Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Let me know what you think, what you listen to, or why you just can't.
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Do you EVER listen to other things during a video game?
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
I’ll listen to podcasts while playing some sim or strategy games. They’re repetitive, can be kind of mindless, and the soundtrack won’t necessarily change much and I’ve listened to it a lot.
I'll listen to music when I'm playing Magic since there's no dialogue I need to pay attention to, but that's about it. As a professional Video Games Audio Person, I know how much work goes into game sound, and most of the time no one cares. But I care, damn it.
I can accomplish twice as much in half the time by jamming out to podcasts while I blow up evil robot masters and stomp goombas
karzac
(he/him)
Yeah I listen to podcasts a lot during strategy games and roguelikes.
4-So
Spicy
Depends on what I'm doing. Generally, if I'm going through a game for the first time, I'll leave the music on since that's part and parcel to the experience. If I'm on another playthrough of a game I know well, largely depends on how repetitive the music is. The one occasion I will almost always play other tunes is in an MMORPG. If I'm grinding or going through dailies or whatever, Spotify comes on immediately.
One of my fondest memories is a second playthrough of Earthbound, grinding Starman Supers to get the Sword of Kings for Poo, listening to that first Fountains of Wayne album on repeat. Good times.
One of my fondest memories is a second playthrough of Earthbound, grinding Starman Supers to get the Sword of Kings for Poo, listening to that first Fountains of Wayne album on repeat. Good times.
I voted "no", although I've tried it before and there's probably the odd exception I might still make today. But generally I don't like splitting my attention with podcasts or shows or whatever. It feels like that episode of Seinfeld where George wants to combine all pleasures into one experience. And because I'm directing all this conscious thought towards consuming content efficiently it eventually makes me feel like those episodes I'm blazing through are some kind of obligation backlog, or perhaps the game is an obligation. Yuck.
Music makes more sense to me but I'd simply rather listen to the music that matches the game, even if the game is repetitive.
Music makes more sense to me but I'd simply rather listen to the music that matches the game, even if the game is repetitive.
I keep trying to listen to podcasts or the like while playing, but it doesn't work well with my brain, so I end up having to quit one or the other and focus.
If I'm tired of the soundtrack on a game, though, I will queue up an alternative playlist. While streaming, it's NoCopyrightSounds, so I don't get DMCA'ed about it. Some games have painfully repetitive tracks that I have to override, lest my nerves fray beyond that caused by the challenge of the gameplay. (I'm looking at you, CrossCode Bergen Village.)
If I'm tired of the soundtrack on a game, though, I will queue up an alternative playlist. While streaming, it's NoCopyrightSounds, so I don't get DMCA'ed about it. Some games have painfully repetitive tracks that I have to override, lest my nerves fray beyond that caused by the challenge of the gameplay. (I'm looking at you, CrossCode Bergen Village.)
this
conchobhar
What's Shenmue?
Yes, fairly often. If I'm doing something a bit dull or akin to busywork— grinding in an RPG, getting the last few squares in a search action game, replaying levels for collectibles I missed, etc— then I'll put on my own tunes to make it more palatable. This is especially because the in-game music rarely holds up for this sort of play… it's irritating to listen to the dungeon theme and battle theme interrupting each other every thirty seconds.
I'll also reach for the mute button if a game's soundtrack doesn't actually have that many songs (or they're all variants on the same melody). I loved Yoshi's Crafted World, but there were only two or three songs it cycled through for the courses, so after a while I put on my own music to get some variety in there. But if I do this, I always make sure to pick music that I feel is appropriate for the game.
Also when I'm playing puzzle games, because many of them just don't have much of a musical identity— the Picross series has music so dull it could be straight out of a royalty-free music collection. But I imagine that's relatively common practice.
I'll also reach for the mute button if a game's soundtrack doesn't actually have that many songs (or they're all variants on the same melody). I loved Yoshi's Crafted World, but there were only two or three songs it cycled through for the courses, so after a while I put on my own music to get some variety in there. But if I do this, I always make sure to pick music that I feel is appropriate for the game.
Also when I'm playing puzzle games, because many of them just don't have much of a musical identity— the Picross series has music so dull it could be straight out of a royalty-free music collection. But I imagine that's relatively common practice.
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
No, I cannot listen to other audio or watch anyone else do it because it messes with my ADD brain and makes me viscerally irritated/angry. Just thinking about it in the abstract is giving me anxiety. If a game has terrible audio i will mute it as a last resort
I spend 95% of my gaming time with some sort of stream/YouTube/etc playing on my second monitor. When I'm actively engaged with the game, I filter it out as background noise, and when I'm in a down portion of the game (loading, backtracking, grinding, etc), I naturally pay it some attention. The only time I don't do this is when a game is audio actively requires my full attention, like rhythm games or narrative-focused games with frequent extended voice acting scenes.
Depends on the game, for strategy games where the soundtrack isn't really essential (e.g. stuff like Civ, Paradox games dozens of hours in etc) totally. MMOs as well unless it's something where the soundtrack can enhance the experience like FFXIV (even then I'd listen to some jams while doing duty roulette back in the day as well).
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Yeah, this. I have muted non-terrible ones when I'm just not up for both visual and aural stimulation but it has to be a replay or something where I know I'm not missing any new sound (Elder Scrolls Online for example).
Most of the games I play have at the very least good, hummable tunes, so I rarely put something else on. If I'm grinding on a portable, then, sure, I can put on a very familiar movie to let my brain disengage for a while (OTOH, getting the Valkyrie soul in Aria of Sorrow while watching Spider-Man 2 is an experience forever burned into memory.) But the question reminds me of how big of an ad point it was with the Xb360 (and the PS3, I think?) that you could fill up your drive with MP3s and play them back during your game, make your own in-game playlists and such. Did that feature die a quiet death, or is it still something you can do today?
4-So
Spicy
Now, watching something else I won't do. I can't watch a movie or television while playing a game any more than I can watch a movie while reading a book. I can't pay attention to both and I think to even attempt to would be a disservice to either, not to mention myself. I think a podcast would also be distracting. Putting on music that's alternative to the game's music is about it, provided the task or music is so repetitive I need something else to fill the air.
Nope. Maybe it's because I play mostly action games. And like Zef said, many games have nice music.
However, if I'm training for some competition I will sometimes play the game on mute or super quiet, because I don't know what the setup is going to be. Imagine getting used to things happening, nay, relying on certain notes, and when you get to the competition you can barely hear your game.
However, if I'm training for some competition I will sometimes play the game on mute or super quiet, because I don't know what the setup is going to be. Imagine getting used to things happening, nay, relying on certain notes, and when you get to the competition you can barely hear your game.
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Hearing Metallica’s black album makes startropics 2 screens flash before my eyes to this day.
muteKi
Geno Cidecity
Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome was almost the exact perfect length and pace to play over Eggmanland in Sonic Unleashed and went a long way to making that level enjoyable for me.
Aside from Octo's point that you're twice as productive when you listen to a podcast while you play a game, I also have a tendency to do things like just completely replace a soundtrack to a game for the heck of it.
Aside from Octo's point that you're twice as productive when you listen to a podcast while you play a game, I also have a tendency to do things like just completely replace a soundtrack to a game for the heck of it.
Yep. In fact during some particularly dry moments in older RPGs (such as grinding levels to defeat the Dragon Lord), I have watched stuff at the same time. But the vast majority of games I'd rather experience everything the game has to offer, including sounds and music.
I also have a very nice memory of playing Golf on Famicom (which has no music) while listening to City Pop.
I also have a very nice memory of playing Golf on Famicom (which has no music) while listening to City Pop.
I listen to podcasts a lot while playing games, but I can't vote for any selections in the poll because it's not because "the music gets repetitive" or because "I'm tired of the games soundtrack" or any of the others reasons stated, so none of the options fit my situation.
If anything, I am very particular about adjusting sound levels to be sure I can hear the soundtrack/music/effects and the podcast both clearly. (I hit pause on the podcast if audio dialogue or a reading sequence comes up.)
If anything, I am very particular about adjusting sound levels to be sure I can hear the soundtrack/music/effects and the podcast both clearly. (I hit pause on the podcast if audio dialogue or a reading sequence comes up.)