Even without Guitar Hero, Recording Artists are Still Integral to Gaming

Let’s face it: Guitar Hero and its spin-offs were the epitome of music in gaming. The instrument-like controllers were innovative, with difficulty levels of tracks opening people to new genres of music just to beat the game. Even though a Guitar Hero 3 world record was recently broken, per VG24/7, the iconic games phased out almost a decade ago.

However, that’s not to say that music in gaming died out with Guitar Hero. Tracks from recording artists are still a major part of the gaming industry, even if they don’t get play-along titles. Now, music’s influence in gaming ranges from being a key factor in the biggest games to new titles embracing iconic bands and artists as the core of the gameplay.

Soundtracks are integral to the game

While tremendous games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and God of War boast powerful, orchestrated soundtracks that build the experience, many of the most popular titles in the world incorporate tracks from leading and breakout artists to enhance the game.

The sports titles FIFA, NHL, and Madden are all, naturally, focussed on simulating sports games. During the games, you’ll only hear the commentary and the sounds of the sport – such as cheers from the crowd or a puck rattling the boards. The music comes into play during the long spells out of the matches, where users are performing trades, transfers, and adjusting line-ups. It is here that so many players get to experience exciting new music.

The soundtracks on EA Sports’ titles are a big deal for players and recording artists alike. Particularly when it comes to FIFA, the soundtracks are heard billions of times across the world. As noted by the Guardian, no other medium in the history of recorded music has been able to offer the global exposure that comes with featuring on a leading video game soundtrack.

Games are still being inspired by music

Guitar Hero and its spin-offs made music a form of gaming. They’d put the player centre stage with an instrument – kind of – and made them listen to and play the tracks. While this form of music gaming is all-but deceased now, other game developers have explored music as a source of inspiration and as the core theme of their title’s gameplay.

The online gaming space has become huge over the last decade, with so many development studios now pumping new creations into gaming websites very regularly. Such an influx of games has forced the creatives to explore every avenue possible, leading to the rise of music games. All officially licensed with official soundtracks, Hajper hosts the games of Hardwell, Guns N’ Roses, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimi Hendrix, and Candlemass’ House of Doom.

Slot gaming is all about atmosphere and excitement, with the developers of the above games seeing the select bands’ tracks as being perfect for offering an enjoyable experience. Not only are the soundtracks flooded with classic tracks, but the games themselves boast features that call back to the titular acts. They offer the soundtrack to heighten the entertainment values as well as immerse fans in the band through the gameplay.

The now-classic games of Guitar Hero, Band Hero, and DJ Hero are gone, but recording artists still have a major role to play in gaming – both to populate soundtracks and as the core focus of games.

About the author

There’s a lot of music out there - good music. At Essentially Pop our remit is that we cover music that deserves to be heard, with a particular focus on independent artists. That doesn't mean we won't cover your old favourites - rather we hope to give you some new favourites as well.

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