Diggin' In The Carts Takes A Much Needed Look At Game Music

When you pick up a game or read a game review, chances are much of the focus is on the graphics and then on the gameplay (with story following at third, if there is one at all). But video game music can also make or break a game and is, more often than not, overlooked. Red Bull Music Academy is giving VGM, or video game music, a well-deserved and long overdue focus with its Diggin' In The Carts documentary.

While video game music isn't the monopoly of the Japanese game industry, one cannot deny the influence that the early days of Japanese gaming had on the rest of the world and the rest of gaming history. The nods and cheers you'd get when the theme from Super Mario Bros gets played is just one proof of that. There many other such influences, though sometimes less obvious.

In fact, this documentary is all about that influence, both in overt and subtle ways. From how the early game music composers jumped from one game to another, to how the 8-bit and 16-bit tunes have influenced even music genres like hip hop in the West. And any treatment of Japanese gaming history would necessarily start with two of the country's earliest giants: Namco (now Namco Bandai) and Nintendo (still Nintendo).

The first episode of Diggin' In The Carts, entitled "The Rise of VGM" is already available for online viewing on Red Bull Music Academy's site. There are 5 more episodes coming, hopefully all still free, scheduled Thursday each week up to October 9th, so be sure to check back for more installments of this somewhat rare coverage of video game music.

SOURCE: Red Bull Music Academy

VIA: Kotaku