Electronic music and video games go way back. As Magnetic Mag put it, “Video game soundtracks were some of the first popularized forms of electronic music.” Modern musicians are still inspired by retro 8-bit games, and some of the biggest names in electronic music have worked in gaming. Here are 3 reasons why electronic music and games are the perfect match.
Dance games
The strong, consistent beats and high energy of electronic music is ideal for timing and movement-based gameplay. The tempo of many electronic tracks means players stay engaged and the rhythms make it easy to sync game mechanics with the music. This is important in rhythm games, of course, where players need to follow the beat.
All the most loved and critically lauded dance games like Just Dance, The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor, and Dance Dance Revolution incorporated electronic music. The latter “pioneered the dancing game genre in numerous territories across the globe” (GameRant).
Other genres of games also use electronic music for rhythm purposes. Some platformers and shooters incorporate music mechanics. Players time their jumps and actions with beats.
Speed and sense of movement
For Tron Run/r, Sanzaru Games and Disney Interactive Studios recruited the legendary Giorgio Moroder. Composer Raney Shockne worked with Moroder on “an active, flowing musical score that gives players an engaging sense of speed, such as the high-octane sound of the video game song ‘Recursion’” (per Sony).
Hotline Miami’s fast paced action was soundtracked by synthwave and EDM artists like Pertubator and Jasper Byrne. EDM.com noted that the “level backgrounds and the LEDs on PS4 controllers change colors with the audio”.
Among its many realistic radio stations, Grand Theft Auto V’s two electronic stations provided a restless soundtrack to those fast drives. The game featured artists including Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, and Boys Noize.
Forza Horizon, one of the most loved games in the series, featured a Horizon Bass Arena electronic station with artists like Chase & Status and Nero.
Focus
Many electronic genres like trance, synthwave and ambient are designed to be repetitive in a way that helps concentration. This is useful in games that require attention. In fact, some soundtracks are so good at helping people concentrate that they’re listened to regularly outside of gaming sessions. Many people use orchestral soundtracks like Skyrim and Legend of Zelda for work and study, but electronic soundtracks are popular for focus too. The repetitive nature of much electronic music is well suited to tasks that require focus. Game music is often repetitive, with variations on themes, so that players are engaged but can still focus on jumping, running, or weaving through traffic. The composer Josie Brechner told Mental Floss, “Basically, successful video game music straddles the balance between being engaging and exciting, but also not wanting to make you tear your ears off after the 10th or 100th listen”.
Takeaway
Those are just three of the reasons electronic music is so widely used in video games: its rhythms, the speed/tempo, and its potential to enhance concentration.
