Video game music (VGM) is the music that plays during video games. In the beginning, video game music was limited to sounds created by early technology, such as special chips called programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations helped create a style of music called chiptune, which became the main sound of early video games.

As technology improved, video game music became more varied. Music can now be heard during a game's title screen, menus, and during gameplay. Soundtracks may also change based on a player's actions or situation, such as showing when a player makes a mistake in a rhythm game, warning them about danger, or celebrating their achievements.

Video game music can be either original music created for the game or licensed music that is already owned by someone else.

The popularity of video game music has led to new educational and job opportunities, the creation of awards, and the sale of game soundtracks. These soundtracks are also performed in concerts.

History

In the late 1970s, video games became a popular form of entertainment. At that time, music was stored on physical media, such as cassette tapes and phonograph records. These items were expensive and could break easily, making them unsuitable for use in arcade cabinets. However, in rare cases like the game Journey, they were used. A more affordable way to include music in video games was through digital methods. A specific computer chip would convert electrical signals from computer code into sound waves in real time, which were then played through a speaker. Sound effects were also created using this method.

This allowed music to be included in early arcade video games, though it was usually simple, repeated, or played only briefly between stages or at the start of a game. Examples include Pac-Man (1980) and Pole Position (1982). The first arcade game to use continuous background music was Space Invaders (1978), which had four repeating bass notes that changed speed based on the player’s actions. The first game with continuous, melodic background music was Rally-X (1980), which featured a simple tune that played throughout gameplay. Including music in games required it to be written into computer code. Some music was original, while others used public domain songs, such as folk music. Sound capabilities were limited; for example, the Atari 2600 home system could only produce two tones at a time.

As technology improved and costs decreased, new arcade machines and home consoles allowed for better music. Machines using the Motorola 68000 CPU and Yamaha sound chips could produce more tones, sometimes eight or more. An early example was Carnival (1980), which used an electronic version of a classical song. Frogger (1981) introduced dynamic music that changed based on the player’s actions, using at least eleven different tracks. Dig Dug (1982) had music that paused when the player stopped moving. Super Locomotive (1982) included a chiptune version of a song by Yellow Magic Orchestra, which was later used in other games.

Home consoles also improved. The ColecoVision (1982) had four sound channels, while the Famicom (1983) and its U.S. version, the Nintendo Entertainment System (1985), had five channels, including one for simple sampled sounds. The Commodore 64 (1982) could produce early filtering effects and different waveforms, making it a popular choice for its affordability.

Early games used simple tone generation or frequency modulation to mimic instruments and a "noise channel" for percussion sounds. PCM samples, such as short sound clips, were used for effects like basslines or percussion. Music and sound effects often shared the same channels, meaning one could interrupt the other.

By the mid-to-late 1980s, more experienced composers created higher-quality music. Some well-known composers include Koichi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest), Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), and Koji Kondo (Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda). In Japan, video game music was sold on cassette tapes, inspiring American companies to focus more on game music by 1988. The Golden Joystick Awards added a "Best Soundtrack of the Year" category in 1986, won by Sanxion.

Some games, like Pitfall II for the Atari 2600 and later Famicom titles, included extra audio hardware to enhance sound. Starting around 1980, arcade games began using digital sampling. Rally-X (1980) used a digital-to-analog converter to create sampled tones. Stratovox (1980) was the first game to use speech synthesis. Frequency modulation synthesis, introduced by Yamaha, allowed for more varied sounds. Gyruss (1983) used FM synthesis to create an electronic version of a classical piece.

Personal computers also improved. The Amiga (1985) used digital signal processing with four 8-bit digital-to-analog converters, allowing developers to sample and play back music from memory. This method differed from earlier techniques.

Impact and importance

Many video game players think that music can improve gameplay. Popular Science says that game music is created to "help your brain feel more involved and blend into the background. The purpose of the soundtrack is to keep you focused on the game without causing distractions. In fact, the best music helps guide the player toward the task at hand."

Sound effects in games are also thought to affect how well players perform. Background sounds, like those in the game Resident Evil, are believed to increase the tension players feel. GameSpot says that this technique is also used in movies. Changing the speed of sound effects and music in games like Space Invaders can strongly influence the gaming experience when done correctly. When done properly, this can make the game feel more realistic and help players notice important moments or information.

Music and sound effects in games can become easy to remember. People may recognize a tune or sound effect quickly, even if they can't name the composer. Polygon says that although video game music is popular, many people might not know who created it.

Licensing

Using licensed music in video games became more common as the way games were shared grew large enough to include songs with other game materials. In the 2000s, as the video game industry expanded, music rights holders found it profitable to license songs for use in games. Games such as those in the Grand Theft Auto series often included licensed music. Music licensing is complicated because it involves two types of copyrights: one for the original song and one for the recorded version. Large game developers and publishers usually have staff trained in licensing to arrange the use of songs with music labels and other creators.

Video games with licensed music can face problems after release if long-term rights for the music are not secured. Before digital distribution became common, games sold in stores had long-term rights because there was no way to update them after release. However, digital platforms like Steam, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network automatically update games. Music licenses for games sold digitally may have limited time periods, requiring publishers to renegotiate rights or remove the music from the game through updates. For example, Alan Wake, released in 2010, was removed from digital sale in 2017 because its music rights expired. With help from Microsoft, the game’s developer, Remedy Entertainment, regained the rights and restored the game for sale in 2018. Similarly, Alpha Protocol, released in 2010, was removed from sale in 2019 due to expired music rights, though it is unclear if the publisher, Sega, will attempt to renew them.

Because of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, many popular video websites use automatic systems, such as YouTube’s Content ID, to detect and block content that uses copyrighted music. To help players avoid these issues when sharing gameplay videos, some games offer a "stream-safe" option. This feature either removes the music or replaces it with music that does not require copyright permission.

Game music as a genre

Many games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and other early game consoles use a similar type of music, sometimes called the "video game genre." Some parts of this style still affect music today, even though modern game soundtracks are not usually compared to the older style. This genre developed because of technology limits, but it was also influenced by electronic music groups, especially Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), who were popular in the late 1970s to 1980s. YMO used sounds from classic arcade games in their early music, including the 1978 song "Computer Game," which sampled the game Space Invaders. In return, YMO had a big influence on video game music during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.

Features of the video game music genre include:

• Music that repeats without ending, creating a mood, especially during important moments in games. These pieces may make players think about their choices.
• Music without lyrics that plays over the sounds of the game.
• Limited ability to play multiple notes at once. The Nintendo Entertainment System could only play three notes together at a time. Composers worked hard to make it seem like more notes were playing.

Although the sounds in NES music can be compared to a traditional rock band (triangle wave for bass, two pulse waves for guitars, and white noise for drums), composers often created complex and fast musical sequences. This was partly because of the technology limits. This style is similar to music from the Baroque period, when composers used extra musical details to make up for instruments that couldn’t change volume. For the same reason, early compositions also had a jazz influence. These styles mixed with later influences from heavy metal and J-pop music, creating a different sound in the 16-bit era.

At the same time, in Europe and North America, similar technology limits shaped the music in home computer games. Module file formats, like MOD, used similar techniques but were more influenced by the electronic music scene. Demos and the demoscene played an important role in the early years and still affect video game music today.

As technology improved, composers had more freedom. With the introduction of CD-ROMs, pre-recorded soundtracks became common. This led to a change in how music was written and performed. Early CD-ROM games had high-quality graphics and recorded music. Since the audio was not dependent on a sound card’s synthesis, composers and sound designers could be sure how the music would sound on most systems. They could also record sound effects, live instruments, vocals, and in-game dialogue.

Outside video games

Many fans and composers enjoy video game music, especially from the third and fourth generations of home video game consoles and newer ones. This music has been shared outside of video games through CDs, sheet music, live performances, art displays, and popular music.

Selling video game soundtracks as CDs has become more common in the industry. Other types of music releases, such as interpretive albums, remixes, and live performance albums, are also popular.

Koichi Sugiyama was one of the first people to release a live performance CD of his music. After the first Dragon Quest game came out in 1986, his compositions were performed by the Tokyo Strings Ensemble and later by other groups like the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

By 1987, Sega sold between 50,000 and 100,000 game soundtrack CDs each year. Yuzo Koshiro, another early composer, released a live performance of the Actraiser soundtrack. Music from the Ys series, created by Mieko Ishikawa and others, became so popular that more albums were made of this music than for most other video game music.

Like anime soundtracks, video game music and sheet music books were often sold only in Japan. Gamers outside Japan had to buy these items from companies that specialized in importing video game music. Recently, more companies in the United States and United Kingdom have started selling Western versions of these soundtracks.

The sale of video game soundtracks has created a close relationship between the music and games industries. Games are sometimes used to promote music, and musicians are used to promote games. A study found that 40% of hard-core gamers bought a CD after hearing a song in a video game, and 73% said game soundtracks helped sell more CDs. Some game soundtracks, like NBA Live 2003, have become so popular they reached platinum status.

Many composers have performed their music in live concerts. Koichi Sugiyama first did this in 1987 with a concert called Family Classic Concert, which featured Dragon Quest music. He later started a series called Orchestral Game Music Concerts, which included music by composers like Yoko Kanno, Nobuo Uematsu, Keiichi Suzuki, and Kentaro Haneda.

Nobuo Uematsu’s music for Final Fantasy IV was arranged into Final Fantasy IV: Celtic Moon, performed by string musicians in Ireland. A theme from this game is used in Japanese schools as a teaching example.

The popularity of Final Fantasy games in the 1990s helped video game music gain international attention. In 2003, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performed music from Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda in Germany for the first time outside Japan. This event was part of a video game trade fair and repeated several times.

In 2003, Square Enix launched a radio station called Final Fantasy Radio on America Online, featuring music from Final Fantasy XI and other games.

The first official Final Fantasy concert in the United States was held in 2004 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert sold out quickly. Nobuo Uematsu later performed Final Fantasy music with his rock band, The Black Mages.

In 2005, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra held a concert called Video Games Live at the Hollywood Bowl. This event, started by composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, featured music from games like Pong and Halo 2. It used special effects and was covered by media outside the video game industry.

In 2006, the Malmö Symphonic Orchestra performed a concert called Joystick in Sweden, drawing 17,000 people. This was the largest audience for a game music concert.

In 2007, the Eminence Symphony Orchestra performed a concert in Australia called A Night in Fantasia, featuring only video game music. Seven famous game composers attended as guests.

Since 2010, concerts with themes from video games have become a major source of income for many U.S. concert halls, as classical music performances have declined in popularity.

In 2012, the Smithsonian American Art Museum opened an exhibit called The Art of Video Games, featuring a chipmusic soundtrack by artists 8 Bit Weapon and ComputeHer.

In 2022, the first video game music-focused concert for the BBC Proms was held.

BAFTA plans to launch a concert tour in 2026, featuring music from games that won BAFTA Game Awards. The tour will be conducted by Austin Wintory and will start in the United Kingdom.

In popular music, sounds and music from video games have appeared in songs by many artists. During the 1980s, sounds from arcade games influenced genres like hip hop, pop, and electro music. These sounds also influenced the synthpop group Yellow Magic Orchestra, who used sounds from Space Invaders in their music.

Video game music education

Video game music is now part of school programs at colleges and universities in the United States. According to the Entertainment Software Association, more than 400 schools in the United States offer courses and degrees in video game design, many of which include lessons about creating sound and music for games. Colleges like Berklee College of Music, Yale University, New York University, and the New England Conservatory have added game music to their music programs. These programs teach students how to write music, arrange it for different instruments, edit audio, and produce sound. Other schools, such as DigiPen Institute of Technology, Columbia College Chicago, and Academy of Art University, offer programs focused on music and sound design for games. These programs include classes on making sound effects, designing interactive music, and writing music for games.

Similar programs have become popular in Europe. The Utrecht School of the Arts has offered a program in Game Sound and Music Design since 2003. The University of Hertfordshire has a program in Music Composition and Technology for Film and Games. Leeds Beckett University offers a program in Sound and Music for Interactive Games, and dBs Music Bristol teaches Sound for Games and Apps.

Less formal training events, like the GameSoundCon seminars, also teach how to compose music for video games.

Groups that perform video game music have been created alongside these programs. The Gamer Symphony Orchestra at the University of Maryland plays music from video games that students arrange themselves. The Video Game Orchestra is a group of students from Berklee College of Music and other schools in Boston who perform music from games professionally.

According to the National Association for Music Education, video game music is now taught in elementary and secondary schools to help students learn about music composition. At Magruder High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, students have started a student-run orchestra that plays music from video games. Many high school bands also perform music from video games.

Academic study

Academic research on video game music began in the late 1990s and continued through the mid-2000s. Early studies often focused on the history of game music or compared it to film music. One example is an article by Zach Whalen titled "Play Along – An Approach to Videogame Music," which includes both topics. The study of video game music is also called "ludomusicology," a term made by combining "ludology" (the study of games and gameplay) and "musicology" (the study of music). This term was created independently by Guillaume Laroche and Roger Moseley.

Karen Collins is a well-known researcher in video game music and audio. She is an associate professor at the University of Waterloo and holds the Canada Research Chair in Interactive Audio at the University of Waterloo Games Institute. Her book, Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design (MIT Press, 2008), is widely regarded as an important work in the field and helped shape the study of video game music.

The Ludomusicology Research Group is a group of researchers from different universities who study music in games, music games, and music in video game culture. The group includes Michiel Kamp, Tim Summers, Melanie Fritsch, and Mark Sweeney. They organize an annual international conference in the UK or Europe. The most recent conference at the time of writing was Ludo2017, held at Bath Spa University. The group was started in August 2011 by Kamp, Summers, and Sweeney. They also edited a book called Ludomusicology: Approaches to Video Game Music (2016) and helped create a new book series about game sound and music. In 2016, Tim Summers published a book titled Understanding Video Game Music (Cambridge University Press). Melanie Fritsch joined the group in 2016. She had previously edited an issue of an online journal that included work by Tim Summers, Steven B. Reale, and Jason Brame. She has attended conferences since 2012 and written several book chapters on the topic. Kamp, Summers, and Sweeney have backgrounds in musicology, while Fritsch has a background in performance studies.

The North American Conference on Video Game Music (NACVGM) is an international conference held yearly in North America since 2014. It is organized by Neil Lerner, Steven Beverburg Reale, and William Gibbons.

In late 2016, the Society for the Study of Sound and Music in Games (SSSMG) was created by the Ludomusicology Research Group, along with the organizers of the North American Conference on Video Game Music and the Audio Mostly conference. The SSSMG aims to connect people who make and study video game music and sound globally. It uses its website as a central place for sharing information, including a bibliography of research on video game music (a project started by the Ludomusicology Research Group).

The Ludomusicology Society of Australia was started by Barnabas Smith in April 2017 during the Ludo2017 conference in Bath, UK. The society aims to provide a local organization for academics, industry professionals, and fans of game music in the Australasian region.

Composers

Creating and making music for video games needs teamwork and coordination between different groups in game development. As the video game market has grown, more types of jobs related to game music have appeared. The process usually starts with the game designer, who decides what kind of music or style the game should have. They may choose to hire original composers or use music that is already available, both of which require help from other music experts.

During the arcade and early console era (1983 to the mid-1990s), most game music was created by full-time workers at the game companies making the games. This was because video game music required special skills, and each system had its own tools and technology. It was common for companies like Capcom or Konami to have rooms filled with composers, each working at their own station with headphones to write music.

When the CD era began and studio-recorded music became more common in games, it became typical for game music to be created by independent contractors. These workers are hired by game developers for specific projects. Many large-budget games, such as Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Ghost Recon, or Lost Planet, use this method. About half of all game composers work as freelancers, while the other half are employees of game companies. Original scores and soundtracks may require hiring a music director, who helps create the game music and arranges the resources needed for performances and recordings. Some music directors work with a game's sound designer to create a dynamic score. Exceptions include composer Koji Kondo, who still works for Nintendo, and Martin O'Donnell, who worked at Bungie until early 2014.

The rise of casual, mobile, and social games has created more opportunities for game music composers. In the U.S. market, job growth for game composers has increased by more than 150% over five years. Independently developed games are often where new composers gain experience. Many composers for smaller games also provide other services, such as sound design (76% of composers do this), integration (47% of composers do this), or even computer coding or scripting (15%).

As more games use popular music that is already created, new jobs have appeared, such as the role of a music supervisor. Music supervisors help game developers or publishers find existing music from artists and music companies. These supervisors may be hired for specific projects or work full-time, like the Music Group at Electronic Arts (EA), which has a team of music supervisors. A music supervisor's job is to choose music that fits the game and ensure it is legally licensed to avoid legal problems. They may also help negotiate payment, which for artists and songwriters is often a one-time fee, since games do not pay ongoing royalties for music. A growing trend is hiring artists to write original songs for games, and music supervisors often help with this process.

Awards

In 2011, music from video games was recognized at the Grammy Awards for the first time. The song "Baba Yetu" from the game Civilization IV won the 53rd Annual Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. This made it the first video game music to be nominated for or win a Grammy. The song was part of Christopher Tin's album Calling All Dawns, even though it had been used in the game six years earlier. In 2022, video game music was again honored at the Grammy Awards. The 8-Bit Big Band's cover version of "Meta Knight's Revenge," a song from Kirby Super Star, won the 64th Annual Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella. The cover was arranged by Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman.

Other awards for video game music include the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) award for Best Original Score for Interactive Media and Machinima.com's Inside Gaming Awards for Best Original Score and Best Sound Design.

In addition to recognizing composers of original scores, the Guild of Music Supervisors gives a GMS Award to music supervisors who select and organize licensed music for video games.

Fan culture

Video game fans have created websites focused on enjoying and sharing video game music, such as OverClocked ReMix. There are also YouTube channels that discuss and analyze video game music, like Visualizer Music Tracks and 8-Bit Music Theory.

Fans also create new versions and collections of songs, such as those made by insaneintherainmusic. They have formed online communities because the internet makes it easy to share their work.

In Japan, a fan music community called the dōjin scene produces albums of rearranged video game music. These albums are based on popular retro games like Mega Man, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy, as well as music from dōjin games like Touhou Project, studio Key visual novels, and the When They Cry series. They also include music from well-known franchises sold at Comiket, such as Type-Moon's Fate series or Kantai Collection. More than six thousand albums of Touhou Project music have been released.