Games and music have been trading ideas for decades, and the exchange has never been busier. Rhythm games taught millions of players to feel syncopation, and chiptune turned old consoles into instruments.
The indie scene is where the most interesting crossovers happen. Small teams build games around a single mechanic and hire musicians who treat the soundtrack as part of the design, not an afterthought.
Small Teams, Big Sound
Speedrunners, meanwhile, have built a whole performance culture around games, complete with live commentary, charity marathons and crowds that cheer for a perfectly executed glitch.
- Soundtracks released on tape
- Sprite-sheet club visuals
- Rhythm games with custom charts
- Game Boy trackers
A good rhythm game is just a music lesson that does not tell you it is one.
The arcade aesthetic is everywhere again too, from cabinet-inspired posters to club visuals built from sprite sheets.
Anyone else going to the next one? Let us meet up at the merch table.
Fair point. We might have to argue about it in person.