# "You Should Be Listening to Video Game Soundtracks at Work"



## JohnG (Feb 1, 2019)

It's from Popular Science; not sure if it's scientific or even popular, but here it is:

https://www.popsci.com/work-productivity-listening-music

Content warning: Not everything he says is necessarily flattering to composers...


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Feb 1, 2019)

I generally have no idea how people listen to any kind of music during work or when they have to "focus". I hear about young folks listening to music while learning for exams, and have been to kickboxing gyms and stuff where they're blasting music during all sessions as if it was some fitness workout. It just absolutely throws me off. If I need to concentrate and focus, I can't have irrelevant information or noise occupy my brain.

So I don't know what these studies are talking about or who conducts them. But I get a similar vibe from most "studies" I hear about which supposedly supposed scientists conduct.

There's great video game music out there though. In fact I'd argue it's mostly better than film music. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that there's almost no dialogue to constantly get out of the way of. And you're writing for situations, environments or ideas, with many variables and mostly no fixed timeframe, so you really need to get down to the feel of things, as opposed to filling an absolutely unalterable space between timestamp X to Z, during which one very specific thing happens and only that one thing.


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## Mornats (Feb 1, 2019)

It's the opposite for me. I'm in my mid-40s and I find listening to music at work helps me to focus. I'm a designer and it's often good for me to shut out the outside world for a bit so I can concentrate.


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## whiskers (Feb 1, 2019)

Currently listening to Quantum Break OST by Petri Alanko at work


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## MartinH. (Feb 1, 2019)

I often find it hard to decide _which _videogame soundtrack I want to listen to while working.


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## Henu (Feb 1, 2019)

Being a composer/ producer, I sometimes envy my co-workers because they can listen to music while they work. I'm stuck with my own crap most of the time. :(


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## kitekrazy (Feb 1, 2019)

One of the best pop songs you would not hear on the radio.


No published sheet music either.


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## kitekrazy (Feb 1, 2019)

Anyone still love those Nintendo soundtracks like Metroid and Blaster Master.


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## kitekrazy (Feb 1, 2019)

Henu said:


> Being a composer/ producer, I sometimes envy my co-workers because they can listen to music while they work. I'm stuck with my own crap most of the time. :(



They listen, we analyze. Music is kinda ruined for us. We can't listen like everyone else. Often my attention span for listening to a song is about 2 minutes. Being in education I listened to talk radio to and from school.


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## rgames (Feb 1, 2019)

I definitely cannot concentrate on something else while listening to music. Because listening to music *is* concentrating.

Regarding the term "science": lots of studies are presented as science but there is a hierarchy in science with Physics at the top. Studies of human behavior fall far below that threshod...

It's kind of like a two-year-old banging random notes on a piano. Yes, you could argue that it's music. But most musicians would rather not use it as an example of what music is. Likewise, most (legitimate) scientists would rather not have human behavioral studies presented as examples of what "science" really is.

rgames


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Feb 2, 2019)

kitekrazy said:


> Anyone still love those Nintendo soundtracks like Metroid and Blaster Master.



There's something fascinating about those. I think in those old 8 and 16 bit eras, the technical limitations inspired some very focused creativity. When you only have a very limited number of voices to work with, the writing really needs to be sharp. Can't hide behind meaningless underscore or layers of sounds hoping that it would cover up for meaningless musical ideas.

The music for Super Castlevania IV is great. Some of that stuff is kind of quite out there, and I'm not sure if you could get away with it today with producers and creative directors not crapping their diapers, as they like to do.


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## Pudge (Feb 2, 2019)

Personally I cant listen to music too often. Much prefer the absence of sound, pure silence. 

However, If someone started jammin with these on their playlist. They would instantly gain Legendary status, we'd have an office party and eat ALL the twinkes. All of them. Every last one, ever made. Yes. Delicious Twinkies...mmmm


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## DavidY (Feb 2, 2019)

I find music at (non-music-related) work helps me focus and shut out the distractions of an open-plan office.
But... it has to be music I've heard so many times it's no longer a distraction - music from the era when I was a teenager for instance. Listening to a station playing new music is completely different and distracting.


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## Chr!s (Feb 2, 2019)

I've been listening to Soul Calibur VI's OST lately



Great stuff


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## NYC Composer (Feb 3, 2019)

I can’t listen to music at work because I’m writing music at work. I can’t listen to a much music after work because, well, I’ve already had enough. It’s a problem sometimes.


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## MartinH. (Feb 4, 2019)

Check the replies to this tweet for some recommendations on lesser known game soundtracks:


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## sIR dORT (Feb 21, 2019)

Please don't tell me that the Halo 5 Soundtrack isn't absolutely amazing. It got me into composing. ITS SO FREAKING GOOD


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## Ledwick (Feb 21, 2019)

+1 Turrican, Halo, Castlevania... and Ecco the Dolphin: Tides of Time, Shinobi 3, Vectorman, SilverSurfer and these...

"I'm not at work"

"Get work done"

"Work is hell"


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## HotCoffee (Feb 22, 2019)

I'm a software developer and I *have* to listen to music while working. Mostly ambient, but it really depends on the mood I'm in. But yes, the main reason is that I do focus a lot better while listening to something.


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