Whether it is the two-tone melodies of the Atari home systems or the digital harmonies of the Xbox 360, video game music has not only shaped the way we play the games, but also how we view our lives. The haunting theme music of “Silent Hill” still strikes fear into hearts; the wave of nostalgia that hits upon hearing the Mario theme song brings back childhood memories.
However, growing in popularity are video game sound tracks. Video game music is spawning a new generation of addicts ““ minus the sore thumbs. The genre, which includes music for console games, computer games and arcade games, has been so popular that since 2002, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has allowed music from video games to compete for Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Instrumental Composition and Best Score Soundtrack Album or Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Subsequently, composing music for video games has evolved into a lucrative career. Composer Gerard Marino was referred by an acquaintance to Sony, who asked him to create music for its 2005 hit “God of War.” Following that game’s success, Marino has composed music for a number of games, including “187 Ride or Die,” the “Fantastic Four” video game and the upcoming “God of War” sequel.
“I didn’t know I wanted to be a video game composer until I found out that you could be one,” Marino said. “When I went to college, I was studying music too. I wanted to be a film composer. While I was there in college, in the mid- to late-’90s, that’s really when video game music really started to explode.”
However, gamers are starting to take the music out of their daily play, and into their day-to-day lives. Sound tracks to popular titles are available for purchase, and some fans have found creative ways to show their love for the music.
In his spare time, Jeff Moore, a fourth-year music student, goes under the pseudonym Luigi with his video game music a capella group, the Jumpmen, named after the original name for Mario in Nintendo’s “Donkey Kong.” The group, which currently consists of UCLA students Moore, fourth-year art history student Hanibal Sonderegger, fourth-year music and psychology student Sean Friar, and third-year African languages and music history student Ian Martyn, was the brainchild of Sonderegger, who decided to create the Jumpmen two years ago to compete in UCLA’s Spring Sing 2005.
“I feel like making video game music because I’ve loved it for a long time,” Moore said. “I grew up playing video games, and I love the music at least as much as I love the game.”
The Jumpmen have performed music from various Nintendo games, including pieces from various installments of “Super Mario Bros.,” “Mega Man” and “The Legend of Zelda.” The group was invited to perform on a pilot show for the G4 TV channel called “Geek Out,” about geeks doing interesting activities with their passions. Although the Jumpmen aren’t currently active, Moore has high hopes that they will reunite soon.
“I think we’re going our separate ways after graduation,” Moore said. “We’ve kind of been on a hiatus recently. I’m hoping we get together soon and have a couple fun, informal performances before we call it quits.”
Video game music is spilling into the fine arts as well. Japanese orchestras have been playing game sound tracks live for the better part of 20 years, including using the music of the Square Enix’s “Dragon Quest” for a ballet in 1995.
On May 10, 2004, the first officially sanctioned “Final Fantasy” concert in the United States was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert sold out in a single day.
Video game music concerts remain popular today. The Warner Grand Theater held a concert, titled “Be Entertained,” on Feb. 3, at which the Golden State Pops Orchestra performed the music from games such as “Halo,” “Medal of Honor” and “God of War.”
“(The popularity of video game music) is due to a combination of classical, symphonic kind of writing and the commercial aspect of film music,” said Steve Fox, the CEO and artistic director of the Golden State Pops Orchestra. “Video game music combines the best of both words.”
While he’s excited that his music is being showcased by orchestras, Marino isn’t surprised that video game music is so popular, especially taking into account how much time of gamers’ lives are dedicated to playing games.
“Guys are playing the (heck) out of video games ““ games that have an insane amount of commitment on the fans,” Marino said. “The average Everquest (player) plays 30 hours a week, and they’re hearing the music for Everquest for a good part of that 30 hours ““ it gets beaten into their heads. (The music) reminds them of how fun it is to play when they hear it.”