"If I don't hate myself after compulsively listening to my own music […] then it can't be that annoying"
Why Journey's Last Song Was Austin Wintory's Hardest To Compose
I enjoy games that make me think, which means I often pause – not literally press pause, but just hold still – to consider what I need to do next. It's those moments, like pausing to research how to climb that wall in Ori and the Blind Forest or checking my inventory before heading into the mines of Coral Island, where game soundtracks pop into my mind.
And there are plenty of these moments in any given game. So how do composers make game music that doesn't, frankly, become annoying? Nowadays, game soundtracks regularly exceed 100 tracks – but gamers can spend hundreds of hours indulging in massive games like Elden Ring. Even after collective days of playtime—or hours spent trying to get through a tough level where the music doesn't change—songs from our favorite games are nostalgic, motivating, exhilarating. How?
We asked 13 video game composers, who have scored hits like Hollow Knight, Assassin's Creed and Pacific Drive, just that: When you write music for video games, you know the songs will be played over and over again. What are some tactics you use, whether they relate to music theory or game design, to make sure players don't get annoyed by in-game music?
