Thesis: Why is VGM Important?

Firstly 2 apologies,
1) If I’ve posted this already: if I have, I’ve seem to misplaced it -.-‘
2) If this has already been posted before: I need my own primary research data so i can’t use anyone else unfortunately.

I need some feedback from Final Fantasy lovers about what music does for you.

1) Why is music an important feature in role-playing games?
2) What does music do for you personally?
3) Do you think Final Fantasy VI would have not been as successful should it not have possessed the music it did.
4) Do you think music is most important for the RPG genre (please be honest here lol)

If possible, please be as descriptive as possible, thanks in advance guys!

1) Go back to Eisenstein’s synchronization of the senses. Music ties everything together. In Final Fantasy, in particular, the character themes act as a means of characterization. You know a lot about Amarant before you ever hear him speak, just by his theme. As in movies, there are conventions for themes that dictate what expectations an audience is going to have when they hear a certain type of music. Uematsu uses his music well by knowing how the audience is going to interpret the juxtaposition of one piece with one visual versus the same visual with different music. But he also has expanded the borders for the variety of music that can appear in a cohesive soundtrack and subverted expectations. The first time you hear the opening theme to FFVI, it’s surprising because of how dark and violent it is. That organ riff, trailing into a descending piano line, is not the same as the opening to Final Fantasy V, and yet works as an opening theme. He effectively expanded our understanding of how an RPG could present itself on the first screen.

3) It probably wouldn’t have. Look at how many crappy RPGs come down the tube every year. Final Fantasy has done a lot of things well since the first installment, but the series wouldn’t necessarily have built itself into an empire without Uematsu’s touch. Of course, every element of any artwork can play into the mystery of why something is or isn’t successful, so it’s impossible to say, "Final Fantasy would not have lasted this long with this other excellent soundtrack." We don’t know. What we do know is that it was successful, and that success obviously had a link to the music that appeared in the game. The music obviously struck a chord. People around the globe recognize and have nostalgia for it. Concerts are held with only the music performed (no visuals). How many other games get that kind of recognition?

4) Music has been important from the beginning for all video games. The first stage theme (aka overworld theme) in Super Mario Bros. is probably the most recognizable piece of video game music in the world. The reason music is cited as a main ingredient of RPGs is that RPGs have, across VGM’s history, had more expansive soundtracks. That’s not true today. But it was true in the mid-90s. RPGs placed a premium on story, and by association then they were thought to have a wider emotional range than a shoot-em-up, so there was an expectation among the fanbase that the music would capture a broader range. And producers knew that expectation existed. Thus, we got "Cry of Sorrow" and "Hello! Big Chocobo!" both on the Final Fantasy IV soundtrack. So it’s not a question of importance. Music is always important. Remember this is a business. It’s a question of fan expectations. Nowadays, fan expectations are that any game will deliver a strong, cohesive, varied, and expansive soundtrack, regardless of whether the music takes the forefront (ala Katamari) or the background (ala WOW). Coincidentally, RPG elements have seeped into every genre, so you can trace the importance of RPGs in videogame history and how videogames became more customizable, more immersive, and bigger. Through that process, RPG-like soundtracks were instituted into other games. But, like I said, it was a matter of audience expectation. The games got bigger; the audience wanted more. You can’t make a game anymore with Kung Fu’s soundtrack.

Helpful?

Extremely helpfull, thanks a lot arthurgolden!