Welcome to Another World

Where do we begin? Music is everywhere, from the concerts that we attend, the radio channels that we frequent, the soundtrack of movies and even the repetitive elevator music that we have come to expect. It is a medium that we enjoy on a daily basis and have come to expect from nearly everything we watch or listen to over the past few decades. There are professional critics all over the world that appraise film soundtracks and top singles and bring them into the spotlight. Music in general, is in no danger of falling into obscurity.

Nobuo Uematsu; Composer, Conductor, Video game musician.

Sadly, there is a single music category that remains in obscurity despite the their prevalence. Year after year, hundreds of pieces are composed and created with the aim for perfection and satisfying an audience of millions,knowing full well that despite their efforts, their existence will never go public. Ever since the creation of their broadcasting medium, the public has never looked at it seriously or have ever considered it anything more than a trivial existence. Without any official or mainstream recognition, this brand of music has only continued to exist from the support of their loyal fans who understand the intimate connection between what it holds as an individual and what it contributes to the work it resides in. This music, is a music with few boundaries. Unrestricted by social norms and extraneous content, it can encompass many genres and be about anything that will give it meaning. This… is the music of video games.

A Brief History

How far has the music come? Considering that video games existed for less than 70 years, with the music arriving much later, the medium has expanded very well in such a short period of time. Unlike most other forms of music, video game music did not have any distinct advantage in music primarily because of the limitations imposed upon them by data and size restrictions. Whereas films and records could play fully orchestrated masterpieces, most video games of the 20th century were limited to something like this.

Ah, the nostalgia from the youth of console video games. Try as they might, floppy disks and 8 bit cartridges could only do so much. For critics this would have hardly been considered good music, and that should go unsaid. After all, what could these beeps possibly have translated into for them?

It was not until the 1990s where video games started rising in quality that the music began to evolve into something that was not only easier to listen to, but comparable to their contemporaries. But once they picked up their momentum, there was no longer any excuse to write them off as mediocre. This piece is called the “Theme of the Empire” from the game Final Fantasy XII. As far as the composition is concerned, it is no different from an orchestrated piece. The only reason that keeps such a piece from being considered legitimate music is its existence in a game.

Considering that, is there any reason to say that video game music does not deserve a day in the limelight? The medium has long since met any expectations to consider it music of quality. As a mere appreciator of this brand of music, I cannot order you to like the music, nor do you have to. All this blog is about is enjoying the qualities of video game music, and if you so care to join me, then welcome to my world.