There is a new phenomenon in video gaming, the addition of popular music to the games. For example, the game “NBA Live 06” contains the song “My Style” by the Black Eyed Peas.
What does music do for video games, you may ask. Jude Cooke, a freshman at West Point, has an answer. In his interview, Cooke said that music helps players get into a game.
Cooke uses his experience as a football player and makes a comparison to the Madden games. “When you are on the field, you hear the music and it pumps you up. It’s the same way for video games.”
Cooke said that if you hear a song that you like while playing a game, you can enjoy the game more. On the other hand, hearing music you don’t like will make the game less enjoyable.
Kevin Gallager, a senior English and communications major, said that a good mix of styles can help a game. Gallager points to some games where you can actually chose different in-game radio stations to listen to.
Another point that Gallager brought up was the fact that many underground bands can be found on these games. Gallager says that video games can be seen as another platform for advertising for these bands.
Gallager is also quick to point out that many of the games he has played contained bad music. Another problem Gallager notes is the fact that many games do not offer a good mix of styles. Some tend to lean towards a certain kind of style, turning those who do not like that style away.
GameFAQs.com is a great source of information on a certain games. Some of this information comes in the form of game reviews. People review the game, looking critically at many areas of the game, including sound.
According to the reviews on this site, many games are having problems getting the music to fit the action of the game. This can make playing the game feel odd, due to the fact that the music playing does not fit in with what is going on.
These game reviews also show that the soundtrack of the game is usually not considered when buying the game. When people buy the game they usually focus on the gameplay.
Scott Simpson, a sophomore communications major at Temple, is a very serious gamer. Simpson says that the appearance of popular music in video games is an attempt by various game making companies to attract more customers.
Simpson was once asked by Sony whether or not he based his choice of games on the soundtrack. Simpson said no to this since every serious gamer does not consider the soundtrack.
Simpson also points out that many games hire their own orchestras to create music for the game. This approach ensures that the music will fit the game.
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