Video: A Brief History of Video Game Music
A history of the international growth of video game soundtracks by podcasters Bryan Mosley and Gene Dreyband.
When we think about culture, it’s easy to get lost in the past. The cultural history of music might call to mind classical compositions, folk songs, or maybe the early roots of jazz, rock and roll, and other modern genres. But one subset of music has been growing rapidly, and it’s developed from international roots: video game soundtracks. In particular, nations like Japan, the USA, and the UK have made significant contributions to the field.
What would a final boss fight be without a stirring score? How many laps of a racing game could you complete without music in the background? Have any game tunes stuck with you to this day? In some cases, the soundtrack of a game can end up just as iconic as its gameplay or characters.
This lecture from the Library of Congress features podcasters Bryan Mosley and Gene Dreyband as they share the history of video games and their soundtracks. They explore not only how sounds in video games evolved with technology, but also how sound became a fundamental part of the gaming experience.
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