I really couldn't disagree more. I think there are times when just ambient sounds work fine, but music adds too much to the experience.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Disabling in-game music increases immersion undoubtedly
- Thread starter Afro
- Start date
You replied to my post about my opinion... to tell me it's my opinion?
Yup. The region themes in XCX made exploration so much more fun. A good soundtrack can make an otherwise good/great game into an amazing one for me.
First off, I agree with you.
Secondly, I hate you. Your damn avatar just brought up incredibly bad nightmares.
It completely depends on how the game is designed. Why should I turn the music off when the game has awful ambiance?
In general, I shouldn't need to choose when there is music and when there isn't as that is a design decision made by the game developer. If there is music playing it was probably designed like that and meant to be experienced that way. Same for the opposite.
In general, I shouldn't need to choose when there is music and when there isn't as that is a design decision made by the game developer. If there is music playing it was probably designed like that and meant to be experienced that way. Same for the opposite.
I can't imagine playing DOOM without a soundtrack. It works in some games sure but not all. Please go play DOOM. The soundtrack is quite possibly the best soundtrack I've ever listened to. Also if you're curious Mick Gordon did a GDC talk this year about the music in DOOM and how they avoided some common problems other games run into.
Totally agree with OP - I disable music after a while in every game. Not only does music get old pretty quickly in loot games or multiplayer games or any grindy-games, but I use a SubPac when I play and it works a lot better if there is no music playing to muddy up the sound mix.
I usually keep it on, but a couple examples get me.
Minecraft - I need my own music when playing this game, something about the game's music doesn't vibe with me.
Forza Motorsport 5 - No more licensed songs, replaced it with a weird symphonic OST that doesn't fit in at all. Forza 7 has as OST too but they went with a more rock vibe, so it fits better. I can't remember Forza 6, as I just turned it off right away.
Skyrim - VERY specific scenario. Every so often I'll enable a dark-night mod, turn off the HUD and music, turn off the lights in my room and throw on a pair of headphones. Just walk around like you're a citizen of Skyrim and hope a pack of wolves doesn't ambush you on your way to Riften (that's if you know how to get there without a HUD).
Any Call of Duty multiplayer - Playing Search & Destroy, I'm last man alive with my headphones loud. One minute left. *BLARING MUSIC* "YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME SOLDIER GET IN THE FIGHT!!!!" Enemy I couldn't hear kills me from behind.
Other than those, I feel the music fits in and improves the game. Unless going deep with immersion like I sometimes do with Skyrim, or if it throws me off too much, I keep the music on.
Minecraft - I need my own music when playing this game, something about the game's music doesn't vibe with me.
Forza Motorsport 5 - No more licensed songs, replaced it with a weird symphonic OST that doesn't fit in at all. Forza 7 has as OST too but they went with a more rock vibe, so it fits better. I can't remember Forza 6, as I just turned it off right away.
Skyrim - VERY specific scenario. Every so often I'll enable a dark-night mod, turn off the HUD and music, turn off the lights in my room and throw on a pair of headphones. Just walk around like you're a citizen of Skyrim and hope a pack of wolves doesn't ambush you on your way to Riften (that's if you know how to get there without a HUD).
Any Call of Duty multiplayer - Playing Search & Destroy, I'm last man alive with my headphones loud. One minute left. *BLARING MUSIC* "YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME SOLDIER GET IN THE FIGHT!!!!" Enemy I couldn't hear kills me from behind.
Other than those, I feel the music fits in and improves the game. Unless going deep with immersion like I sometimes do with Skyrim, or if it throws me off too much, I keep the music on.
strongly disagree, by to each his own
At GameTrailers we had to capture video with music off to make it easier to edit, and it could be night and day for some games.
Always irks me when I hear reviewers say they were listening to podcasts during a review (i guess i do that with grindy games, but I'm allowed to be a hypocrite)
At GameTrailers we had to capture video with music off to make it easier to edit, and it could be night and day for some games.
Always irks me when I hear reviewers say they were listening to podcasts during a review (i guess i do that with grindy games, but I'm allowed to be a hypocrite)
I end up doing this in alot of open world games. The OST is usually not implemented in a way that i enjoy.
Witcher 3 has a great OST and listening to it by itself is nice. But i mostly played the game without music or my own because the game had the worst fucking type of "we're gonna loop the same fucking 5 ambient osta over and over except maybe a few seconds of set piece moments"
Made it alot more enjoyable. Hearing a poorly mixed OST design while trying to get into a good cutscene ruined so much.
Witcher 3 has a great OST and listening to it by itself is nice. But i mostly played the game without music or my own because the game had the worst fucking type of "we're gonna loop the same fucking 5 ambient osta over and over except maybe a few seconds of set piece moments"
Made it alot more enjoyable. Hearing a poorly mixed OST design while trying to get into a good cutscene ruined so much.
I'd say it really depends on the OST. IMO there are far too many games using trypical action movie orchestrations in an attempt to be "cinematic" or "realistic", and it's a big mistake. One example is I'm playing through ReCore and while the game is decent fun the soundtrack is just so generically Action Movie that I can barely stand it.
But on the other hand (and ironic due to your Blow comment), I feel like Braid is inseparable from its soundtrack. The music fits so perfectly with the mood of the game that it really does add a layer of depth to what would otherwise be a pretty unemotional journey without music.
But then, maybe it's also a 2D versus 3D thing, where 2D games need music to add to the immersion while 3D games already have so much visual information going on that the soundtrack isn't needed as much.
But on the other hand (and ironic due to your Blow comment), I feel like Braid is inseparable from its soundtrack. The music fits so perfectly with the mood of the game that it really does add a layer of depth to what would otherwise be a pretty unemotional journey without music.
But then, maybe it's also a 2D versus 3D thing, where 2D games need music to add to the immersion while 3D games already have so much visual information going on that the soundtrack isn't needed as much.
GTA V has those rad Tangerine Dream tracks though that play on occasion. I think while flying?
... and they're so good
Nah. Depends on how the games music is designed. Part of the immersion of some games is the music
This depends on how good the sound design is without the background track constantly or frequently playing.
"Immersion" is one of the worst terms and one of the worst excuses that people use to defend games to ever come out of the video game lexicon. Not only is it a meaningless, hyperbolic word, but often times, excuses for wanting a game to be more "immersive" lead to the defense of shittier game mechanics (and shittier games).
That said, I actually have been noticing a theme of a lot of games exploring long stretches of quiet moments, and I actually find myself appreciating that quiet time.The two that really come to mind are Mario Odyssey and BOTW. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the lack of music and the way music kind of dynamically dips in only when it needs to and then dips out for long periods adds to the overall atmosphere of said games.
I think these types of games are served best when there's a balance between no music and music, and when silence allows the player to think during certain points of the game, coupled music that kicks in when necessary is that special sauce that has really made those games "feel" all the better for it.
That said, I actually have been noticing a theme of a lot of games exploring long stretches of quiet moments, and I actually find myself appreciating that quiet time.The two that really come to mind are Mario Odyssey and BOTW. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the lack of music and the way music kind of dynamically dips in only when it needs to and then dips out for long periods adds to the overall atmosphere of said games.
I think these types of games are served best when there's a balance between no music and music, and when silence allows the player to think during certain points of the game, coupled music that kicks in when necessary is that special sauce that has really made those games "feel" all the better for it.
This isn't true, it's a very valid element of game design. The problem is that people misuse the term, or just inject too much of their own definition into what it means.
Your citation of Jonathan Blow is a bit flawed, OP. Even he included music in The Witness at appropriate moments (the very end of the game, the final challenge) in order to evoke a certain feeling (closure and, I suppose, panic, respectively). A mix of ambience and music can work wonders.
Last edited:
Now that's hyperbole. It's great when it works (Dead Space). Immersion is something that is difficult to achieve because it requires the person to be completely transfixed, and it's not something that can be given by the game, though a game can create systems to help you get there. It's more on the person's interest than on the game itself.
The first Dead Space is immensely better without the music. The ship is damn near alive, with all of the ambient sounds.
Framing this as EVERY game is better without the music, was a mistake. As is saying that EVERY game's music elevates the experience.
Framing this as EVERY game is better without the music, was a mistake. As is saying that EVERY game's music elevates the experience.
I had to play Skyrim without music(and some missing sound effects) and let me tell you having no music while wandering around made for a lesser experience.
Fallout 4 on the other hand...
Yeah you could remove the music entirely and I would barely notice. The ambient noises were enough.
Fallout 4 on the other hand...
Yeah you could remove the music entirely and I would barely notice. The ambient noises were enough.