "fits" their games.

Let's just say I'm doubtful a single studio is putting it in their soundtracks to achieve a certain sound, and more just because it's cool and popular and they just want to appeal to what's seen as hip.

Yeah well how long was classical music around before people started putting that in video games? Checkmate atheists harhar! Seriously though I don't get why you think game trailers wanting to seem hip is a bad thing or any different to what they've always been doing. There may have been a lot of time passed since dubstep's conception but you have to admit its become a lot more mainstream recently. (i.e. by being shown in game trailers). This is how the mainstream works. Slowly.

Do I think Dubstep should be in more game soundtracks?
no
no
no
no!

I'm not a fan, in fact it can cause headaches, nausea and in extreme cases violence on my part!

The danger of threads like these is everyone will try to convert dissenters. So here it goes!


Melodic dubstep, not exactly what you'd see on a syndicate trailer but maybe a futuristic version of Journey would like to use something like it. Incidentally this song was featured on a community made Battlefield 3 video which gave Blackmill a bunch of exposure.

 

[Xariat]

If the soundtrack fits the game then the genre isn't that important. different games calls for different soundtracks. You wouldn't use OST from Serious Sam in say Rome: total war, and you wouldn't want it the other way around either.

If the setting in the game calls for epic orchestra music then epic orchestra music is the obvious choice for the developers, and if the setting calls for dubstep then dubstep is the obvious choice.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

To me, when they do it, it just seems like they're jumping on a bandwagon.
Dubstep has existed, as it currently does, since around the year 2000, and I can't think of a single game that has had any in it prior to 2011. That's about a 12 year span for people to put dubstep in their soundtracks. I think it's just odd that, now that dubstep is suddenly popular it's magically the sound every game studio claims "fits" their games.

Let's just say I'm doubtful a single studio is putting it in their soundtracks to achieve a certain sound, and more just because it's cool and popular and they just want to appeal to what's seen as hip.

It's a British genre that's been "Americanized" so to say, and you know America has more of an influence in music nowadays than Britain anyway. That's why it's popular today, rather than back then.

Also, the sound is much different from it's East London/Bristol roots. Obviously it still retains some of the sound (otherwise it wouldn't be called Dubstep), but most of it's Garage influence was gone, instead replaced with an aggressive Dub style that has nothing to do with the core Dubstep sound. Now, I'm all for evolution in music, but not a evolution that totally destroys the spirit of a genre.

This is Dubstep, notice how different it is from the mainstream stuff. It's like a whole different genre.


The orginal Dubstep sound thrives on atmosphere, rather than a metric ton of obnoxious bass drops. Which makes it sad that not much of this style is being made anymore.

Firstly Dubstep has its roots in South London, Croydon to be exact, and although dubstep has evolved a lot you can still find the earlier sounds. Benga and Skream have been releasing tracks consistently since 2002. The two dudes who basically started the genre. There dubstep is still very different to Skrillex and other american counter parts.



Personally I enjoy this old school dubstep and the later aggresive massive drop dubstep thats most popular today. Both have their appeal.

A majority of people heard of dubstep through Skrillex and DeadMau5, and that is the kind of dubstep they like. The rest of us can feel really special that we knew about dubstep before it was cool.

Now, on topic. Dubstep is pretty great. But I noone ever talks about Trance. Trance isn't a particularly good genre. But there a lot going on, and its very exciting.


Yeah, Trance on Youtube almost always has anime girls. I don't know why.

Also, there was Dubstep on NCIS: LA, so it is now officially not cool anymore.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

If Deus Ex: HR came out with a Dub Step sound track I would have had to drastically reconsider my opinion of it.

Dub-Step is a new trend been forced on a variety of games for the sheer purpose of getting in with the crowd. It's the thing to do... but not necessarily the thing that's needed.

When I hear that awfully generic Wub Wub WAAAAAH, I imagine a bunch of stuffy business men sitting around a table saying:

Suit1: "Those kids like this new kind of music, DOOB-Step or something... how can we jam that into this game to reach wider appeal?"

Suit2: "Listen to this fellas, this is what it sounds like *plays the atypical dub-step sound for 10 minutes with no variation*... so all we do is make it sound like this and the kids will be incapable of NOT buying our game."

Suit3: "Why stop their? Let's plaster it into every freaking aspect of the game... marketing, soundtrack... heck let's get those lazy developers to completely scrap their heartfelt and meaningful soundtrack and have then jury-rig an entire album of this shit into it... we can then sell the album separately for MORE MONEY!"

Suit1: "My god man, that is genius... we can also throw it into a collectors edition which you can only get on pre-order".

Suit3: "Amazing... let's all have sex"

And then they have hot, steamy and kinky business sex, using obscene quantities of money in very unconventional ways... YOUR MONEY. The money you have in your pocket right now might have sweaty Business man ass-crack juice on it.

 

[Extragorey]

An epic orchestral soundtrack is far more memorable than generic techno. Obviously there's some bias going on.

 

[Zing]

An epic orchestral soundtrack is far more memorable than generic techno. Obviously there's some bias going on.

How about some epic orchestral techno?

 

[Extragorey]

An epic orchestral soundtrack is far more memorable than generic techno. Obviously there's some bias going on.

How about some epic orchestral techno?

I would say that that is a crime against humanity. Shame on you. Shame I say.

 

[PonceyMcTosserFaic]

if it fits into the theme of a game (i.e syndicate) then great, but if there's no place for it don't put it in.

 

[Woodsey]

I feel like dubstep has been used in every fucking game trailer for the past year.

We need it when it's appropriate, not because it's the popular thing to do with soundtracks at the minute.

 

[phoenix352]

its been overused because the "mainstream" got wind of it and like all memes and other internet hot new topics it blows it out of proportion ....


if the music fits the game then its the way to go.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

It's been said, but I'll say it again: if it fits the mood, do it. Music will always make the mood and for everyone who goes "OMG DUBSTEP SUX!!!" then obviously the game you heard dubstep in wasn't well implemented. That, or you're playing the wrong games. Titles like Saint's Row 3, Syndicate and the like just fit that genre of music. I'm actually surprised Deus Ex didn't use it because it would've gone very nicely with some of the vibes I was getting. All in all, if it's very high tech future, it seems to mesh well with that. That, or just some sort of bombastic future game like Borderlands.

I'll just leave the awesome here

Well, it's official. Mario can do anything.

 

[AnarchistFish]

snip

I don't really see what brostep has to do with any of the original elements of dubstep anyway.
Although I am still a little confused as to what part the "dub" component really plays..

Stuff like Skrillex just sounds like pumped up electro house though

 

[anthony87]

I'm fucking sick of seeing Dubstep in game trailers. It seems to be in all of them nowadays* and now it's featuring in the games themselves? Fanfuckingtastic.

Keep your wub wub shite. I'll take some ninja space rock cowboy stuff any day.
<youtube=GIufkLyJuMM>
*perhaps a slight over-exaggeration but shut up...

 

[hino77]

What do i think about dubstep in games? And dubstep in general? KILL IT,KILL IT WITH FIRE, BURN YOU ABOMINATION BURN!

Seriously though, i really dont like dubstep, and in my opinion it does not work as a game soundtrack.Maybe in trailers its ok, but having an entire soundtrack dubstep is not ok with me.

 

[go-10]

so now there's a debate between what's dubstep and what's not 0__o no offense but I'll remain in my anticuated ways of discussing what's punk and what's not than this dubstep crap

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Generic orchestra pieces are hardly memorable, but pumping up the action with a lot of "BWAAAAAAAAAAARRR WUB WUB WUB WAAAHAHA WUB WUB WUB WUB WAAAHAHA WUB" would definitely get me in the mood to fight more.

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I would love to hear some "BWAAAAAAAAAAARRR WUB WUB WUB WAAAHAHA WUB WUB WUB WUB WAAAHAHA WUB" or maybe even some "BWAAAAAAAAAAARRR WUB WUB WUB WUB WAAAHAHA WUB WUB WUB WUB WAAAHAHA WUB". Couldn't tell the difference? You'll notice that there's an extra wub in the second one. I really love how dubstep is a genre that gives way to such variety of sounds. Forget those songs that rely on musical theory or notes that sound distinguishable from one another!

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not a fan of dubstep and would probably not like to see games with dubstep soundtracks. That being said, I can see it working well in certain instances, with games or scenes that are really twisted and messed up. Dubstep can do that pretty well I will admit.

 

[XMark]

The best music for a game is whatever works for the particular game.

Dubstep totally works in the new Syndicate. Fits the mood perfectly. Though I should mention that the Skrillex song from the trailer is actually only used in one boss battle, and the rest of the soundtrack is more normal. If anything, they should have had more dubstep in the rest of the game.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I've got nothing against those who like dubstep, but honestly, if it ends up being put into the soundtracks of more games... it just means I'm going to be playing a lot of games with the "Music Volume" slider set to 0 and iTunes open in the background.