Music has been a part of video games almost since its inception. However, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that video game music started gaining recognition, as well as appreciation, from not only the gaming community but the mainstream media and public.

Video game music is designed to evoke emotion and enhance the gaming experience by keeping the player immersed in the moment. Similar to the use of music in movies, it plays a critical role in how someone feels when playing a game; it can make all the difference in how you experience different moments, such as suspense, awe, thrill, and sadness.

Bad music can break a game, disconnecting the players from the world they’re in and ruining the experience. Great music can keep players engrossed in the game and leave a lasting impression.

Similar to the relatively recent mainstream popularity and interest in video games, which now rivals the television and movie industry, the music accompanying these games is starting to gain the recognition it deserves.

Civilization 4: “Baba Yetu” Grammy Win

The Civilization series started in 1991 and has since released six feature titles, as well as numerous spinoffs, for the last 27 years. The series, created by Sid Meier, has garnered critical acclaim while selling millions of copies around the world. In fact, Sid Meier was awarded the 2017 Golden Joystick Award for Lifetime achievement in 2017.

As fans know, a key part to the series has always been the epic soundtracks that accompany the game’s grandiose nature of turn-based strategy that spans numerous eras. Perhaps, then, it wasn’t a surprise to Civilization fans when the first song featured in a video game to win a Grammy was Civilization 4’s “Baba Yetu” composed by Christopher Tin. The song won the 2010 Grammy for “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).”

The Civilization  series has had a profound effect on the gaming industry, so it was exciting to see the music from the game finally receive high-praise from the Grammy Awards. However, this win was tempered by the fact that the award recognition only occurred after Tin released the song as part of his standalone album Calling All Dawns  in 2009, which occurred six years after Civilization 4’s release.

Unfortunately, “Baba Yetu” did not receive the award in association with its use in the Civilization  series, which is why it was originally composed. However, it was a big first step in legitimizing music composed for video games.

Journey’s Grammy Nomination

The developers of Journey, thatgamecompany, describe the game as one where you “Soar above ruins and glide across sands as you explore the secrets of a forgotten civilization. Featuring stunning visuals, haunting music, and unique online gameplay…” and a game where you “Experience the wonder in this anonymous adventure where you travel on a life’s passage, with the chance to connect with companions along the way.”

The game is as abstract as it sounds. You control a small humanoid figure as you move through the game. There is no voice or characters as we would commonly think of them. However, the game can be experienced with another person, from anywhere in the world, as they simple appear in your world and you in theirs. There is no notification of you being a part of their game, other players just appear in your game in a magical sort of way.

The goal is to get to a mountaintop in the distance and that’s it. The experience is incredibly emotional as you experience fear when hiding from the game’s enemies, as you have no way to fight back, or happiness when you find a friend as you move across the world. The music weaves its way into your mind throughout all of your adventures in the game.

In 2012, video games saw their first real recognition from mainstream media. Journey  received a nomination for “Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.” The music of Journey  was composed by Austin Wintory, who was nominated alongside lauded industry veterans Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore and Ludovic Bource, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

While Wintory lost to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their work on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the Grammy nomination alone was a historic moment for mainstream recognition of video game music.

In a Reddit AMA, Wintory says that “To me games, utterly without question, [are] an art form and in fact have a chance at becoming THE dominant art form of the 21st century (in the same way that film dominated the 20th). They’re in their infancy, so their potential is essentially unlimited, and that’s very exciting to be a part of as a composer.”

Ryan Rigney, of Wired, wrote an article “Historic Grammy Nomination is a Big Win for Videogame Music” in recognition of Wintory’s work and the importance of gaming as a medium. Video games, as an industry, gain even more legitimacy with the recognition of Journey. Appreciation for the game, outside of gamers, means that people are paying attention and listening to these songs and soundtracks.

Why Video Game Music Deserves Recognition

While these are two high profile examples, video game music has been captivating players for decades. Gamers have strong memories tied to video game moments and the music that brought them to life.

Music in games can transcend the medium and make us feel a plethora of emotions. The similar goals of game, television, and cinema music put them all on equal ground. I think that, although we don’t know the names of all the composers making music for games, they still deserve and have earned our appreciation.

Sometimes, specific video game music evokes nostalgia from a particular game that you cherished. Personally, I will forever remember the final mission of Halo 3 when my friends and I drove our way to safety as the world exploded around us, the Halo theme song playing in the background encapsulated the scene perfectly.

Other times, video game music has become so iconic that practically everyone recognizes it and the effect it had on society, such as Super Mario Bros.

The Super Mario Bros. theme was created by Koji Kondo, who has composed music for the Mario and Zelda franchises since their beginning. He is now a part of gaming history and represents excellence in gaming composition considering his ability to create memorable music in games for the past 30 years.

Gaming music wouldn’t be the same without Koji Kondo. His music stands on its own without a need for a Grammy or any other award to legitimize his place in gaming history.

However, gaming as a whole needed Journey  and Austin Wintory alongside “Baba Yetu” and Christopher Tin to push music forward in the minds of the broader public and increase exposure in the mainstream media. Games have had talented composers since their inception, but it’s taken many years for some of those composers to garner recognition outside of the gaming audience and into the wider music audience.

Now that gaming composers are getting more and more recognition, its safe to say that, as gaming becomes more culturally ingrained, we can expect video game music to become even more prominent.