We have to admit that rock music has less of an influence in gaming then it did a generation ago. When you think of gaming and music, titles like Guitar Hero and Rock Band spring to mind, but rock music seems to be playing a much smaller part in new video game releases than they once did.
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Gaming soundtracks have gone all classical
Video games have had a huge influence on the way music gains popularity. For instance, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the Eminem track Till I Collapse was used alongside its TV adverts, which sparked its reemergence back on the charts.
The changing tastes of gaming soundtracks can also be observed in Spotify’s Top 20 downloaded soundtracks of 2017. Four of them were from gaming titles including The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn and Assassins Creed.
However, these tracks weren’t the classic rock sounds found on music-themed adventure games like Brutal Legend in which the hero, modelled on a Jack Black-type character, saves the world to the tune of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy and Rob Halford. Nowadays, soundtracks feature something more akin to the taste of Classic FM with haunting instrumentals, piano riffs and big bands. Instead, they’re more akin to music scores of original background music than a selection of tracks.
The composer of the Assassin’s Creed III soundtrack, Winifried Phillips, actually won a Global Music award for her music composition. So it begs the question of where the next big rock sounds are to be found or discovered in the genre of gaming?
Rock music crossing over to a different gaming platform
But this shift shouldn’t ignore the fact that rock music has experienced a crossover itself – because it has, and this continues to keep rock music at the forefront of gaming through the release of popular slot titles on casino sites.
For instance, Leo Vegas is considered the king for a reason, and it is partly because they feature soundtracks from Elvis as well as the other royalty of rock, the Guns N’Roses video slot. There is also the Jimi Hendrix-themed slot as well as The Motorhead slot too, which features a rock bonus mode triggering the band’s famous Ace of Spades song.
So while some of the more iconic console games have taken the Halo route and gone all classical, percussion and string, rock music has found a market in the online slots genre.
The rock stars who love Rockstar: Inside Health and the Grand Theft Auto studio's unique friendship https://t.co/QdfkBKFjJ2 pic.twitter.com/zIHrqF4Ggg
— GamesRadar+ (@GamesRadar) March 1, 2019
As it stands, there are no upcoming releases for iconic music-themed and rock-heavy franchises like Guitar Hero. However, game developers like Rockstar and their Grand Theft Auto series still use influences from rock bands like The Mars Volta and Queens of the Stone Age. Amongst the hip hop and gangsta rap is a substantial collection of rock which is used to build a body of work into their open-world game creating a typically recognisable American atmosphere of music and cars.
As game makers and composers continue to create a soundtrack of music to accompany gamers whose endeavours can last days, music has become less song-focussed and more of an emotional investment. Games now require a sound that can immerse for long periods of time without feeling like being on constant repeat. There are still games that feature rock music, but until Guitar Hero can reinvent itself for a present-day audience, it looks like rock music will have to take a back seat to the games designer’s preference for the orchestra.