Aha! A discussion of VGM vs. "real" music. Nod covered most of the major points.
The most important thing, IMO, is that VGM is intended as background music. In most VGM arrangements, there is restraint -- that is, the composer purposefully "held back" and kept some instruments / melodies more subdued than you would find in a typical pop song.
The reason for this restraint? It prevents songs from becoming too grating and annoying as they endlessly loop during a game. Seriously! A pop song is not meant to be heard 50 times in a row over while playing a stage... the "subdued" and "monotone" nature of muzak / VGM is part of its design.
Even if a VGM composer doesn't do this (i.e. "hold back"), the engineers who do the sound mixing can play with the sound levels to achieve the same end result. (In extreme cases, I call it the "monotone effect", since all the sound layers are normalized and equalized and just blend together -- in other words, you have to listen very closely to appreciate all the nuances of an arrangement.
I can't tell you how many VGM soundtracks I would love to remix! You know, to really bring out certain instruments / sections of a song! To make the song more dramatic, more dynamic ... and give it more personality.
Keep in mind, of course, that the VGM vs. "real music" dichotomy is simply a way of explaining some general differences between the genres. There are tons and tons of songs that defy this dicotomy (thank goodness!). "Real music" is not a neutral term and I know it probably rubs folks the wrong way
, sorry
. I'm making generalizations about genres.
I consider movie scores and VGM to be very closely related genres -- if that helps clarify my position.
TRIVA: Choose Momoko in stage (6? 7? I forget...) in Final Zone II and you will be treated to a great pop song w/ vocals that plays during the stage
. I love that song
!!! Personally, I think that it would be great to have vocals in VGM during gameplay -- but the vocals should be used sparingly, with long musical interludes. I feel that this would be the best of all possible worlds...
