Campaign To Get Video Game Music Recognised

While many out there may believe that Air on the G-String refers to Jordan’s latest calendar shoot, or think that Mozart is some sort of architectural medieval painter, classical music has long been a vital component of games and they atmosphere they seek to evoke.  Yes, classical music in popular culture isn’t just about O Fortuna being over-exposed thanks to tripe like the X Factor.  You may have achieved greatness in Peggle to the bombastic choral delight of Ode to Joy, or been casually cruising the White Mountains of Paradise City in Burnout Paradise to the haunting strains of Largo or Moonlight Sonata.  You may not have noticed it, or even paused to appreciate it, but it has been there.

There are, natch, radio stations devoted to the stuff (who’d have thunk it), however, gaming music in its own right has produced scores that are arguably as evocative as many ‘true’ classical pieces, no less grandiose, with swelling orchestral might and subtle, delicate wonder.  Indeed, the success of events such as Video Games Live just go to show how much gaming music is gaining in momentum and popularity outside those flickering screens and monitors.  However, as with most things game related, the wider world appears sadly loathe to recognise it.  The Classic FM Hall of Fame would be nice.  Long shot?  Perhaps, but with gaming becoming an ever more key part of life for many, and one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums, penetrating mainstream consciousness, challenging pre-concieved notions of art, entertainment, and what an actual game is defined as, why shouldn’t gaming music be recognised?

While it may seem like a leap from your console or PC to the refined output of Classical FM… is it really?  Games are maturing; are they now ready to make such a leap, to be recognised in such a large medium?  After all, one of our GL writers recalls sitting in the cafeteria at work, years ago, being surprised to hear John Williams’s Harry Potter theme playing over the airwaves on Classical FM, followed by a piece from Lord of the Rings.  If film is a valid source of classical music, then surely it has come time that games ought to have the same crack of the recognition whip?  We aren’t the only ones to muse on these things, here at GLHQ, which is why we’re behind the campaign to get video games music into the Classic FM Hall of Fame.

Now, we aren’t talking about chip-tunes and plinky, looping Spectrum ‘music’ here, we mean pieces such as Nobuo Uematsu’s Aerith’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII or Michael Giacchino’s main them from Medal of Honor to name but two of the fan fave suggestions.  So, if you want to lend your support to a good cause and open more eyes (and ears) to the valid contribution that video game music can offer to the arts, here are some links to love up.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Video-Games-Music-into-the-Classic-FM-Hall-of-Fame/246123792126219

Twitter: @ClassicVGMusic

VOTING SITE: www.classicfmhalloffame.co.uk

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