Music to Game to: S U R V I V E - MNQ026

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

S U R V I V E - MNQ026

You might have heard of S U R V I V E because two of the band members are responsible for the theme and score of Stranger Things, a little known Netflix series, and I'm not going to lie, if you like the music on that show, you're going to love MNQ026 (or any of S U R V I V E's other releases, to be honest). It's that good, tense, propulsive, John Carpenter inflected throwback Synthwave perfect for any 80's influence or set game.

• Vocals?...No
• Music Genre(s)… Ambient, Electronic Experimental, Synthwave
• Perfect for… Sci-fi and horror games where you want have a 80's throwback synthesizer soundtrack.
• If you only grab one track, make it... The pulsating and propulsive "Hourglass"

Music to Game to: John Carpenter - Lost Themes

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

JOHN CARPENTER – LOST THEMES

Again, skirting up against the edge of my “no soundtracks” rule (already broken once and certain to be broken again), I’d like recommend John Carpenter’s Lost Themes album, which as you might guess is not music from his movie soundtracks but rather original music in the style of his soundtracks. The result is thoroughly cinematic music well suited to providing suspense, propulsion and atmosphere to any game that you want to lend a Carpenter-ian flare to.

• Vocals?...Only on the bonus remix tracks on some digital versions or as the Lost Themes Remixed album.
• Music Genre(s)… Ambient, Synthwave
• Perfect for… Sci-fi, horror and adventure games with a 80’s throwback feel.
• If you only grab one track, make it... the eerily melancholy, yet still propulsive “Night”. If you get the remix album or the bonus digital tracks, I also heartily recommend the JG Thirlwell Remix of “Abyss” which sounds a lot like Jim’s excellent Xordox tracks.