Music in games, is it necessary?

[uzo]

Music is a thematic element of games as it is in movies. If you're going for a more impressionist feel, you may remove music completely. However, in colouring moods and events, it is an integral part of games.

Consider the melancholic grandeur of the Morrowind theme?

The heroic epic of the Baldur's Gate II theme?

The frantic riffs of the first level of oooooold Doom?

The Ink Spots appearances in the Fallout games?

Even the opening bars of the Mario theme add character.

 

[FalloutJack]

Video Games are always moving closer to being an experience as compelling as any experience you could have in real life, and perhaps in some instances be more compelling, given the nature of fiction. Because of this, do you think that one day, music in games will be entirely unnecessary? You can already see this happening in some cases.

Look at any Fallout game for instance, whether it be the originals or the two newest games, they all have zero in-game music outside of an ambient soundtrack and a few radio stations. They don't have any proper score, I'd say that 95% of the soundscape is in-universe (including the radio stations of course), and you don't even notice the other 5% unless you pay attention. I think this works to its benefit, but it could be something unique to the universe that makes it work.

My point is that music can add to the mood and greatly improve the experience of watching a movie or play, but I'm not entirely sure that it will always be true for something as already inherently as visceral as video games. What do you think?

EDIT: Yes, I know that it's pretty much necessary at the moment, but I'm talking about the future, when video games are more like virtual reality than anything else.

I like the music in the Fallout games.

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

It's good for setting the atmosphere.

In some games no music is better than having music, in some making a pause in music makes a better effect.

Do you think a movie would be as good with no background effects?

It all adds to the feel of the game. Done well, it can make something mediocre into marvellous. Done badly and it can make something great look like a parody of itself.

 

[II2]

All very case by case...

I think the most important part is ensuring that what sounds or music used in a game both shape, but also fit the experience. Ideally, there should be a tight synergy between all aspects of a game's presentation, and sound/music is one of the core aspects of that.

Other posters have already written good examples and arguments on the subject, but I suppose I'd add that one of the pitfalls I see, personally, is what developers expect a "Triple A" game to sound like... leading to crammed in orchestral parts to try and epicate experiences that might be better served by a more subtle approach.

Just my two cents.

---

On the OP's comments on Fallout, I'm not sure if you're saying yay or nay to the music, exactly, but personally I think they were excellently scored. I prefer Mark Morgan's Fallout 1 / 2 scores to Inon Zur's 3 / NV work, but it was all excellently done.

 

[Arafiro]

Music is really good for games.
In some cases it can almost make the game, or at least make you want to continue more.

For example, VVVVVV (which is a bloody difficult game) becomes a lot more bearable with the absolutely awesome music in the difficult sections:

And then there's the beautiful scores in games like Zelda, Mass Effect and Grandia. Oh, and Sonic.
Even 16-bit Sonic... no, especially 16-bit Sonic.

 

[newwiseman]

My reply would is, are visuals necessary?

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

If I didn't have music from Final Fantasy I couldn't sit in the computer science lab doing EPIC coding.

 

[unoleian]

The funny thing about great videogame music is you probably don't even notice it's there, until it's gone.

The best music is part of the environment, setting the tone and mood of everything to come. Does every game and every level need some BGM? Of course not, which is why not every game uses music.
However, some --nay-- many games benefit greatly from their score.

Just like most things in games, music isn't going anywhere.

 

[tzimize]

I think it's exactly the same as movies and plays. Sometimes it's appropriate, sometimes it isn't.

First answer is best answer.

I completely agree and have nothing more to add, other than that I can not imagine my memories of playing the ending of FF8 would be the same without the EPIC music. Or imagine Marios without the music. Or VVVVVV. Or Wonder Boy III. Music kicks ass.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Look at Portal 2. It displays the atmosphere perferctly with the score.

Imagine this music is playing when Chell is waking up and while Wheatley is performing the manual over-ride.
(This music actually is playing during this moment.)

 

[JambalayaBob]

Video Games are always moving closer to being an experience as compelling as any experience you could have in real life, and perhaps in some instances be more compelling, given the nature of fiction. Because of this, do you think that one day, music in games will be entirely unnecessary? You can already see this happening in some cases.

Look at any Fallout game for instance, whether it be the originals or the two newest games, they all have zero in-game music outside of an ambient soundtrack and a few radio stations. They don't have any proper score, I'd say that 95% of the soundscape is in-universe (including the radio stations of course), and you don't even notice the other 5% unless you pay attention. I think this works to its benefit, but it could be something unique to the universe that makes it work.

My point is that music can add to the mood and greatly improve the experience of watching a movie or play, but I'm not entirely sure that it will always be true for something as already inherently as visceral as video games. What do you think?

EDIT: Yes, I know that it's pretty much necessary at the moment, but I'm talking about the future, when video games are more like virtual reality than anything else.

I like the music in the Fallout games.

Yeah, me too, it is a great ambient soundtrack, you're supposed to not notice it much because it's ambient.

 

[NightRavenGSA]

I bring my own soundtrack to combat in multi-players (CoD, Halo, Homefront)
Generally it's marches and instrumental music

 

[JambalayaBob]

Well, if it was in a hypothetical virtual reality machine like I've been talking about, then why would you not want it to drown you in immersion? Second of all, kinda funny how all those things aren't necessary. Cutscenes should be basically removed entirely IMO (stuff like scripted sequences in HL2 excluded of course), and dialogue and 3D graphics have their places, but are not wholly necessary. Look up The Endless Forest, it's an MMO that relies entirely on non-dialogue based communication for all player to player interaction.

See, here's your problem: you're looking at the creation of videogames as striving towards recreating the world. As in, our world, with rules based on our rules. Certainly some developers strive for that, but you're missing the bigger picture.

Most developers aren't trying to recreate and simulate our world, nor should they. They're trying to create worlds and settings within which to tell stories, and within which to allow the player to adventure in. Sometimes they use our world as a setting, but the rules that govern games like Battlefield and Call Of Duty are very different to the rules that govern our own. They're creating worlds which offer the most memorable experiences, rather than worlds that simply create the most realistic ones. And music is a key part of that.

If you look at games purely as a simulation tool, then I can understand why you would think music is distracting. But for me, I think games should strive to be more than mere simulations. Just like films should strive to be more than documentaries. Why should we try to re-create the world we live in? We only need the one, and it's fine the way it is. Why not instead create new worlds based around new rules, and see what sort of experiences we can create. Sure, a developer could create a game completely devoid of music in order to create 'realism', but if adding a well-written soundtrack creates a more enjoyable, memorable experience, then why exclude that? Pursuing realism for its own sake is pointless.

The most important thing about games isn't the digital construction itself. It's the emotional response in the player, similar to all art. If adding music to a game creates more of an emotional response, then its only logical to include it. Realism be damned. If people want realism, there's this wonderful thing called real life that offers the best possible experience. Developers can never top that.

The thing is, if we one day have virtual reality to the point where it feels as real as reality, it won't matter how fantastical the world it, it'll still feel real. And because of this, I'm just saying that there should be certain things that wouldn't make sense no matter the context. Let's take the world of Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) for example, it's world is very cool, and what really helps back up the claim that it's a world that could maybe exist in some other dimension is that the creator put a LOT of work into making the science very strong in the universe in which it takes place.

I'm not looking at it as a reality simulator, I'm just saying there needs to be some consistency with the real world, you won't ever see a world of fiction that has such little to do with our reality that we can't get anything out of it. Likewise, I'm only concerned that listening to some disembodied soundtrack that follows you everywhere while living in another reality might be very strange. You could have any explanation in the world for it, I'm purely concerned with the fact that having things like climactic music during a boss fight doesn't make any fucking sense unless you give it a context. Some dude could whip out a boom box and start jamming to the music for all I care. I'm not focusing on realism, I'm focusing on how real the world feels, even though the world itself is nothing like our actual reality, in other words, suspension of disbelief.

 

[Fuzilla]

I don't think that gaming as a whole will move away from music, although if I am to respond to the title of the thread then I can't really say that it is necessary either--it's basically just the icing on the cake. It's not used necessarily to make a game, but rather to enhance the experience. I mean, lets look at movies as an example. You could watch a movie without music, and it would still be able to stand on its own (hopefully), but it would be an entirely different experience. Music invokes an emotional response in the listener and if placed appropriately in a scene to reflect the action it can magnify an audience response without necessarily taking away from audience immersion.

And I think that's what you are asking about as far as gaming is concerned: Whether or not the inclusion of a soundtrack takes away from the immersion in a narrative or the realistic depiction of events. I mean, music doesn't play in real life when you solve an objective right? Where my thoughts lie is that silence isn't the base upon which music can be placed at one's discretion. Like music evokes an emotional response, so too does silence and I am sure the developers take these things into account (or at least I hope they do). Using Demon's Souls as an example, I don't feel as though the addition of music would have taken away from the quality of the game. In retrospect, some sort of heraldry or fanfare could have made what you were doing seem a lot more gallant. But looking at what sort of atmosphere the game was trying to convey, I think the folks at Atlus felt that silence would be most appropriate, as it makes the game feel eerie, unsettling, and dangerous.

Anyway, sorry about the rant.

tl;dr games won't move away from music, but developers may take their soundtrack or lack thereof into serious consideration when discussing how to create an effect.

 

[Kyber]

there is no better atmosphere then walking in the mojave desert while frank sinatra sings blue moon, there just isnt

 

[ShakerSilver]

Music is an integral part of a gaming experience. It sets the mood and tone for a game, and when done right makes the game much more immersive. Even simple ambient tracks can have a big impact on your experience in a game.

A game I'd like to point out in this discussion is Left 4 Dead, which actually uses music as a key gameplay element. Apart from it's normal ambient tracks, there are some subtle tones that play now and again, which indicate the presence of a special zombie, or when a horde is approaching. This forces you to memorize almost all the special tones in the game, and to always listen to the music, so you can be more aware of what's happening around you.

 

[Saelune]

Nothing, or almost nothing is truly a must of ANY game. It really is entirely dependant on the game itself. A horror game might be better withOUT music. Sometimes the lack of music is really creepy, even in games that are not intended to be scary.

 

[Fuzilla]

I'm not looking at it as a reality simulator, I'm just saying there needs to be some consistency with the real world, you won't ever see a world of fiction that has such little to do with our reality that we can't get anything out of it. Likewise, I'm only concerned that listening to some disembodied soundtrack that follows you everywhere while living in another reality might be very strange. You could have any explanation in the world for it, I'm purely concerned with the fact that having things like climactic music during a boss fight doesn't make any fucking sense unless you give it a context. Some dude could whip out a boom box and start jamming to the music for all I care. I'm not focusing on realism, I'm focusing on how real the world feels, even though the world itself is nothing like our actual reality, in other words, suspension of disbelief.

If you have to suspend your disbelief on account of the music then chances are it is the fault of the creator of the game or the composer of the soundtrack. I mean incidental music should never be at odds with the work it embellishes, it should fit seamlessly and almost unnoticeably. If developers were to write away why the music in the world exists in the first place, it would separate the music from its original purpose and place unnecessary attention on it. Unless you are considering the music as an actor in the narrative, putting attention on what is generating it is superfluous. Why bring to the foreground what is meant to enhance the background?

 

[mrwoo6]

Yeah, I know that New Vegas has great tracks, but my point was that it's still more ambiance than anything else. You're not supposed to notice it as much as you would in other games.

So you're admitting that it's an integral part then?

Yeah, right now, but the question is, will it be in the future when virtual reality is, well, a reality? Fallout New Vegas is just a good example of minimalist music that greatly helps the mood. But think of all the ambient noises that would just always be around you in the world of a game once we do have that virtual reality technology. After all, if you go outside, it isn't completely silent out there, even inside a house it's never completely silent; there's all the little noises that come with a building that will still be there even when you're totally alone.

Your both A;
assuming that virtual reality will ever be a viable source for mainstream gaming, and be realistic enough to warrant going for complete 100% realism.
and B;
assuming every game made within this virtual reality will want to go for a realistic ambient tone.

No, music will never be redundant in gaming.