Tammy Camp

5 Places To Find Old-School Video Game Soundtracks

Posted on 27. May, 2009 by Tammy Camp in Audio

Most of today’s pop music sucks.

It is a scarce commodity on my iPod.

What I have a lot of, in addition to older pop music, and DVD rips of live concerts, are video game soundtracks.

Why the hell would I listen to video game music instead of pop songs like a normal person would? Am I a weirdo?

Well, yes. But hopefully once I explain myself here, you’ll give yourself permission to do the same without feeling overly embarrassed about it.

WHAT MAKES MUSIC “LEGIT,” ANYWAY?

Is it artistic expression? Heartfelt lyrics? A wide vocal range? Difficult-to-play instrumentals?

In my book, “legit music” is an audio sound file that makes you feel pleasant emotions. Period.

I get pissed off when a song comes on the radio from six years ago, and someone else in the car complains, “Oh, this is sooo old!”

Well I don’t give a damn about “old” or “new.” It makes me feel good or it doesn’t.

And a lot of “new” music makes me want to drive into a telephone pole (but at least I’d blame it on the aaa-a-a-aaa-a-alcohol).

MUSIC IS AN “ANCHOR”

According to “Neuro-Linguistic Programming” (or NLP), an “anchor” is a sight, sound, smell, or other stimulus, that brings up emotionally charged memories that are associated with it.

Now, before you cry foul because NLP is a pseudoscience, at least learn the valuable concept here. Because this part is accurate.

If you pack yourself into a stuffed elevator at work, and the lady or gentleman sandwiched in front of you happens to wear the same fragrance or use the same shampoo that your ex did, you will think about her or him and get thrown for an emotional loop for a few seconds.

If you’re feeling down in the dumps as you drive home and your favorite song comes on the radio, you’ll immediately start to feel better.

VIDEO GAMES ARE ANCHORED TO HAPPY CHILDHOOD EMOTIONS

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. It’s not always very resourceful if you stay there for four hours, but a quick 15 minute trip can brighten an otherwise dull day.

If you were fortunate to have even a relatively happy childhood that included a decent amount of gaming, then listening to your favorite themes can trigger those same feelings of playfulness, excitement, and optimism that are so rare in adulthood.

VIDEO GAME THEME SONGS SHARPEN FOCUS & INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

I don’t know about you, but I used to play Street Fighter 2, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, and Super Mario World for hours at a time as those background songs looped over and over. I don’t think I have ever had the same laser-like focus for school or work.

At university, once I started finding soundtracks of my old favorite games online, I found that playing them in the background actually helped me focus when I wrote papers and did homework. So now I use them all the time, and I recommend that you try it out as well.

WHERE TO FIND THEM

1. The Final Fantasy Shrine Forum – The Mac-Daddy Of Them All

• Register at this forum for free.
• Go to the “Anime & Video Game Music” section.
• The selection here is unmatched. They have MP3 rips of the exact audio files from the games (not covers or fan-made files).
• The file-hosting site of choice here is FileFactory.com. If you’re going to binge and download more than 3 soundtracks at once (which you probably will), I recommend forking over the $10 via PayPal to get unlimited downloads because otherwise you’ll run into their limit.
• To extract RAR files you will need StuffIt Expander Basic for Mac or WinRAR for Windows (both free).

2. VGMusic.com

• Excellent collection of fan-made MIDI files for ALL consoles.
• NOT actual rips from the games.
• NOT MP3 – won’t play on an iPod.

3. SNESMusic.org

• Collection of Super Nintendo / Super Famicom video game audio files.
• Ripped directly from the games in native SPC format.
• Requires Game Music Box for Macintosh or SNESamp Plugin for Windows.
• Can convert SPC to MP3. FAQ Here.

4. Project 2612 – The Sega Genesis / Sega Mega Drive Music Archive

• Collection of Sega Genesis / Mega Drive audio rips directly from the game.
• Requires Game Music Box for Macintosh or Audio Overload for Windows.

5. Zophar’s Domain

• Another huge repository of game files from ALL consoles.
• Audio rips in native audio formats.

So what’s your favorite video game soundtrack? Leave it in the comment box below.

Tags: Audio, Video Game Soundtracks