A couple of weeks ago, I went to the concert “Video Games Live”. It was fantastic! 100% recommended (by the way, in March next year they will be in Birmingham, UK).
The concert made me reflect about the power of video game music as a unique music genre that can elicit manufactured memories that we can share with others with a large degree of precision.
Listening to music tend to elicit emotions and sometimes also memories. Listening to an old song with mates can take you back to the 80’s, 90’s, etc. But as much as we want to rebuild our memories together your memories and my memories will be different.
But, when we listen to music from video games, our memories share a larger similitude because they are the results of the virtual immersion in a manufactured product where we “live” in a game. Probably, the more constrained the game world is the more similar our memories will be and vice versa.
Hearing ghost replays from sounds or music from the game, as my research about Game Transfer Phenomena has identified, elicit similar responses as those experienced in the game.
The elicitation of manufactured memories and sharing those add a crucial element into the success of video game music as a genre. This characteristic is unique and precious! Or what do you think? What triggers you hearing the music from your old video games?
Check out:
Ortiz de Gortari, A. B., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Auditory experiences in Game Transfer Phenomena: An empirical self-report study. International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning 4(1), 59-75.