Video games have come a long way since the days of Atari and the music that accompanies them has followed suit. Now, scores for video games are often as elaborate as film scores and their impact on audiences just as big. Cues from games can bring back a rush of memories, story, characters, triumph, and adventure for those who have played.
As a medium, video games are interactive at their core, and this gives composers an interesting challenge. The composers for Red Dead Redemption, Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, answered this by writing all cues in the same key (A minor/C Major) so each could seamlessly flow with whatever the player was doing, from a leisurely gallop to a gunfight. It’s a major jump from the 8-bit menacing “do-do-do-do” that would speed up the more enemies you killed.
As video games continue to grow, I can’t wait to hear how their music grows too.
Here are some of my favorites from the past and present: