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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Video Games Music

According to numerous reports, surveys and polls that I've read, anywhere from 45%-65% of westernized societies play video games.   20% play video games every day.   Truly video games have captured the attention of a massive audience.  It is to no surprise that video game sales have surpassed every other form of entertainment in our society. As movie and music sales find themselves way behind, the gaming industry has been crowned the rightful king of entertainment.

What makes a video game enjoyable?  Is it the plot? Is the the action, or adventure?  Imagine playing a video game that had no music. Sure it would be fun...  But only for like 10 minutes. While you normally don't play a video game to listen to it's music, somewhere in your subconscious thoughts the music is having a profound impact on the experience you get from playing the game. To make a game without music, would be like going to war with a dull blade.   

There are many video games that come to mind when I think of video game music however, one specifically sparks my attention over the rest because of the insanely large audience it attracts.  World of Warcraft is a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that has an estimated 12 million active monthly subscriptions world wide. If you've never heard of this game, you've been in some dark hole detached from society.    With 12 million active subscriptions thats a potential 12,000,000 people that listen to World of Warcraft music daily...  No major pop act could even come close to that amount of listeners every day.  Sure,  not all 12,000,000 subscribers play daily or all at once, but given that subscribers pay $15 per month to play the game, there is going be a huge number of people that indulge on a daily basis.  All the while, subconsciously being influenced by the music that inhabits in the game world.

The music of World of Warcraft has had about 10 different composers that  have scored music for the games many regions and events. All of which have greatly contributed to the feel and play of the game.  It would be hard for me to single out one over the other, so I won't.  Instead, I'll let the music do the talking, just as it should.

Music of the day:  Eminence Symphony Orchestra: The Shadow of The Legion (music from World of Warcraft)








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