Video Game Music

It’s no doubt the works of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Bach, and every other major composer within the last 400 years will be played in concert halls all over the world 500 years from now. Their works are timeless, transcending generation to generation. Yet, I believe orchestras will have to make room in their repertoire for, you guessed it, video game music. As today’s young generation continues to grow in the digital age, playing video games whose characters look seamlessly real, whose story lines rival those of Hollywood’s, and whose music becomes part of the soul, the emotional attachment and almost-life-changing qualities attributed to the games will be forever etched in their memories. And as they begin to take their places among tomorrow’s leaders, I’m sure many of them will own the newest generation of game consoles and games, teaching their own children how to play. Who knows, the next great conductor of the New York Philharmonic could be a huge fan of the music of Mario and the Legend of Zelda!

Video Game Music on the Rise

Perhaps the leader in video game music, Nobuo Uematsu, creator of the music of many Final Fantasy titles, played his first concert in the U.S. at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Final Fantasy concert sold out the very same day tickets went on sale. Because of the concerts overwhelming success, Uematsu arranged a second concert “Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy,” which played in select cities across the United States. Currently, you’ll find almost all the original Final Fantasy game soundtracks as well as their orchestrated counterparts on iTunes and About.com.

Popular Video Game Music

Here is a minor list of video games with great music:

Final Fantasy series

The Legend of Zelda series

Halo 1 & 2

Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2

Metal Gear Solid series

Metroid series

Super Mario Bros.

Chrono Trigger

Chrono Cross

Becoming a Fan

The best way to get to know the music is to play the game, however, for many of you that is out of the question. Although video game soundtracks are far different from movie soundtracks in setup, there are pieces anyone unfamiliar with the game can appreciate. I’ve purchased several video game soundtracks and played them for my friends and family. Unsurprisingly, many of the songs they heard they liked. Besides the original scores, you can find orchestrated and solo piano versions, which tend to be more popular to those unfamiliar with the games.