Music is a special thing, and video game music is no exception. Even if you’ve only ever picked up one game controller in your life, you may already know that each video game comes with a unique score suited to its narrative themes, atmosphere, and game mechanics. These scores can range from incredible orchestral masterpieces to the 8-bit chiptunes you’d hear on an arcade cabinet, but they all share one thing in common: to help you concentrate on the task at hand, which can be a (literal) game-changer when it comes to working and studying.
According to Orion Academy, video game music is specially designed by game composers to help your brain focus on tasks, such as fighting, racing, exploring and more. This genre of music has the unique distinction of being “progressive and positive in nature”, corresponding to advancement in the actual gameplay. And according to a plethora of research, having such music to accompany a task–especially if it’s repetitive—can drive up dopamine levels in the brain, allowing you to engage in work or study more productively and with less stress. It can also drive inspiration and add a touch of whimsy to otherwise boring tasks.
So, how exactly does game music help? It does that in a few ways. First, video game music tends to stay at a relatively low and constant volume. According to Popular Science, this prevents you from becoming distracted by sudden increases in volume. Second, this type of music generally doesn’t have lyrics, which researchers say is a major distracting component of most music.
Third of all, video game music helps with focus because the tracks are generally fast paced. While one may use classical music to relax, its slow pace might cause some people to react slower, potentially decreasing productivity and response time. Video game music is engineered to help you maintain a brisk speed on a given task, so when it comes time to sit at that desk and work, it may prove to be your best friend.
If you’re curious about using video game music to boost your workday, here are some recommendations based on the experiences of gamers via DeskTime.com:
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door OST (Helps make mundane tasks less boring)
Legend of Zelda: 25th Anniversary Orchestra Soundtrack (Helps with inspiration)
