Rimo Apr 3, 2008
Since game music is so diverse and that there are so many different reasons to love it (or hate it!), I'm trying to figure what could be general trends in VGM aficionados. I'm quite curious about discovering the opinion of others on some questions I've be asking myself, but this survey also has an ultimate goal: depict a global picture of what people want to hear and then present it to various game producers and composers, which might influence them to a certain degree. This is related to the fact that I'm not fully satisfied with all of the music heard in games these days, and I believe I'm not the only one feeling this way.
To avoid the discussion to go in all directions at once, here's a list of questions you could try your hand at. If you'd like to add anything else beside your answers or if you'd prefer to reply without following these questions directly, please go ahead. Also, don't hesitate to give specific examples of soundtracks or artists if these could add to the precision.
1. If you had to describe what VGM is to someone ignorant on the subject, what would you say?
2. Why do you listen to game music on a stand-alone basis? What elements do you like or dislike from it?
3. Do you listen to music from games you haven't played?
4. What percentage does VGM represent on your playlist vs. non-game music? If applicable, what kind of music do you listen to outside of VGM? If you don't listen to mainstream music (i.e. not VGM, film, or anime soundtracks), why is that so?
5. How do you feel about music that was not published as an official album? How much of a problem is it to you if you want to listen to it? Also, do you actually buy official albums or strictly download them illegally (or a mix of both)? Do you think these albums are adequately priced?
6. Which genres/styles do you mainly listen to? Which do you avoid?
7. If one of these genres also exists in non-game music, do you also listen to it from that category? If not, why?
8. Video gaming had a reputation for a long time of being a childish or geeky hobby, and a part of it persists today. Inevitably, to a certain extent, the music also fell under this denigrative categorization (especially retro chiptunes). Do you think VGM is as valid as any other music from a listener's point of view? Additionally, are you fully comfortable about mentioning you listen to VGM when you discuss with someone who isn't into gaming?
9. How would you compare game music from the past (aka chiptunes, up to the SNES era) and modern material?
10. During its infancy, VGM was unique in part because of its electronic sound coming from limited sound chips. Today, any kind of instruments can be used and thus this uniqueness doesn't always persist. Do you believe VGM should sound different from other music categories? If so, how could this be achieved nowadays?
11. Most gamers don't particularly care about game music (or at least, to the extent we do). Thus, it's most probably not part of their playlists. Some producers believe that players would prefer to hear their favorite mainstream songs while playing rather than original music, hence the use of licensed material. What is your opinion about this?
12. Other producers, which aren't as radical, may still hire a composer, yet ask him/her to create something that sounds extremely close to popular music. This does not make highly unique VGM, yet it can still be very enjoyable and is a creative process. Do you see a problem in this?
13. A popular trend these days (notably in the West) is to make games that are very cinematic in nature, mimicking Hollywood down to the use of (usually) orchestral cinematic music. How do you feel about this? Since these two media are converging when it comes to telling a story on screen, should games (and their music) be any different from films? If so, how?
14. Certain producers and composers believe that the perfect music should not be noticeable unless it's not there. Another way to formulate this would be to say that the music shouldn't be in the forefront to avoid distracting the player. In practice, this often results in the use of an adaptative music system, playing an ambient (see "usually unmelodic") track when nothing special is going on and then loading a more dynamic cue when action kicks in. When listened to on a stand alone basis, these soundtracks often make an inconsistent experience (unless for huge ambient fans). What do you think about this?
15. VGM is inevitably linked to the games it comes from. In fact, it's created to suit them in the first place! Is there any soundtrack which you regard very lowly from a listener point of view, but that you found worked well in-game? If possible, how could it have been more enjoyable to listen to while still working as well in-game?
16. Do you think there is too much music sounding the same? If so, could this be because there are too many similar games? If the games weren't to change, how could the music become different without sounding out of place?
17. Do you notice any difference between VGM created in Japan, America and Europe? If so, what does one do better or worse than the others, and vice versa?
18. VGM is a lot more popular in Japan than it is in the West, with album releases being a good indicator. How could things get better in the West on that matter?
19. If you had to sum up in three words what you expect from VGM, which would you choose?
I'm aware that each of these questions could have generated a whole discussion on its own and that presenting them together in a single thread will make it heavy to discuss as a whole. However, I believe they are part of the same debate and will all add something to the subject. If you prefer answering a few at a time or skipping any, no problem. I'll be giving my opinion on them myself later.
This survey will be posted over at Gamingforce as well. If you believe it would be pertinent to post elsewhere, let me know.
Thanks and here's to more enjoyable game music!