I’ve been meaning to do a podcast for quite a while now. I’d been playing around with a few ideas and then after siting through a less than satisfying video games history presentation at PAXAUS2017 and then listening to a few of Meena Shemaly’s episodes of Game Show on ABC Classic FM, my mind was made up.
I’ve always loved video game music. For whatever reason I feel like I’ve been able to connect with the intention behind the compositions even from a very young age. It’s hard to describe. And often it was fragments of music that caught my attention the most. It didn’t matter that the music was limited to what 1980’s technology offered. And I think that was part of the magic, at least back then. How could someone compose something using the most rudimentary computer synthesisers yet still manage to have the piece evoke true emotion? And later, when the technology allowed for it, the sound of full orchestras and choirs burst forth, increasing the depth and intensity of these compositions 100 fold.
There are hundreds of thousands of games and many of them have some sort of soundtrack. Most of these games have fallen into obscurity either because of time, compatibility or popularity. That means there is a massive trove of music that has been created but has been locked away or forgotten. There are also classics from popular games of the past that don’t currently receive the airtime they deserve. You might call these songs diamonds in the rough.
Diamonds In The Rough is a series where we listen to video game soundtracks from past to present and discover some hidden gems along the way. Join me on an aural journey through the rich history of computer game music to rediscover things you’d forgotten about and hear things you’ve never known before.
The first episode focuses on games that feature jungles and forests.
