Poll about the public knownledge of video games...

[Taleweaver]

Here's the situation: with my girlfriend I'm about to create and host a music quiz. While compiling some samples for the 'guess the soundtrack' round, i thought the dungeon music of super mario bros would hit about the sweet spot between too easy and too hard to guess (other entries include'a whole new world'from aladin and the theme from Orange is the new black).
Girlfriend strongly wants me to pull that question, claiming that 'nobody would know it'.
It's kind of hard arguing, since i can't deny that other quizzes sometimes show video game characters but never music.

... But is that fair? I mean... AAA games have a higher revenue than movies but whereas eg oppenheimer and barbie quickly find their way to quizzes, video games seem to...not stick, for some reason.
To bring it back to music: which classic video game music do we have? Again: i can't fault my girlfriend for her opinion as i wouldn't do much better as a gamer.


Oh, right: for the record: the quiz is in teams of 5 players of explicitly mixed ages between 20 and 74 (the latter my dad). I wouldn't expect the older generation to guess super mario dungeon theme but most are young enough to have played mario at some point.

You opinions, please?

 

[Veho]

Anything other than the Super Mario theme and possibly the Tetris theme is waaaay too niche for the average audience to recognize.

 

[Maximumbeans]

I think there are a few levels to it. Like Veho says, you've got Mario and Tetris which are open even for normies.

Then you've got the Skyrim title theme, Halo, Pokemon Red and Blue title screen, stuff that will capture the kind of middling level of gamers but not the general population.

Beyond that I think it's basically niche for the general population, even stuff that >80% of people on this site would get easily.

 

[Robert Newbie]

Anything other than the Super Mario theme and possibly the Tetris theme is waaaay too niche for the average audience to recognize.

Beyond that I think it's basically niche for the general population, even stuff that >80% of people on this site would get easily.

Very true. Video games entered the mainstream back around 2010, but mainstream acceptance didn't change anything. I wouldn't even expect a large number of people to recognize the Uncharted theme, but maybe the original Super Mario Bros. or Legend of Zelda theme.

I remember the interview with Keifer Sutherland, when he was doing Metal Gear Solid V. He said something to the effect of: "Metal Gear Solid was one of the few video game franchises I had actually heard of." Having that been said, I wouldn't expect the average person to know the MGS2 theme, either.

Like you said, stuff from movies stick because they're much more common. So, you'd have better luck with stuff like the Marvel Avengers theme (just the bit everyone knows).

 

[Tomato123]

A lot of the time, I'd say recognizable music from movies/shows comes in the form of music that was licensed for use in it. So I don't think that really counts towards movies/shows being more recognizable. If we just take into account music made specifically for them, I think it's about even. You have your instantly recognizable classics and then everything else.

There probably is more on the movie/show side of things, but it's a difficult thing to measure. And a poll on a gaming site is unlikely to tell the whole story due to bias.

 

[Kraken_X]

It largely comes down to whether the audiance has experianced the thing. I haven't plaed Uncharted, nor have I seen Orange is the New Black, so I would get those both wrong.

But between movies/shows and video games, I'd say people are more likely to remember a theme from a game than a show/movie because it usually plays repeatedly throughout the game. For example someone who played through Mario has likely heard the underground theme for several hours.

Side note: If you do it Jeopardy style, you can make video games its own category and people won't groan when they don't know the harder ones because they will have picked it and a 500 or 400 level song is expected to be hard.

 

[Jayro]

I'd say they're catching up... Video game soundtracks are an acquired taste, but have become more sophisticated and talented over the years since chiltunes.

 

[Robert Newbie]

But between movies/shows and video games, I'd say people are more likely to remember a theme from a game than a show/movie because it usually plays repeatedly throughout the game. For example someone who played through Mario has likely heard the underground theme for several hours.

Ha, this reminds me why Persona fans are so entertaining. They've been listening to Persona music for 40+ hours, so it doesn't take much to jog their memories. Watch, I'll show you:

Fill in the blank, Persona fans:
YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT ____________________________

 

[DragonMals]

I don't understand the general difference between real music and Video Game music, if Video game music essentially derived from real music.

While I can definitely agree and say Video game music is a niche genre like the below answer, I'd like to see as them being on Equal footing. Video Game music (especially for consoles/handhelds from the 4th generstion (Genesis, SNES, PC-Engine) almost never has instrumentals but they still do count as music, just in the form of chiptune or like most modern consoles, modern music.

 

[AmandaRose]

Fill in the blank, Persona fans:
YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT ____________________________

Public Service Announcement

Please do not answer this post I repeat do not answer this post.

Stand down
It's a trap

 

[Cranesbill]

Don't get me wrong, there's some great video game music out there, but I think it's more of its own thing, so I wouldn't clump it with the series/movies category

 

[AmandaRose]

Fill in the blank, Persona fans:
YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT ____________________________

Public Service Announcement

Please do not answer this post I repeat do not answer this post.

Stand down
It's a trap

Fine I play along and show you how sad this here Persona fan is by posting the full lyrics to the song from memory it is something like this.

You try to run me through
Hold on
Think again
Don't you know
What you're starting
But you sure ain't got a clue
How bad
This will go
Don't you know
Know my art
Art of war

And as you look to the horizon
Not a cloud

But then stormy weather's caught you cold
Seems like it crept up out of nowhere
All around you it's not quite what you foretold

You'll never see it coming
You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes
You're done in
By the time it's hit you, your last surprise

You think you got your game
Planned out
To a T
Yet I'm two
Steps ahead yeah
So you step into my way
Stand down
It's a trap
One more step
And you're dead
Yeah you're dead

Why just a picosecond ago
Clear blue skies
But now lightning's struck your last resolve
It's not an accident that no onee Hears your cries
As your last strength seems to dissolve

You'll never see it coming
You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes
You're done in
By the time it's hit you, your last surprise

I'm coming
For you
My game's always so fast, so fine
You're spun in
By the net you didn't catch it in time

Better think
About your game
Are you sure
Your next move's the right one for you?
Are you sure
You won't get outmaneuvered again
And again my friend?

You'll never see it coming
You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes
You're done in
By the time it's hit you, your last surprise

I'm coming
For you
My game's always so fast, so fine
You're spun in by the net you didn't catch it in time

 

[InsaneNutter]

In general I'd say video game music is probably too niche for the general public, unless its something iconic like the Tetris theme for example.

That said the soundtrack from more modern games like Halo have been used in UK TV series like Top Gear, although I suspect 99% of people watching had no idea the music came from a video game.

You do also get Orchestras embracing video game music these days though, so you never know: