To listen or not to listen - game music.

[Kartoflator]

This is first topic I've created, so sorry if I messed something up...

We all love game music. I know some older gamers, who play games on their vintage systems only to listen to their favorite themes from classic game titles. Games have popularized many songs, which otherwise would have remained relatively unknown. Come to think of that, most of these songs were promoted by sports and racing games, though that's definitely not a rule. To name a few: "Late Goodbye" by Poets Of The Fall from "Max Payne" games, "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" by Cage The Elephant from first "Borderlands", "Still Alive" by Lisa Miskovsky from "Mirror's Edge", "Beat The Boys" by LAB from first "Flatout" game and many more.
Then, of course, there are musical themes as well as whole soundtracks: "Flashpoint" by Jack Grillo and Ricardo Hernandez from "Legendary", again the famous theme from "Max Payne" franchise by Kartsy Hatakka and Kimmo Kajasto, "Deus Ex: HR" soundtrack by Michael McCann or "Mass Effect" franchise soundtracks written by Jack Wall and Clint Mansell. Being from Poland, I have to include here soundtracks from games like "Painkiller" or "The Witcher" franchise (especially "W3") :wink:

Without a doubt, music is a very important element of every game, it comes right after visuals, especially if there's no actual story to follow (as in case of racing games or some straight up shooters). It can be inspirational, too. Many younger gamers got to watch "Scarface" and other classic "gangster movies" after playing "GTA: Vice City", because of the soundtrack. Music creates the mood, the atmosphere of the game, enhances our overall experience.

BUT DOES IT ALWAYS?

That's what I wanted to discuss. I've found that, in many cases the in-game music can mess with your experience more than actually help it - no matter how well it is written. There are two main factors to consider:

a) personal preferences,
b) how the music is handled within the game itself.

I'll start with the latter. The "Call Of Duty" franchise is infamous for not having the music volume slider (well, not all of the games, that depends on developer). Background music is basically forced on players and there's not much you can do about that, except some workarounds involving fiddling with game files (and that's not always working). On gaming forums, I've seen a lot of posts saying "why would you want to turn that music off?". Well, here we go with factor a). ... Not everyone wants the music to blare in their heads all the time. Some rather focus on ambient sounds. Others, like me, always try to roleplay their game characters, even if they play a simple shooter. I can't roleplay a WWII spy, sneaking on occupied village in order to eliminate german nazi general with all the pompous music playing around. In the middle of the woods. When soldiers were dying on the beaches during the D-Day, there was no music playing in their heads. There were only explosions, gunfire and screams of dying people.
Not to mention that in contemporary games the ambient sound can be crucial to gameplay. Being able to hear enemy footsteps is often a matter of your character's survival.

Then, there's a case of "battle music". In many games you can hear one general theme, but that changes, when an enemy appears on the scene. Basically, music WARNS you, that something is up. Personally, this is why I refuse to play any "Dead Space" game with music on (as well as many other titles). "Dead Space" franchise was never "scary" to me to begin with, but it has its moments. These games rely mainly on jumpscares, and that's the thing. If I am to be jumped, I want to be JUMPED. I don't want to get warned that something is creeping behind my back a minute earlier. That kills the tension, instead of building it. Also, it actually works well in horror MOVIES, but we are talking about games here.

Lastly, there are two ways of handling music track within the game itself. In some games, "background" music is separated from other tracks, in others not. Imagine a game, where you walk the street with some "background" music. Then, you walk inside some nightclub, with its own musical score. If the "background music" is separated from other tracks, you can turn it completely off and the music from said nightclub will be still playing, because you can hear it only there and it is directly linked to the characteristics of the place and activity going on in there (people dancing and chilling). In my opinion it's the right way to handle this, as it helps immersion. Unfortunately, most games these days have musical score handled as one track, meaning that when you turn music off, it's OFF. As in - no more music, regardless of place and situation. I remember my first "Mass Effect 3" playthrough, when I turned music volume down, then went to "Purgatory" club. Oh, the awkwardness... All the people dancing and prancing in a complete and utter silence. What's worse, all the characters you can talk to would shout, as if there was loud music still playing around. And changing volume in options every couple of minutes is not a solution to me.

As to point a). Well, preferences are just that - preferences. You like to listen to "Barbie Girl" while playing "Dishonored"? Well, if that helps you... Who am I to judge? But that's supposed to be a discussion...

...SO. What's your take on this?
Do you play with music always on or off? Or does it depend on game and situation?
Were there situations when music completely ruined your immersion?

How do you think the musical score and sound in general should be handled in games (based on what I've already mentioned)?
Do you think that music and sound design in games is sometimes neglected? After all, the primary focus almost always is on visuals and gameplay mechanics. Or maybe you don't even notice that?
Was there a game that haven't really entertain you, but made you listen to some music band or even whole genre that was new to you?

*(I'm a linguist, but english is not my native language, so sorry for poor grammar, if there were any examples of it :tongue: Oh, and Happy New Year to all!)

[montky]

 

BUT DOES IT ALWAYS? ...

A) Do you play with music always on or off? Or does it depend on game and situation?

B) Were there situations when music completely ruined your immersion?

C) How do you think the musical score and sound in general should be handled in games (based on what I've already mentioned)?

D) Do you think that music and sound design in games is sometimes neglected? After all, the primary focus almost always is on visuals and gameplay mechanics. Or maybe you don't even notice that?

E) Was there a game that haven't really entertain you, but made you listen to some music band or even whole genre that was new to you?

great question/s, kartoflator.

 

 

 

Gamers and modders, are able to disable or play whatever aural stuff they wish,

instead of the 'linear constrained intended aural 'experience', that many games frameworks linearly constrain folks to.

This may not have been as straightforward in yesteryear - people would have had to play their 'music-player-device' or analogue record player etc while gaming. but now, "Livestreaming music/digital content services" are a thing.

So, the audience brings with them to the text, their own 'continuity'/'canon' and their own prerogatives.

-----

 

A) The latter.

 

B) Sometimes, for example "anachronistic music" which wasn't from the time period depicted

ie: techno-synthesizer music in Medieval era etc.

Or, with some indie-games, when the audio "red-lines", or unintended audio remains in the 'final release' audio tracks...

likewise, when "AAA Blockbuster" titles are Wub-Dub-Step and have inconsistent aural keying/leveling...

 

C) Two or three ways.

primarily, as music accompanying a comicbook or like a theatrical movie, instead of 'media res from-in-universe lorewise sources'.

I don't approach the gameworld as 'lore-only'/'media res documentary cinema verite" type stuff, most of the time.

I mean, if you're at a museum and taking a virtual VR/AR tour of the past, that is cinema verite.

A videogame nightclub or home entertainment system isn't the museum though hehe.

 

In projects I collab on elsewhere, I want even the Foley nodes to be customizable modules - you can change the sound-scape to suit that era if you want, so as 'flashbacks' are 'period appropriate' hehe.

Just-In-Time Livestreamable Aural Nodes (either local or net-wise) are also something that is fun to experiment with.

I want modders to be able to easily explore this side to games, without needing 'obscure file formats' or complications.

 

D) Yes it's "benignly neglected", but due to reasons.

Projects have ^{_{finite budgets}} in terms of time and resources - AGILE/LEAN means,

more of that is spent on coding for the game itself.

Writing, Art and Music are often "optional extras" on lean projects hehe.

a lot of songs are then MIDI rather than actual orchestral etc...

you wind up with 100% synthesizer tracks (which is its own style).

 

Foley and 'ambient audio', as part of the soundscape, alongside the music,

that all goes together to produce the overall sensation

there's a lot of difference between regionalized sound-palettes across time too.

It's like Onomatopoeia for each culture.

 

E) sorta.

see, there are bands and Orchestras which play renditions of Videogame music.

an example being, "L'Orchestre Jeux Video 8bit" etc.

there are 173 orchestras from 90+countries (of 249 at time of writing) which play videogame music at least once annually.

These bands are 'random samplers' - they play different music from many different games,

including IndieGames I'd never heard of.

Listening to these bands, people will then buy that band-specific variation, and that can help support bands from all over the world.

 

Of course, Rockbands etc and "learn how to play" 'games' such as those,

would also satisfice the "a game that haven't really entertain you, but made you listen to some music" criteria.

 

 

 

[Oblivionaddicted]

I generally always keep the music on except to give the situation a more dramatic feel, like in Total overdose during the Overdose mission.

 

I think the music is generally well chosen in games but having the option to adapt the volume is always a good thing.

 

There are effectively times when the sonorous part is neglected which is a shame because it's important to immerse in a game. Repetitive music or totally unrealistic weapon sounds always decrease the gaming pleasure to a certain extent. For example its very good sonorous background is one of the many reasons why I love Half-Life.

 

None I remember.

Edited January 2, 2019 by Oblivionaddicted

[KennethKarl]

I'm recently replaying Oblivion. I'm playing with the music on for Nostalgia purposes but sometimes it gets a little annoying during dialogue. I usually play with music off tho for games like that.

[Kartoflator]

First off, sorry for the late reply - I had to get back to my work abroad and I got accomodated in a flat with extremely lousy Wi-Fi hotspot (but they work on it).

Thank you for all the input - I was wondering, whether the music and sound design in video games can be an issue for other gamers too.

Right, I guess we can agree, that the music and sound background in video games are sometimes being neglected due to one main reason - money. I think it is to be expected these days, that large gaming companies try to push their "AAA" titles on the market as soon as they can - and they are cutting corners wherever they can in the process.
Yet, there is a number of titles that are polished almost to perfection, whether we talk about visuals, music or game balance - "The Witcher 3" being one of the best examples (having said that, it's not a perfect game; there is no perfect game). So, it would seem that the "no risk - no gain, high investment - high payoff" approach can be actually beneficial both for gamers and for videogame companies. And probably more beneficial in the long run, than rushing half finished game into the stores (you hear that, EA?) Additionally, small budgets don't have to translate to low quality. "Transistor" is a great game with fantastic soundtrack composed by Darren Korb, and the developer, Supergiant Games, is nowhere near major players in the gaming industry when it comes to resources.

I guess from the viewpoint of developing companies it's down to "I want my money now" versus "I can have my money later, with some benefits (like a fanbase of gamers)".

But back on topic - Oblivionaddicted said important thing about sound design: it's not just about music, the other elements of "soundscape" can make vast difference in game experience too. Now, let me digress for a moment. Have you seen movie "Heat" with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro? Yeah, you probably have. Personally I think that sound effects in this movie are extremely well done; more specifically - gunshots. There are scenes of a firefight in the streets, after the bank robbery. If you listen to the sounds all the firearms are making, you will notice that they are really loud, almost deafening, just like in real life. Also you can hear realistic sounds of bullets ricocheting from different surfaces (metal, stone). Moreover, you can actually hear gunshot echoes "bouncing" from the concrete walls of surrounding buildings - this is a level of detail you can rarely hear in a movie.

However, we have to consider that movies mostly adhere to a specific convention. For example the infamous "hollywood silencers" is something that can't, don't, and will not work like that in real life. Anyone who knows anything about how firearms work can tell, that a real suppressor will never muffle a gunshot to a silent "spit" sound we all recognize. But this is a part of a convention, a "coconut effect" - the audience may as well know how suppressors work, but they EXPECT to hear something else, because of the force of habit. Apart of that, a movie about - say - some great battle of WWII is supposed to present said battle, while keeping the audience out of the harms way - you can't make them deaf just for the sake of "realism" with all the explosions and shooting. Right, but it doesn't mean that some level of realism can't be achieved - "Heat" is a great example.

Still, this is how it works in movies, but video games are governed by a different set of rules. In general, gamers require the highest level of realism possible, given the current technology, and the sound design often seems to stay behind.
It is one thing, when you play a colorful and somewhat cartoonish game, like "Borderlands" or "Agents Of Mayhem" with their wacky weapons; weird sound effects are not much of a problem there. It is different thing though, when you play a modern "military shooter", that tries to be "as realistic as it gets". Too many times I was put off by flat sound effects in such games, where - as an example - a full auto, high rate of fire SMG sounds as if a guy in a recording studio was quickly hitting together two wooden sticks... Really? I mean how hard and expensive can be recording and mixing a PROPER sound clip?

And it obviously IS an issue for many gamers. Just look at mod pages for different games here, on Nexus. Say, "Fallout 4". There are many players, who refuse to use power armors in their playthroughs, but for those who use them, the "P.A.M.S." is a must-have mod. Who would want to run around in a - supposedly - high tech armor, that sounds as if you were wearing two tin buckets and an old oil drum. Power armor is POWERED, it has gears, mechanized joints, hydraulics et c. - "P.A.M.S." does great job with that. You will see lots of sound replacement mods for "FO4" weapons too - and that is just one game.

But the problem at hand is not limited to just weapons, armor or say - engine sounds (as in racing games). There are other elements of "sound layer" in games, that can make the difference between entertainment and frustration. There's this notion I've noticed in many modern games, where NPCs contact your character using some means of communication resembling short wave radio - more or less. For reasons unknown to me, these NPCs have nasty habit of contacting you in the least appropriate moment...

I remember playing games like "Bioshock" or "Borderlands", where my character gets "radio" message from someone, who wants me to go "there" and do "this". All right, so I go there, but I lose my way. Uh, a little help from my new friend? Nope. So I explore the game world on my own. Could use some directions! Silence. Right, I am finally there, but what do I do? Hello, friend? Crickets chirp. That's OK, I don't really need hand holding, but...
The boss fight begins. The guy looks like brick sh**house and has dozens of minions. Guess what happens next? Oh, yeah, my "friend" suddenly woke up and decided to tell me the story of his life! While I'm in the middle of the fight for my life. Even if I was focusing on what the guy is talking about, I'd still miss half of what he's saying because of all the explosions, monsters roaring at me, you name it. I call it "babbling". I mean, what's up with that?
I think I've missed approximately 80% of background stories on my first "Borderlands" playthroughs (especially in "BL2") because of "babbling". Same with "Bioshock" and some other games.
Although I despise EA and (current) Bioware just like the next guy, I still have to applaud them for what they've done in "Mass Effect" franchise - on many occasions Shepard gets comm from someone (mostly Liara) in the middle of a battle, but cuts it short by simply shouting "NOT NOW!" Loved that. Shame I have to do the same in front of the screen in case of many other games - and they don't listen.

OK, I have to get back to work for now, but let's get this discussion going further. How would YOU improve the sound design and the gaming experience that comes with that? And I'm not talking about some more expensive home sound system...
Remove "babbling" in games as an obsolete idea for storytelling, kind of like QTEs in terms of gameplay mechanics? How about saturate game worlds (especially in sandboxes) with more realistic sounds? You know - weather effects are already regular thing in games. Hearing wind blowing around you is quite normal. It just gets weird, when there are some trees growing nearby, and you CAN'T hear their leaves "whisper" on the wind... So, what are your ideas?