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Gaming in the Aughts were full of Angry Young Men (NFS Underground Soundtrack)

SpotAnime

SpotAnime

Member
Dec 11, 2017
2,123
Last year I went on a small buying binge in anticipation for the big Xbox BC update, and was left with a fair amount of games that didn't make the cut. As a result, I hooked up my OG Xbox and have been having some fun playing some of the games of that generation. One worth mentioning is considered a classic racing title from that era, Need for Speed Underground (2003).

Gameplay aside, I am captivated by it as a time capsule of a style of music composed by, and seemingly catering to, angry young men. I was reminded of just how literally dangerous music of this generation was after watching HBO's Woodstock 99 documentary this past summer. I know I'm stereotyping or even nearing hyperbole, but the popular music of this era was full of hard guitar riffs, aneurysm-inducing screaming lyrics and inciting misogynistic young men to behave badly.

NFS Underground, and many games of this era, seemed to be responses to this popular music of the time with its soundtrack selection. Here are a few choice cuts (blood pressure alert):


View: https://youtu.be/-mvoGIkPTRE


View: https://youtu.be/Mmbgg1xWfOY


View: https://youtu.be/wObqrlY21yA


View: https://youtu.be/vMCbJB4yNXo

Certainly NFS Underground wasn't alone in this, but it's soundtrack is striking to me just how "xtreme" it was.
 
JayCB64

JayCB64

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,026
Wales
I'm one of the most mellow motherfuckers out there irl, always have been, but I love all of this type of stuff, so I'm not sure how much that stereotype holds up. Some of the nicest guys I've ever met were metal heads.
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
Underground's soundtrack was a banger tho. don't know why they were all so mad, but it was the most 2000s soundtrack ever
 
rubbish_opinions

rubbish_opinions

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Nov 8, 2021
476
this trend led me to the habit of turning off music in games, which then evolved to just turning the volume down to 30% when things got better
 
eXistor

eXistor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,412
JayCB64 said:
I'm one of the most mellow motherfuckers out there irl, always have been, but I love all of this type of stuff, so I'm not sure how much that stereotype holds up. Some of the nicest guys I've ever met were metal heads.
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Exactly, same with punks. They're some of the most affable people there are. I'm also like you; just laid back in general and not looking for trouble, but my favorite music is skate punk, which isn't necessarily an "angry" genre, but you might not associtate it with someone who's laid-back.
 
AtomLung

AtomLung

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,643
Is nu metal dangerous, or was it just dangerous to stuff a bunch of people in an abandoned air base in the middle of July and charge $5 for bottled water?
 
boris_feinbrand

boris_feinbrand

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,626
"Literally dangerous music"
I feel like I've tuned into one of those christian housewives discussions on german messageboards in the early 2000s reading the OP.
Man I'm getting nostalgic about the moral panic of the time all over again.
 
TheBiInBilingual

TheBiInBilingual

THE STORE ENSURED ME THERE WOULDN'T BE FILM
Member
Feb 22, 2018
2,827
JayCB64 said:
I'm one of the most mellow motherfuckers out there irl, always have been, but I love all of this type of stuff, so I'm not sure how much that stereotype holds up. Some of the nicest guys I've ever met were metal heads.
Click to expand...
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As someone who went to a metal concert yesterday, I can re-confirm this. Very lovable folks all around.
 
The Iron Banana

The Iron Banana

Member
Apr 25, 2018
1,657
Rockwall, Texas
boris_feinbrand said:
"Literally dangerous music"
I feel like I've tuned into one of those christian housewives discussions on german messageboards in the early 2000s reading the OP.
Man I'm getting nostalgic about the moral panic of the time all over again.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well OP did state they felt they might have been stereotyping or even being a bit hyperbolic. Still there's something to it. I know my kids, at least a few of them, were greatly affected by fps games. It was very noticeable to my wife and I. Factor in their love for that style of loud music and it's not a stretch to say it definitely was influential.
 
Scarlett

Scarlett

Member
Dec 5, 2020
1,197
It's been a while. Now you've woken up a demon in me.

Here you go create another fable; you wanted to.
 
julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,912
I... i'm really not sure what to say here. I won't dispute that the songs might be misogynistic, as, well, i think any significant time spent listening to random music of any kind will likely attest to that. But the connection being made between angry young men and metal adjacent music hasn't ever in my life been a factual thing. Honestly, there are a ton of things to go after, specifically in NFS Underground that can suggest it being especially targeted to men of a certain age and of a certain relationship to the status quo, but the music? Frankly it is the weakest link.
 
Kemono

Kemono

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,715
I'm sure OP is right overall but imo todays music isn't that different... except for less, screaming, heavy riffs, etc. It's still full of angry young men and misogynistic lyrics.

The new NFS OST is more international and way less screamo but still stuffed with songs about being a gangster/etc.
 
TheMoon

TheMoon

|OT|
Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,782
Video Games
SpotAnime said:
Last year I went on a small buying binge in anticipation for the big Xbox BC update, and was left with a fair amount of games that didn't make the cut. As a result, I hooked up my OG Xbox and have been having some fun playing some of the games of that generation. One worth mentioning is considered a classic racing title from that era, Need for Speed Underground (2003).

Gameplay aside, I am captivated by it as a time capsule of a style of music composed by, and seemingly catering to, angry young men. I was reminded of just how literally dangerous music of this generation was after watching HBO's Woodstock 99 documentary this past summer. I know I'm stereotyping or even nearing hyperbole, but the popular music of this era was full of hard guitar riffs, aneurysm-inducing screaming lyrics and inciting misogynistic young men to behave badly.

NFS Underground, and many games of this era, seemed to be responses to this popular music of the time with its soundtrack selection. Here are a few choice cuts (blood pressure alert):


View: https://youtu.be/-mvoGIkPTRE


View: https://youtu.be/Mmbgg1xWfOY


View: https://youtu.be/wObqrlY21yA


View: https://youtu.be/vMCbJB4yNXo

Certainly NFS Underground wasn't alone in this, but it's soundtrack is striking to me just how "xtreme" it was.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


35903-l.webp


you literally asked for this
 
TransEuropaExpress

TransEuropaExpress

Member
Dec 6, 2017
11,074
US
If only they had hired Michael McDonald to do the soundtrack we could've saved our entire generation of boys from a life of murder, prison and drug addiction.
 
rubbish_opinions

rubbish_opinions

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Nov 8, 2021
476
SpotAnime said:
I was reminded of just how literally dangerous music of this generation was after watching HBO's Woodstock 99 documentary this past summer. I know I'm stereotyping or even nearing hyperbole, but the popular music of this era was full of hard guitar riffs, aneurysm-inducing screaming lyrics and inciting misogynistic young men to behave badly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

lol. I missed this section when answering earlier. literally dangerous music! at least you're not saddling videogames with moral responsibilities. music is dangerous only when heard too loud and then it's just dangerous to your hearing.
 
Yahsper

Yahsper

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,585
"Catering to angry young men", what even is this?

You realise it's the other way around, right? This is not how culture works, even in its most capitalist form. It was post 9/11, we were coming out of the late 90s, and society was really coming down hard from the optimism those years brought. Nu-metal become popular, more experimental indie bands broke through, the whole 'bubblegum' feel of the 90s had to make place for music that was more rough around the edges. You will notice this in music, movies, video games,...

We'll probably see it again in the coming years.
 
Rumenapp

Rumenapp

Forza Photographer
Member
Nov 9, 2017
13,051
Good thing that Unbound doesn't feature any rock music then, i could suddently throw my controller against the wall or something like that.
 
treasureyez

treasureyez

Member
Nov 23, 2017
1,337
SpotAnime said:
I was reminded of just how literally dangerous music of this generation was after watching HBO's Woodstock 99 documentary this past summer. I know I'm stereotyping or even nearing hyperbole, but the popular music of this era was full of hard guitar riffs, aneurysm-inducing screaming lyrics and inciting misogynistic young men to behave badly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

TIL that hard guitar riffs and screaming vocals are "literally dangerous"
 
Dyle

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
30,314
People can just openly post dangerous music on this site?
 
Unclebenny

Unclebenny

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,771
Referencing your wider point about this brand of nu-metal provoking dangerous actions (I disagree), I think it's more that this was the height of this kind of aggressive music being popular.

As with anything, once it reaches a certain mass of interest, it tends to pool the worst elements of society. Those who aren't there for the culture but only because they follow whatever is mainstream and they are more likely to fall into the entitled bouts of dysfunctional behaviour. Especially when drink is also involved.

See- any kind of sports rioting (particularly football/soccer), the way some music fans like BTS fans for example can treat others etc, etc.

Aggressive music is still about. Yet somehow, every metal gig or post hardcore show doesn't end up with the stage being torn apart.
 
SigSig

SigSig

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,777
game studios back then realized that you could buff players IRL through music. these days it has fallen out of fashion, they can't get too good or they won't buy the mtx.
 
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