Whenever the topic is brought up, it’s always a debate whether or not video game soundtracks can be considered as “real music.”

This argument of it not being considered real music is often confusing because there is no real scale for what makes some music more real than others. Even if there were a scale, game soundtracks very much fill in all of the requirements for it in a lot of ways. But not only that, soundtracks give video games more life and in some cases tell wordless stories that make for beautiful moments.

Just like “normal music”, music from games can get you going.

When listening to a song from a game that makes you happy or pumped up it gets you motivated to do better. This is just like upbeat music from various artists, a good track can make your attitude and day better after all. So if both kinds of music get the same job done, why can’t they be associated together? Even if game soundtracks aren’t your cup of tea they can still very much be considered music just like the rest if you ask me.

There can be personal connections made with certain tracks from a game, whether it be funny, nostalgic, heartwarming, or saddening. So many people grew up playing these games, meaning that there are so many different experiences that people have with them, and the music can always be an example of looking back on these experiences. For example, anyone who has played Super Mario Galaxy back when it came out in 2007 will be overwhelmed with nostalgia when listening to Gusty Garden Galaxy, possibly the most renowned track in the game. There’s a reason why people remembered that track, its because of the upbeat feel that gave them hopeful and adventurous thoughts which really compliments the gameplay of Mario Galaxy, a game where you take on the vast universe with determination

A really good soundtrack from a video game correlates with the style the game is going for, which honestly enhances both the music and the game itself. This makes the music special because it can be associated with certain levels or scenes from a game. Symbolism comes into play, as a track can represent the tone of an environment. For example, The Hunter’s Dream from Bloodborne emulates the feeling of a safe haven. The music for this area is amazing because the dream throughout the entirety of the game is like your home, it’s the one place where you can rely on others and relax for a moment. There’s a certain beauty to these emulations of emotions that can be earned through listening to game soundtracks, it’s unique and deserves to be associated as real music for this reason and many more.

The kind of people who tease others for listening to this genre of music is most likely just unknowing of how good it can be though. While listening to only video game music can get a bit tiring, it’s not a wrong thing to widen your horizons and listen to it every once in a while. Having both sides of the same coin is nice because when you get tired of normal music you can switch to video game tracks and vice versa.

Give it a shot if you haven’t, and if it’s not your thing that’s okay because there’s an endless sea of music that you can listen to that’s not from video games.

There’s an objective that this music has and saying that it’s not real music when there’s no real scale for that can be insulting to some. So while I’m not asking for you to start listening to it, I’m at least asking for respect towards composers who put nothing but hard work on the table and to people who listen to said hard work.