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I mostly consume videogame soundtracks as my background music. My downloader script solves several problems: - I can play the entire OST on company / otherwise

I mostly consume videogame soundtracks as my background music. My downloader script solves several problems: - I can play the entire OST on company / otherwise awful internet, where bandwidth is not free - The player doesn't pause midway through every 3rd track to obnoxiously ask me if I'm "still listening" - When the OST inevitably vanishes from youtube, I still have it to listen to (Mind that many of these OSTs are not available for purchase where I live, so this isn't a "vote with my wallet" sort of situation. Nintendo in particular is real bad about this.) There are other more elegant solutions, but unfortunately the means through which I've purchased the game's soundtrack the normal way (the game itself) is generally a poor means to actually listen to it. I would pay for this service if it existed; where's spotify for soundtracks? But no, it doesn't exist, so tech solutions get to deal with the problems. I do at least pay for YouTube Premium, that's the closest thing, but I'm not going to suffer its various inconveniences if there's a better option for the actual playback.

williamcotton 3y ago
What video games? Are they video games you played with friends and family? Do you associate meaningful life events with the games or the songs? I want to write a song about video game music and I’d like to, erhm, “borrow” parts of your life story. :D
- HideousKojima 3y ago
  Sometimes they're just good songs? For example the soundtrack to Nier: Replicant could go head to head with anything big name Hollywood composers have written.
  - williamcotton 3y ago
    There's got to be some social reason why you're listening to Nier: Replicant as opposed to something else. I didn't expect any downvotes, but it seems I hit a nerve. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, that wasn't my intention, I just don't know anything about the kinds of people who would listen to video game soundtracks. I figured there might be some stories to share.
    - impendia 3y ago
      I sometimes listen to video game soundtracks while I work. Usually older stuff in my case: Legacy of the Wizard (NES), Shadowgate (NES), Final Fantasy IV/VI (SNES), etc. I don't have a particularly interesting story to share. The music is familiar and brings back good memories; it is energizing; and it is easy to listen to. In the original game setting, the music would play in the background and hype you up for whatever task you were trying to accomplish. Nowadays, instead of attempting to defeat the Warlock Lord, I'm trying to finish a section of a research paper. Both tasks, at least in my view, call for the same mood.
    - zztop44 3y ago
      I think it was just your comment maybe felt like it was implying they were doing something weird or unusual. I also listen to a lot of video game music when coding. Why? One night, years ago, I got talking to an Uber driver about music and he shared a Spotify playlist of video game tracks. Years later, I generally listen to the full soundtracks of the games he included in that playlist (most of which I’ve never played or even heard of). Thanks Munib!
    - chongli 3y ago
      I listen to video game soundtracks almost exclusively for background music. It’s not that I don’t like mainstream pop music. It’s just that the lyrics get stuck in my head and drive me crazy. Video game music can also get stuck in my head but it’s much less intrusive without lyrics. I think I also just get bored of a lot of songs if I listen to them too much. I don’t get bored of game music though. I am not sure why.
      - pests 3y ago
        Game music was expected and assumed to be looped and heard a million times as you play the game. Especially older titles with limited song options.
  - robotnikman 3y ago
    Nier: Replicant and Nier: Automata have some of the best music I have ever heard from a game soundtrack.
- zeta0134 3y ago
  Dozens and dozens, too many to list. Modern favorites include Celeste, Hades, Ibb and Obb, Shovel Knight, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and Cadence of Hyrule, just to name a few. No life events really, it's just that when I code I prefer my music to not have lyrics, and soundtracks are pretty much perfect for that. They're often designed as background tracks anyway, and a given soundtrack tends to have consistent atmosphere, good for setting the mood for some task.
- RheingoldRiver 3y ago
  I read an article that said video game music is ideally suited for when you want music that won't distract you, as it's literally intended for such circumstances. So that's why I mostly go for videogame OSTs when writing, coding, etc. I've played almost none of the games.

williamcotton 3y ago

What video games? Are they video games you played with friends and family? Do you associate meaningful life events with the games or the songs? I want to write a song about video game music and I’d like to, erhm, “borrow” parts of your life story. :D

HideousKojima 3y ago
Sometimes they're just good songs? For example the soundtrack to Nier: Replicant could go head to head with anything big name Hollywood composers have written.
- williamcotton 3y ago
  There's got to be some social reason why you're listening to Nier: Replicant as opposed to something else. I didn't expect any downvotes, but it seems I hit a nerve. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, that wasn't my intention, I just don't know anything about the kinds of people who would listen to video game soundtracks. I figured there might be some stories to share.
  - impendia 3y ago
    I sometimes listen to video game soundtracks while I work. Usually older stuff in my case: Legacy of the Wizard (NES), Shadowgate (NES), Final Fantasy IV/VI (SNES), etc. I don't have a particularly interesting story to share. The music is familiar and brings back good memories; it is energizing; and it is easy to listen to. In the original game setting, the music would play in the background and hype you up for whatever task you were trying to accomplish. Nowadays, instead of attempting to defeat the Warlock Lord, I'm trying to finish a section of a research paper. Both tasks, at least in my view, call for the same mood.
  - zztop44 3y ago
    I think it was just your comment maybe felt like it was implying they were doing something weird or unusual. I also listen to a lot of video game music when coding. Why? One night, years ago, I got talking to an Uber driver about music and he shared a Spotify playlist of video game tracks. Years later, I generally listen to the full soundtracks of the games he included in that playlist (most of which I’ve never played or even heard of). Thanks Munib!
  - chongli 3y ago
    I listen to video game soundtracks almost exclusively for background music. It’s not that I don’t like mainstream pop music. It’s just that the lyrics get stuck in my head and drive me crazy. Video game music can also get stuck in my head but it’s much less intrusive without lyrics. I think I also just get bored of a lot of songs if I listen to them too much. I don’t get bored of game music though. I am not sure why.
    - pests 3y ago
      Game music was expected and assumed to be looped and heard a million times as you play the game. Especially older titles with limited song options.
- robotnikman 3y ago
  Nier: Replicant and Nier: Automata have some of the best music I have ever heard from a game soundtrack.
zeta0134 3y ago
Dozens and dozens, too many to list. Modern favorites include Celeste, Hades, Ibb and Obb, Shovel Knight, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and Cadence of Hyrule, just to name a few. No life events really, it's just that when I code I prefer my music to not have lyrics, and soundtracks are pretty much perfect for that. They're often designed as background tracks anyway, and a given soundtrack tends to have consistent atmosphere, good for setting the mood for some task.
RheingoldRiver 3y ago
I read an article that said video game music is ideally suited for when you want music that won't distract you, as it's literally intended for such circumstances. So that's why I mostly go for videogame OSTs when writing, coding, etc. I've played almost none of the games.