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# Why are we so obsessed about video game music?
- URL: https://nowplaying.cool/why-are-we-so-obsessed-about-video-game-music/
- Published: 2026-11-04T14:03:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T14:35:19.000Z
- Description: From nostalgic childhood melodies to life-changing career paths, what makes video game music connect so deeply with our everyday lives? I asked journalists, composers, and enthusiasts why they just can't stop listening.
- Author: Peterline6
- Tags: Feature, #sticky, #big

Sometimes I pause for five minutes and wonder: what am I doing with my life? Just another Monday in the life of a thirty-something. Is it really healthy to pour this much energy every day into writing about VGM? At the end of the day, who genuinely cares?

Then I reassure myself. The traffic stats on this site prove that people do care, and not just the handful sitting in the back row—thank you for being here. Come midnight, when the day’s new drops finally go live, I boot up streaming platforms with the wide-eyed excitement of a kid on Christmas morning. I've done this every day for four years, chasing the exact same dopamine rush. That’s when it hits me: there really is something singular happening with video game music.

I wanted to investigate my own relationship with VGM. Why do I care this much? As I wrote in [this site’s introduction](https://nowplaying.cool/about/), for me it’s an effortless way to keep my ear to the ground; a way to sample a sliver of the hundreds of games releasing every week, well aware that I’ll never have time to play them all. Game music is my lifeline to music as a whole. While I keep tabs on broader mainstream releases, VGM makes up the overwhelming bulk of my daily listening. I’ve probably fostered a somewhat peculiar bond with the medium, more obsessive than most. So I put the question to several VGM experts and enthusiasts: what’s your deal with game music, anyway?

“I stopped thinking about music I listen to as a "soundtrack" or "game music" a while ago,” RPG Site and Respec editor [Mikhail Madnani](https://bsky.app/profile/va11halla.bsky.social) tells me. “It is just good music now. I think the reason I listen to a good amount of video game music is because I spend so much time during the day playing games for work or just in general. Whenever something catches my attention, I usually give it a whirl on my test playlist before sticking with it, but the sheer amount of quality in game soundtracks in recent years is just shocking. I appreciate when soundtracks work best in-game of course, but the ones that hit hardest for me are those that could be their own standalone release.”

That sentiment is shared by Rudy, founder of the [Tasty Bits channel](https://nowplaying.cool/tasty-bits-gives-a-voice-to-vgm-artists-we-all-too-rarely-hear/), which I touched on not long ago. “Today, I listen to video game music as… well, simply as music. Songs by composers like Asuka Sakai \[*Katamari Damacy* series\] sit in the same Spotify playlists as those by Charles Aznavour,” he told me over espresso during our first meetup in Paris last month. 

While he’s a dedicated JRPG buff, it was a fighting game that became his VGM ground zero. “I truly sucked at this kind of game, and *Guilty Gear XX*, with its unique roster and combos, felt impossible for me to grasp. But I would always ask to play one more match, even if it meant being humiliated by my mate, just to hear those amazing guitar riffs one more time.” Daisuke Ishiwatari’s frenetic riffs certainly leave an indelible mark, especially in your teenage years. “God, I still remember the first time I heard the intro of "Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead)." The organ playing alone for the first nine seconds, then the quick stomp of the drums, and the electric guitar instantly jumping in to play the intro in unison with the organ before the song kicks off. I could picture the musicians chaining riffs one after another like the characters throwing punches on screen, while the drummer's double kick set the tempo: always faster, always stronger, always unpredictable. It was exhilarating.”

![](https://nowplaying.cool/content/images/2026/10/Van-Slater---s-The-Dark-Castle--Full-Album--4-14-screenshot.jpg)

© Mixtape / Beethoven & Dinosaurs / Annapurna Interactive

Jesse, co-founder of [the now-defunct webradio station 8beats](https://nowplaying.cool/so-long-8beats-radio/)—which was dedicated to championing game music—also traces his obsession back to an unforgettable sonic imprint: the themes of *Spyro*, composed by The Police drummer Stewart Copeland. “My relationship with video game music feels like a teenage first love. You cross paths without paying much mind at first, distracted by whatever shines brightest, and then it slowly creeps into your head until it becomes essential. That’s the effect Stewart Copeland’s music had on me; his unmistakable sound turned *Spyro* into a permanent fixture of my memory. Alas, like young love, you end up drifting apart, and adult life gradually takes over. Years down the line, sparked by nostalgia, I realized no other medium had resonated with me quite so deeply.”

Even if that’s oddly not my own path, the tie most enthusiasts keep with the medium is deeply rooted in childhood and colored by nostalgia. It likely stems from the fact that, for folks of my generation, having our favorite tracks on loop was an unavailable luxury. Every time a beloved piece played in the game, it was a rare gift, making its sheer presence all the more resonant.

“At sixteen, I thoroughly fell in love with video game music, when I first played *Hitman 2: Silent Assassin*,” recalls [ABC Classic's Game Show host Meena Shamaly](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/game-show). “I had enjoyed video games and music independently up to that point, when Jesper Kyd’s score came crashing into my life, fusing the two in my heart with choral proclamation. It was a glorious classical sound, wrapped up in surreal contemporary technique, in a manner I had never experienced.”  
  
He continues: “That’s the thing about video game music: it can be anything you want it to be. It transcends genre, definition, and limits, going hand-in-hand with the boundless versatility of the video game medium itself. At the intersection of storytelling, cinema, play, and immersive theatre, there’s a sound for everyone, and there sure is always a sound for me, no matter what it is.”

> I am transported back to being a kid, back to when the games were new and full of wonder and discovery

“I don’t remember much of my childhood in detail these days, but I’m pretty sure I was basically born with a controller in my hands,” reminisces 3D animator and VGM enthusiast [Angus McIntyre](https://amcintyr9998.wixsite.com/angusvgm) (Vee, The VGM Lover), citing *The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask* and *Super Smash Bros. Melee* among his more vivid memories. “Much of the music in them had me pausing the games and turning up the volume just to listen to those tracks long before I even knew about the internet and YouTube. One particular song that got really stuck in my head when I was midway through elementary at the time, "Brinstar Depths" from *Super Smash Bros. Melee*, had me imagining how it would sound if the song had a closing section to it, and I believe from there, my imagination really had me going as more and more songs from these games and beyond would take me to a world of some kind.”

A similar throughline cropped up on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamemusic/comments/1x6k8uv/whats%5Fyour%5Fstory%5Fwith%5Fvideo%5Fgame%5Fmusic/), where I asked r/gamemusic members to share how they connected with VGM. Miriamyuki says: “When I was very young, I used to watch my dad play *A Link to the Past* (*Zelda*). And some years after that I came across the "Dark World Theme" on YouTube and listened to it and liked it very much. I started to listen to more songs that appeared, not only from *Zelda* but from any game, and now i’m listening to VGM everyday!”

Redditor superjoec also offered an insightful angle: “What I love about playing the music is the simple fact that I still own all my games dating back to my Atari in 1980\. I love the nostalgia of having these games, but when I go back to play them, age has not treated them well. Some of the games I love are now annoying or too hard, BUT, when I listen to the music, I am transported back to being a kid, back to when the games were new and full of wonder and discovery. I get all the good feels without the frustration of playing an older imperfect game.”

This loops right back to that idea of "sampling a sliver of the experience," as I wrote earlier. Revisiting a soundtrack you love is about summoning memories and keeping them intact, without running headfirst into decades of technical friction that could sour our modern sensibilities.

![](https://nowplaying.cool/content/images/2026/10/CONTROL-Resonant---Stepping-into-a-New-World-_-Development-Diary-4-25-screenshot--1-.webp)

Reliving your childhood gaming memories can be somewhat traumatic. © Control Resonant / Remedy Entertainment

Still, you don't need nostalgic baggage to appreciate game music for what it is at its core: incredible music, full stop. Creepyplayer10 chimed in on Reddit: “Started listening to it in like 2021/2022 back in high school. I really liked the *Super Mario 64* credits theme and started adding a bunch of songs I liked from other *Mario* games and then *Sonic* games \[to my playlists\] and then it just snowballed into me listening to it more.”

For KlonopinVanNess, the fluid boundaries between game audio and electronic production were the hook: “I'm a big fan of electronic music and dance music, and what I've realized is that the worlds of video game music and dance / electronic music often have a lot in common. Synths, drum machines, DAWs, sequencers, a lot of the same tools are used by these artists. The scenes cross-influence each other over the decades. There's a real connection between those worlds of music.”

![](https://nowplaying.cool/content/images/2026/10/proxy-image--13-.webp)

© Hitman / IO Interactive

Beyond casual listeners and diehard fans, some have turned game music into the very engine driving their creative and professional growth. Mat Ombler, head of music and partnerships over at Laced Records and founder of [the MusicEXP newsletter](https://musicexp.substack.com), owes a profound debt to the medium. “One of the reasons video game music is so important to me is because of the opportunities it opened up to me in my career. I genuinely wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today if it wasn't for video game music. *Tony Hawk's Pro Skater* introduced me to alternative bands that I wouldn't have listened to otherwise, leading to my introduction to heavy music, which led to me becoming a promoter and putting on gigs at a local venue when I was 16\. I eventually joined one of the bands that I booked (Demoraliser) after their drummer left and spent five years touring the UK and Europe with my best friends.” 

Whether through *Tony Hawk*’s iconic licensed cuts or, in my case, the tracklists of *Guitar Hero II* and *III*, games have continuously introduced me to bands I never would have stumbled on otherwise (a recent-ish revelation: Machine Girl on the *Neon White* OST). “During that time, I also started recording drum covers of video game music under VGDrumCovers on YouTube,” adds Ombler. “There weren't really any other drummers at the time making covers of game music, and I ended up immersing myself in the game soundtracks that I grew up listening to as a child. After this, I ended up freelancing as a games journalist in my spare time with a specific focus on the intersection of games & music. Everything came full circle when I eventually joined Laced Records, the world's largest game soundtrack label, where I've had the privilege of working with and meeting game composers I admire. Whether it's the amazing online community around game music or the new friends I've made at concerts, I love everything about this world. Long live video game music!”

![](https://nowplaying.cool/content/images/2026/10/proxy-image--14-.webp)

Guitar Hero II opened up a world of heavy music for yours truly. © Activision

If you were fortunate enough to catch [the *World of Warcraft: 20 Years of Music* concerts](https://nowplaying.cool/helvepic-announces-world-of-warcraft-20-years-of-music-world-tour/), you would likely have crossed paths with Julia "Jayhan" Handschin. A producer, vocalist, and composer, she also turned her love of game audio into a career compass. 

“Video game music has always been an important part of my life. It’s been my escape, my source of comfort and power as a listener, and a way to express myself as a music artist. It’s also video game music that brought me to listen to more orchestral pieces, through which I discovered the emotional depth and storytelling that it could bring to a game.” She touches on the very factor that packs out concert halls: collective community. “What I love most about this world is how it brings people together. There's an incredible community of performers, musicians, composers, and fans who share a genuine passion for this music, and I find it amazing that this genre allows us to connect with each other on a deeper level,” notes Handschin, who also fronts the [video game rock cover band JiggyTones](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkEsRjDchRwqFyNEL3dnINA).

![](https://nowplaying.cool/content/images/2026/10/69a730dc29ec5c0e3272b42f_a0122f7f0fdaffb76a85e45574529e20_WoW_Concert_Lausanne.webp)

Video game music brings fans together during full-fledged orchestral concerts. © Helvepic

Matt Schenkel hosts [Game Jams](https://www.pbsfm.org.au/program/game-jams) on Australian community station PBS 106.7FM. Fortnightly, he spins his favorite game tracks for seasoned heads and newcomers alike, treating them with the same cultural cachet as the station’s indie rock rotations. By total coincidence, he also pinpoints Stewart Copeland’s *Spyro* score as patient zero for his fascination. “I remember exactly where I was and how I felt when I first heard Stewart Copeland's *Spyro the Dragon* soundtrack and Twice A Man's music in *Kula World*. These two titles greatly influenced my tastes as I was growing up with video games in the 1990s and 2000s. This was a pivotal time for games as an artistic medium. As the hardware became more powerful and accessible, games were being released with incredible, experimental, and ambitious soundtracks that made just as much sense on a dance floor as on the living room TV.”

His take rings true: the sheer creative range of game development makes video game scores an unmatched gateway for music discovery across the board. “I'm someone who listens to and appreciates all genres and styles of music. Spanning metal, jazz, electronic, ambient, and everything in-between, the diversity of sounds heard in game soundtracks is an endless source of inspiration for me, and indie games are where some of the most unexpected, eclectic, and left-field music can be found. With soundtracks as varied as the games themselves, they're a fantastic medium for discovering new artists and styles of music in a new context.”

*A massive thank you to everyone who took the time to answer my questions for this piece, and my apologies to anyone whose quotes had to be left on the cutting room floor for pacing and editorial flow. If you want to share your own relationship with VGM, feel free to* [*join the conversation on Reddit*](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamemusic/comments/1x6k8uv/whats%5Fyour%5Fstory%5Fwith%5Fvideo%5Fgame%5Fmusic/)*!*