Disabling in-game music increases immersion undoubtedly

[Afro]

CONTROVERSIAL OPINION ALERT, but hear me out!

First off - this is not an anti-video game soundtrack thread. Just wanted to make that clear. We all agree that the soundtrack is a proven, effective way to set the mood in a game. There's no disputing that. There's no disputing how many classic, timeless, original soundtracks have been created since Mario on the NES.

Having said that, the very first thing I do before I start a game is head into the options and set the music slider to zero.

Disabling the in-music allows me to get a real good grasp of the general feel and ambience of the environment. I can soak up the atmosphere free from distraction. It's more intimate and personal feeling. Whereas a grandiose orchestral track layered on top kinda' distances me from the world. It's like I'm watching a film.

I believe Jon Blow said it best when talking about The Witness:

If we slather on a piece of music that is just arbitrarily playing, and not really coming from the world, then we're adding a layer of stuff that works against the game. It'd be like a layer of insulation that you have to hear through in order to be more present in the world.

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Here's a quick vid I threw together to help get my point across. In the first half of the vid, notice how you can almost feel the forest. You hear the subtle shifting of rock formations in the distance, the intermittent cawing of crows, the slight rumble of thunder, etc. There's just an unmistakable, dense, eerie ambience in the air. Then notice what happens when I flip the music back on. You lose almost all that juicy ambience - completely drowned out. It's a different feeling. With the music disabled you felt almost uneasy. You felt alone. Apprehensive. The music removed those feelings.

 

[JohnMichonski]

please relax

 

[Deleted member 4093]

Depend on the game.. some games use music strategically.

Thats said, have you played BOTW? It does both

 

[Genetrik]

I did not enjoy BOTW exactly because of this

 

[Deleted member 25117]

Disabling the music in Ori is a crime.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

But if I turned off music in Cuphead I couldn't dance while getting rekt

 

[Sun's Resting Place]

On the other hand, the feeling of fighting one of the best game bosses set to this track was one of the most awesome videogame experiences of all time.

 

[Hat22]

There should be a place for both ambience and music.

Some games would benefit from switching between music and ambience.

 

[Phendrift]

Could not disagree more.

Music can make or break games.

 

[HiroTSK5]

I'm actually the opposite where if a game has large swaths of silence it feels empty to me and takes me out of a game.

I did not enjoy BOTW exactly because of this

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For me the lack of soundtrack for most of Breath of the Wild was what took me out of the experience.

 

[Strangelove_77]

Good god, man.

No.

Just no.

Absolutely not.

No. No.

No.

 

[theDidact]

Disabling the music in Ori is a crime.

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.

 

[RROCKMAN]

Nope, both the lack of music and the use of music COMBINED is what provides the best immersion.

Current Wolfenstein is a great example of this.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

some games i vastly prefer the ambiance to the soundtrack.

Usually it's what i do in MMOs or open world games.

 

[MadeULook]

If anything, great music actually helps with immersion. Especially when it comes to setting a mood for the general atmosphere of a location or event. Although, there are certainly times where no music works quite effectively.

 

[Unknownlight]

There's a time and a place, OP. Sometimes a developer layers a music track over a section of a game that would be better with just ambiance, and sometimes a developer chooses ambiance when a music track would be more appropriate.

Admittedly, the latter situation is pretty rare, but there were a lot of sections of Super Mario Odyssey where the music cut out completely and it weirded me out every time. Some games are just not made for ambiance.

 

[Impetuous Imp]

Out of all the games you could have listed to illustrate your point, Ori would have been the absolute last one I'd imagine. The music in Ori is, to me, an integral part of the experience of the game, conveying so much emotion to a story with so little spoken dialogue. It tells much of the story in and of itself, IMO.

I agree that nothing but the ambient world sounds can be effective in some games, but as someone who always walks around with some kind of song in my head, I find a game without (good) music to be far less immersive, unless it's done in contrast to other sections of the game, and then it's usually for a particular purpose and to specifically highlight those sounds.

 

[Deleted member 11276]

BOTW is the perfect game for you then.

I disagree. Music adds a lot to the immersion of a game. I missed it sometimes in BOTW.

 

[Piichan]

I just leave it up to whatever the developer's idea of "immersion" is.

 

[SJUG]

I wasn't bothered by lack of music in botw, made the game really calming to play, just running around and exploring. Also made encounters with guardians much more intense lol.

 

[SystemBug]

Music is like the most immersive medium for me. Turning it off seems criminal

 

[Palazzo]

Immersion isn't just about making the player feel that the world of the game they're playing could be a living, breathing one, it's in using all the aspects of video games to draw the player into that world so that they won't care about "unrealistic" elements. In that sense, music is generally essential to immersion.

 

[motorised mallard]

While true in some cases, certainly it is not the case in others.

Try playing a Paradox map game without music or podcast/video on background.

And while I haven't played Ori yet, damn backlogs, I'm quite sure that it is one of those games where turning the music off is a crime.

 

[Pancracio17]

I disagree.
Most of the time music is used to set a tone and make the game feel less "empty". Both are essential for immersion.

Thats not to say ambient sound cant immerse you though, The Witness and BotW are fine examples.

 

[Slammin_Hammon]

No thanks. I don't think it's worth missing out on music that typically serves to heighten the game just so I can feel a little more immersed. I'd probably actually say music helps me feel more immersed as it can help pull me in emotionally.

 

[NullPointer]

I don't fully agree as music can elevate a space to amazing heights. But I will often turn it off to get a sense of a location's soundscape, and I'm often surprised by what I hear, and how much those audio details can add to the sense of place and inform you of little details in the environment.

 

[xMaximusx]

I agree & disable the music is many games. Other games benefit immensely however like Cuphead

 

[Crayolan]

I'd take music over immersion any day. A strong soundtrack can greatly elevate a game for me.

You say a lack of music creates a sense of ambience, which I guess is true, but it also ignores what kind of mood the devs intended for the player to feel. Unlike the quote in the OP suggests, music is not arbitrarily chosen. It sets the tone for the level or scene or area or whatever. You're changing the feel of the game, but you're not necessarily changing it for the better. . "Eerie ambience" is not inherently superior to all other atmospheres.

 

[Stranger Things]

lol i totally disagree with this one, OP

music in games is A PART of the overall atmosphere of the game

you're actually NOT getting the feel of what the artists intended if you turn it off

taking away the music just makes the game feel awkward, which may or MAY NOT help with the anxiety, tension building moments in, lets say a creepy atmospheric horror game like Alien Isolation

 

[Caronte]

Nope, both the lack of music and the use of music COMBINED is what provides the best immersion.

Current Wolfenstein is a great example of this.

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This. I love it when some serious shit happens in a game and then in the next scene there's no music and you only listen to the ambient sound (rain, usually). It makes it feel important.

 

[Mechaplum]

You could say that playing Automata without the music is like getting into a hot tub without filling it up with water. You are still naked in a sitting position, but you'd be wondering what's all the fuss about because your ass cheeks(and plums, if you have them) are now cold without any pay off.

 

[NullPointer]

This. I love it when some serious shit happens in a game and then in the next scene there's no music and you only listen to the ambient sound (rain, usually). It makes it feel important.

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Proper timing is important. I love Bloodborne for this. Most of the time there isn't any music to hear, but when it kicks in holy shit I'm going to have a heart attack.

 

[ClickyCal']

Depends on the game. Metroid needs music though.

 

[Cess007]

I can't imagine some games without the music to enhance the experience (SotC, TLoU, Journey)

 

[ComputerBlue]

Disagree.

Music can make a good game great, and a lack of music can turn a good game into a tedious affair.

 

[Plainsong]

Something like Forza I will disable all HUD elements and disable the music. I find music in driving games really off and I want to hear the car and what's going on around me. For single player and story driven games I do like a good soundtrack. It can really ramp up the emotions.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Disabling the music in Ori is a crime.

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Was going to say this. The Misty woods creepy tune definitely makes that area more engaging. Its not overbearing either.

 

[Deleted member 30788]

That's only acceptable if the sound effects are great. If you can hear leaves in the wind, birds chirping on distant trees, soft footsteps in the snow.. That all contributes to the atmosphere and you can call it the music of the world but if it's just silence? If the only thing you hear are your mouse clicks or the pc fan blowing hot air? I don't see how that would increase immersion.

 

[Medalion]

Agreed OP
Unless the game I know is known to have some great music beforehand, I play with music turned off to invest in more atmospheric games

 

[Trigonometrize]

I can't disagree, but I also don't really value immersion in the way you define it. Good immersion to me is just something being engaging enough to bring me in, not something as narrow as being able to hear the nuances of the environment.

Limbo does a good job of bringing in music but keeping the focus on the sounds of the environment.

 

[Nephilim]

Disagree. Imagine watching Star Wars or Lord of the Rings without the great music.
Bye bye athmosphere and epicness.

 

[BrickArts295]

The only game where this would work for me is Last of Us. Mostly because the soundtrack is used very subtle kinda like BOTW. But I love the soundtrack too much to keep it mute.
I actually liked playing The Last of Us MP without the music, I think it made things more intense rather than immersive for me XD.

Wait does RE4 even have a score? I swear that game was all environmental sounds most of the time. Can't even remember a single track and I have played the game quite a few times.

 

[eyeball_kid]

I think it depends on the genre. I couldn't imagine playing a platformer without a soundtrack, but a RPG or adventure game with good ambient sound design I'd be fine with no music. It also depends on the soundtrack -- No Man's Sky's generative soundtrack does a really good job of providing musical atmosphere and narrative tension without getting in the way of the environmental audio.

 

[Crayon]

If I get really into a game eventually turn off the music. I get a little tired of the music, but it's mostly because of what op is talking about.

 

[KillLaCam]

Depends on the game. Bloodborne bosses without music aren't as cool.


Don't think I've ever wanted to turn off the music in a game for more than a few minutes though

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Disagree. Imagine watching Star Wars or Lord of the Rings without the great music.
Bye bye athmosphere and epicness.

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Immersive

 

[Sybil]

There's a time and place for everything, and that's what proper audio direction is for.
Though hearing that people play Ori, of all games, with music off...makes a small part of me die inside.

 

[BrickArts295]

Immersive

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Man I couldn't even begin to imagine filming that scene without having Williams somewhere in the background playing the music XD

 

[Zoc]

I agree in principle, but in practice most games don't have good enough sound design to pull this off. Even games designed without music, like The Witness, didn't really do it for me.

 

[Rivyn]

There was this small era in games and movies where the soundtrack really took a step back.

It was one of the worst periods for me. Nowadays movie directors and game developers really understand the need for music that compliments the atmosphere.