The audio limitations of all the games machines pre 1995 did not fulfil the potential for full soundtracks. The scratchy synthesised sounds of the Nintendo Entertainment System, or the Sega Mega drive were not up to producing film like score on top of a game. During the eighties, Sony had teamed up with Philips to develop the CD-ROM, but had no experience of the Videogame industry. In 1998, Sony made a deal with Nintendo in an n attempt to create a CD drive for the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). The new system, called the Super Disc, was designed to play SNES cartridges and CD-ROMs. Nintendo backed out of the deal, leaving Sony to develop the Play Station Experimental, which boasted a slot for cartridges and a CD-ROM drive.



In 1995 the PSX was released. Its main selling points were stunning 3D graphics unlike anything seen previously and CD quality sound. This system could also play audio CDs and playstation had other multimedia tricks up their sleeve.

It is indisputable that since the release of the Playstation, Sony has dominated the games industry, with Nintendo lagging behind. Sony’s success can be put down to the fact they applied quality music and video to their games from the start.

With CD quality sound now commonplace on consoles, the music within a game is no longer limited to synthesised sounds. When Sony released the playstation, it was not long before they released their groundbreaking title, Wipeout. This game was a high energy racing game, accompanied by a fast and thrilling soundtrack featuring such artists as the Chemical Brothers, Orbital and Leftfield. Within the game it was possible to select the track you wished to be heard as you raced through winding tunnels and over vast canyons. The music in this game was possibly more important than the game itself, and indeed the soundtrack was released as an album. The follow up titles in this series also involved acts such as Prodigy, Underworld and in the most recent version, DJ Sasha. A host of acts have appeared on games since. Mogwai created the soundtrack for Actua Ice Hockey 2 and Ash earned £600,000 in royalties for their track on Gran Turismo. So it seems that, as the case is with a good film, the soundtrack to a game provides as much of the experience as any graphics.

Later on classical music has become more commonplace in games to promote an eerie or tense atmosphere. This is demonstrated well in Eidos Interactive's title, Hitman 2. Throughout the game, classical pieces are used, which are specific to the place you are within the game.

As games become more like film our attitudes toward them change. Indeed more and more they are becoming recognised as a new form of culture. Music in a game could swing the games status from mind numbing crap to a work of art.

The music industry is set to benefit from this relatively new medium. Artists being heard on games are able to promote their music directly at their target audience, 18-25 year olds, while collecting royalties from the sale of the game. The artist’s appearance also works as promotion for the game, meaning the two industries work well together. Music is also significant as far as determining the quality of a game. The soundtrack plays a very important role; similar to the way it works in film. However, there are of course, major differences between games and film. In fact it seems the music within a game is more important than it is in film, interacting with the players reactions and completing the full experience.

Over the next few years, consoles such as the Playstation 2 will start to integrate more in homes, becoming as common as items like video players or stereos. This new entertainment system encompassing audio-visual playing with multimedia capabilities will replace the need for such items. It is important therefore the music industry keeps up with this medium in order to continue benefiting from it.