is sega ruining VGM? (an analysis)

what i mean by that is making VGM that would fit more in a nicholas sparks movie!

they still do traditional game music but they also do a LOT of sparks-esque stuff too…

here’s some examples:

dreams dreams

(from nights into dreams)

kiss me sweet

(from sakura taisen 5: so long my love)

worth a chance

(from sonic & the secret rings)

etc

this is a problem for VGM traditionalists like myself

so how did this happen?

well you can thank the rise of vocal VGM for this!

that turned game music into every other genre

the success of vocal VGM is definitely problematic for the genre!

unfortunately there’s no way to reverse the effects of this unless video games were to go back to their 8 & 16-bit roots!

i am NOT saying that’s what i want because there are MANY good modern games (& good modern VGM) but i want modern game music to stand on it’s own without over-relying on love or break-ups!

the only developer left who still makes regular VGM is nintendo

they are keeping the regular kind of VGM alive which i commend them for!

however sega is only part of the problem…

the other part of this is square

(for once i am NOT talking about spongebob!)

rather i’m talking about the japanese game developer squaresoft!

they are known for their movie-quality games & vocal opening/ending themes which started with the PS2 game kingdom hearts which was well-known for it’s opening & ending themes

(“passion” and “simple & clean” respectively)

nights may have started this however it was kingdom hearts that REALLY got the ball rolling!

over-rated VGM: “dreams dreams” from nights into dreams

it seems like EVERY gamer & sega fan loves this song but i personally think it’s over-rated!

here’s why:

1. it’s a love song
2. it does NOT sound like something you would hear in a video game!

it’s easily naofumi hataya’s most over-rated composition & maybe even the most over-rated song from a sega game!

if you want to hear it i’m sure you can find it on youtube/niconico

(or just buy the original nights for dreamcast OR nights: journey of dreams for wii)

Is holiday music getting in the way of the mainstream success of VGM?

Every year after Thanksgiving the radio stations start playing seasonal holiday music which could be problematic for VGM fans!

Here’s why:

The radio stations are more willing to support holiday music than VGM when it comes to niche genres!

(not to mention holiday music gets all kinds of concerts solely dedicated to it while the only televised concert for VGM was video games live on PBS which isn’t going anymore due to lack of interest)

Personally I am sick of the same-old repetitive contemporary love songs I always hear during this time

Add to that the fact that this stuff is practically EVERYWHERE during the holidays (at the store, in the car, at school/work, on TV shows & movies, etc) & it’s easy to see exactly why I’m so sick of it!

Unfortunately since holiday music makes BIG money (especially for a supposedly niche genre) it won’t be going away on the radio anytime real soon!

(gotta pay royalties to all those top-40 singers’ record labels ya know…)

The way I see it playing the same holiday songs on the radio every year is no different than Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, & Disney Junior airing the same episodes of SpongeBob, Teen Titans Go, & Elena of Avalor respectively ad nauseum!

The only difference is this is once a year

Why do people want to throw their money at yet ANOTHER rendition of “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the Halls”, or some crappy saccharine contemporary top-40 “I want you home for Christmas” love song?

It’s getting old!

i know the holidays is known for it’s music but can they PLEASE ease up on it?

especially all the top-40 modern love song crap?

if the radio stations HAVE to play holiday stuff can they at least play something different for once?!

The main reason I started this blog was because I am fed up with how mainstream radio stations operate

This includes playing the same damn holiday songs every year!

I really hope things will start to change but as long as holiday music remains popular VGM won’t ever get it’s time to truly shine!

In the meantime if you are sick of all the holiday stuff like I am just listen to modern & classic ice & snow BGM as an alternative

Please check out my other blog!

If you are fed up with Nick you should check out my other WP blog The Problem with Nickelodeon !

Thanks in advance!

Mikurotoro

Is game music actually over-rated?

Is VGM as a whole over-rated OR under-rated?

That is the big question on my mind right now!

As much as I absolutely love & adore the genre (if I didn’t then I would have never created this blog after all) I hate to say it but VGM IS slightly over-rated especially because it overshadows other components of a game!

In order to prove my point I’ll use an analogy from a cartoon:

“If music is the heart of a video game then the characters & story are the liver & gallbladder!”

In other words music isn’t the only thing needed to make a game work!

In my analogy above all 3 of those internal organs are needed for your body to function properly & the same also holds true for games!

There is more to a game then just the music

it REALLY ticks me off when that’s the main reason people want to play a game!

Yes I understand a game without music would be dull, boring, & lifeless but still!

Does anyone else feel the same way?

If you do please post how you feel in the comments thanks in advance!

The honest truth is there isn’t a single genre of music that is TRULY under-rated

Not even VGM!

Also just for fun:

can you guys figure out what cartoon I am referencing in my analogy & the episode where said reference originated?

If you think you know please post your answer in the comments!

HINT:

this is an over-rated & EXTREMELY popular long-running cartoon on Nickelodeon!

*Disclaimer:like I said this is just for fun so you won’t win any prizes or anything!

Sorry!

Mikurotoro

(coming soon) Adventures in Remixing a new weekly series documenting all of my current VGM remix projects!

This will be a new weekly series all about my current VGM remix projects! Hope you enjoy it!

Mikurotoro

Also since I should give credit where it’s due…

*DISCLAIMER:post name is inspired by the cult classic 80’s movie(which recently got a Disney Channel remake) Adventures in Babysitting all original copyrights belong to Disney NO copyright infringement is intended!*

 

Real Talk:How has game music impacted your life?

I want to hear your stories about how VGM has impacted & changed your life! Personally I think VGM has actually had more of an impact on my life then ANY top-40 love song! So what about you guys? Please explain your reasoning thanks in advance!

Coming soon: (Game) Music Mondays!

Every Monday I’ll be posting links to game music that coincides with the theme of the week so for example if it was Sega Week I would post classic Sega BGM on Monday,then the Monday after that I would post classic Nintendo or Capcom BGM,etc! The only problem is I’ll have to link to MEGA or Google Drive because I don’t want to have to upgrade WordPress just to use the audio player so I hope this isn’t a problem for you! Lots of exciting things are in store for Operation:VGM so stay tuned!

Mikurotoro

Why I love game music

Here’s 3 reasons why I can’t get enough of VGM:

1.It makes you think back to your fav level or boss fight

2.It’s just plain good! (for the most part)

3.Game composers are very talented & deserve more recognition!

What do you guys think am I right? Please explain your reasoning in the comments thanks in advance!

About me

Hi my name is Sara but I go by mikurotoro I love video games & VGM! I created this blog to introduce non-VGM fans to the wonderful world of game music so we can convince the US television & music industrys that VGM is worthy of a spot next to all the reality shows & top-40 singers! We can make this happen but I need your help to convince TV & radio stations to start giving a damn about game music!

So how can you help?

Spread the word about this blog to all your friends & family so we can send a message to TV networks & radio stations! Remember there’s power in numbers thanks in advance!

 

Enjoy the blog!

Mikurotoro