If you were around in the ’80s, you’ve watched the video game medium evolve from the very beginning, and it’s amazing how the form has grown over the past 40 years or so.
For example, the Atari 2600 has a screen resolution of 160 x 192 pixels (although it’s not quite that simple), while modern gaming platforms can output 4K video, and probably greater screen sizes than that too. Aside from visuals, gameplay has gone through a ton of other changes, and along with evolving technology, so too has the music. In fact, this excellent new video takes a 10-minute ride through the history of video game music.
Musical YouTuber Vinheteiro dons a nice suit, sits in front of a piano, and runs through all of the classics. He begins with Pac-Man, which first hit arcades in 1980, and appropriately brings things full-circle by ending with Cuphead, which came out last year but was heavily influenced by the cartoons of early animation. There are plenty of memorable stops in between as well: Represented in the video are Tetris, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Sonic, Diablo, Angry Birds, Minecraft, and a ton of other classics.
Hearing all the songs played on the same instrument in the same style, what you get is a reminder that while these songs are separated by many years and types of games, they all have the same goal of scoring a video game adventure, balancing the tasks of staying interesting while not becoming obnoxious if heard on loop a hundred times in a row.
What’s your favorite video game soundtrack or song ever? Let us know what you think down in the comments!
Featured image: Namco
