Meta: Video game music is now such a serious art form that it has its own category at the Grammys. Find out why this might be right here.

Music in video games is extremely important and has helped shape the video game industry over the past few decades. It enhances the players' experience and takes gaming to the next level. It even has its own category at the Grammys.

Let's dive into discover why video game music (VGM) is now a serious art form and look at some of the most memorable video game soundtracks in recent years. 

Why is music important in video games?

Today's high-end, more graphically demanding triple-A titles would be nothing without the accompanying music playing in the background in certain scenes. People often sit and play for hours at a time, so having the right music to set the mood can massively impact gameplay in a positive way.

Music in video games has become such a major discipline that it was recently given its own special category at the biggest music awards show on the planet – the Grammys.

The inaugural Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media came about in February 2023 at the annual Grammy Awards. The award is made to celebrate 'quality original scores for video games.'

A carefully constructed soundtrack from a well-established composer and highly skilled orchestra has the ability to elevate the game, heighten a player's experience, set the tone for certain in-play scenes, and impact the decisions we make while playing.

Almost any feature-rich game you play today will have some kind of accompanying audio to fit the type of game.

For example, when you next play an online slot machine from a multi-award-winning game development studio/software provider on sites such as Comeon casino, remember to play the game with the sounds/audio switched on to see how much better the game is with music rather than playing in the silent mode.

Today's market-leading providers have put a lot of thought and effort into creating the perfect music, which makes the game a hundred times better.

For example, you can find epic scores in today's best Greek and Norse mythology-themed slots, such as the iconic Thunderstruck Wild Lightning online slot from Stormcraft Studios and Games Global.

Which triple-a video games have the best music?

Some of the most famous soundtracks ever to appear in video games, which many of you will already be familiar with by now, are the following:

• Game: Last of Us. Composer: Gustavo Santaolla. Iconic tracks: The Path and Vanishing Grace
• Game: The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim. Composer: Jeremy Soule. Iconic tracks: Dragonborn, Death or Sovngarde, From Past to Present, Secunda, Imperial Thorne, and others
• Game: Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild Composers: Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, and Hajime Wakai. Iconic tracks: Mipha's Theme, Guardian Battle, Rito Village, and others
• Game: Dark Souls. Composer: Motoi Sakuraba. Iconic tracks: Lord of Cinder, Taurus Demon, Ornstein & Smough, and Gwyn

Final note:

Thanks to composers like these, the award-winning companies that produce the games, and the music industry, VGM (Video Game Music) is now a serious art form in its own right.

Some of the unforgettable music they have produced could end up being remembered for many centuries to come. It is the only medium that has helped classical music reach a newer and younger audience, which might not have happened without video games.