Immersion Is in the Music [OPINION]

After writing numerous columns and reviews about videogames, my claim about being a casual gamer is starting to look a little unrealistic, and I can’t argue with that. But with all the pieces I’ve wrote, I want to address a feature that hasn’t been addressed in not only my writing, but of other video game reviewers out there and that is how powerful music can be in a game. From when I was a child and had my own Nintendo 64, I would switch off between playing Mario Party 2 and Goldeneye 007. Both were fantastic games that allowed me to experience two completely different scenarios. One being a cartoon man with a mustache and a red hat playing silly mini games. The other being a British secret agent shooting Russian soldiers. Gameplay wise, these games couldn’t be any more different. But when it came to immersion, both had me glued to the television screen and unknowing of my present surroundings. This kind of immersion came from the music each game had. That is why this piece will be discussing how the power music can create an environment that the player can be immersed in.

There are many ways a player can find himself or herself immersed in a video game. It could be through thrilling adventures, a captivating story, or characters that the player can truly relate to. With today’s current video game projects, developers have begun straying away from this to focus more on replay ability and multiplayer. I understand this as a videogame can reach up to a multi-million-dollar investment so it’s hard to argue why developers want to maximize its profits. But this has cost players a chance at being truly immersed with the game. But that’s not to say that all projects have abandoned this. Some developers have been using music to implement a sense of immersion for the player and when done right, can create an experience like no other.

An example of this can be seen from id Software who created the game DOOM in 2016. The game has very little dialogue and the only main objective is to eliminate as many aliens as possible. It’s a game that doesn’t require a lot of thought to play. Yet, it was one of the year’s most successful games. While the gameplay of it was fun and thrilling, what made gamers ooze was the music. The development team hired Mick Gordon to oversee music and rather than creating a score that plays on where the player is, it scores on what the player is doing. This is where the brilliance of his work takes effect. Rather than music beginning when a player enters a room, the music begins when the player takes a specific action. The composer built layers that coincide with the player’s actions rather than letting the music create the atmosphere. The music didn’t feel forced but instead created by the players themselves. Going back to DOOM, when more aliens began flooding the room and the player stumbles upon a hidden weapon to clear the room, the music amplifies. This then creates a connection to the player on their actions, almost making the player feeling like they are in a Michael Bay film.

Other games will create music that will go in hand with what kind of playstyle they choose. In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, players are given multiple pathways to their objectives as well as various ways to eliminate enemies. If players are attempting to progress through the level in a stealth-like manner and avoid enemy detection, the music will play a soft ambient. If players are close to detection or at risk of failure, the music may speed up a little to a more stressful ambient that hints the player that they are at risk of danger. When a player is in combat with the enemy, the music will escalate which indicates the player that they are spotted and are being hunted. The results score the players’ input rather than the music creating the mood for them.

Now this isn’t to say that the mechanic is perfect. With this kind of complexity as well as quick shifting scenarios, this can result in music being played at incorrect times. A player may have just escaped combat but the escalating combat music may still be playing, resulting in players wondering if they’re truly safe or if the game is still catching up with the player’s actions. This can result in a breakage of immersion for the player.

But the positives certainly outweigh the negatives when it comes to the enhancements music can bring to a game. Music in a game allows the player to take in the environment around them. It can create an experience far greater than just a mindless video game. It allows the player to be lost in an adventure and create an atmosphere for a gamer to inhabit. Few studios have perfected music in projects. But the developers that do perfect it, can create a game that allows players to be truly immersed.