"What is the music of life?"
-The Black Door (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
Silence, my brother. Sorry, can't help but to answer that.
Music is only one element of the entire sound design in video games but it has an enormous role in setting the mood for video game's immersion, it's supposed to move you and give you the feel. When the soundtrack rhythmic properly with the game it can invoke emotions to players such as joy, sorrow, or fear. We all had that epic feeling during a boss fight or other battle scene where the music was so perfect that it give the goosebumps. That's the other thing that might also stuck on our head and we could remember from the battle aside of the opponents themselves and how we beat them.
Sometimes the musics in video games work on you subconsciously yet inexorably, manipulating the mood without you really noticing as you going with the game's flow and you begin to notice it when it's stop playing. But that makes me realise how the music nicely helps the game to create the atmosphere needed at the given time and situation you are in whether or not you noticed it.
Video Game Music Outside of the Game
Video game music definitely has become a part of our popular culture. The appreciation of it is strong among fans and composers these days in the form of CDs, music sheets, public performance, and popular music. The level of its popularity amaze me because I never expected that video game (music) could be this great that it has bands and concert featuring the world's finest orchestras dedicated to perform video games musics like Video Games Live founded by video game music composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall and The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses that are dedicated to The Legend of Zelda series' musics.
There is also websites made by fan called OverClocked Remix and Rainwave that are dedicated to appreciation to video game music. Even it has its own place in Spotify section. As someone who love playing video games so much I feel proud of it. That level of video game music's popularity is makes it become its own genre.
Aside of being appreciated as a real music, there is even studies that prove listening video game music while working could help a lot because music from video game motivate the players to complete the game's objectives without distracting the players, and makes it good to motivate people and keep them focus while working on something, especially repetitive tasks. Thanks for the studies, but I personally prefer quietness than listening to any music while I'm working on any tasks outside of video game and listens to them while I'm procastinating.
In the following list I have some of my favorite video games' musics theme that you might like, and some of its cover. But I don't include the cover videos here because it would look too much big wide boxes in this article. Also, I heard Doom 2016 won the best soundtrack in game award last year, but I don't know which are the best soundtrack from that game so if you know any recommended Doom soundtrack maybe could tell me in the comment.
6. The Only Thing I Know For Real (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance)
Both the music and the battle begin after a minute of conversation of Raiden and Sam. This music fit nicely with the rapid pace of an intense battle between two blade dancing cyborgs. I've done this battle for a couple of times and always loved how awesome the fight with this Jetstream Sam's theme song. Many people don't like game soundtrack with vocal in it, but for me I like this song and its lyric.
5. Dragonborn (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
Sometimes when I fight a dragon with this music playing, just before the dragon hit 0 HP I quickly smash the quicksave button. Just in case the kill won't be a cinematic kill so I can quickload and do that again only to get the cinematic kill while the Dragonborn theme song playing on the back. I was so surprised when I find out that Christina Grimmie did a cover of The Dragonborn Comes, I know this is different but I feel the need to mention it.
4. The Descent Battle Theme (Dragon Age: Inquisition - The Descent)
This is when the Inquisitor need to survive against waves of Darkspawn hordes with only 3 people, 4 including him/her. What seems like going to be a casual wave after wave battle that gonna take a long time to complete turned into an epic tough battle of a few vs many with this great soundtrack playing in the background. That's the power of music if done properly.
3. Megalovania (Undertale)
Actually almost every Undertale battle soundtrack is good, but this one is my most favorite. The battle begin with Sans throwing the player around and quickly using his strongest abilities. This soundtrack is perfect while I'm dodging all those ridiculously insane attacks. I found an awesome metal cover of this one on YouTube by RichardEB. Listening to this soundtrack fills you with determination.
2. You Belong to Me (BioShock Infinite - Burial at Sea)
Knowing everything Elizabeth been through and then hear her sing this song makes it even more sad. Well she didn't actually sing it in her last moment, but it is her voice singing the song. This is one of the part in a video game where you don't want your parents around while you're at it, I'm not talking about awkward nudity in game, but because you might shed some tears.
1. Welcome to Rapture (BioShock)
If it's about game soundtrack I can never not mentioning this one. As you going down in the bathysphere into the dystopia with this music playing. Welcome to Rapture really suit well as the city's music theme, it tells how creepy the city's current state and what its supposed to be, a horrifying ruined majestic city under the ocean. This music is one of the many reasons why I love BioShock. Here is a good duet piano cover of Welcome to Rapture.
The soundtracks I mentioned above may not be your or many other's best video game music choice, since I haven't play any games in weeks, I mean months.. Or years.. Maybe you could tell me another good video game soundtracks that you know in the comment.
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