The growth of musical instruments in video games educates users and fosters a more immersive experience.
Music has been integral to video games since Space Invaders. If you implement a memorable soundtrack, your title could live forever in gaming glory.
What about instruments you can play within the game? This trend has become more prevalent as gameplay becomes more interactive.
While Guitar Hero took the industry by storm in the mid-2000s, you can find instruments in nonmusical games. For example, Tchia players enjoy in-depth ukulele sessions.
It’s not just pressing buttons on your controller — Tchia features chord progressions, note-bending, strumming and other essential ukulele functions. Once you get to chapter two, you can unlock the instrument upon meeting Tre.
The good news is that Tchia won’t penalize you for playing it wrong. Ultimately, it’s a learning experience for those who aren’t musically inclined.
Another popular game with musical instruments is The Last of Us Part II. While the protagonists focus on navigating a post-apocalyptic world, there are opportunities to play the guitar.
In the award-winning 2020 title, you can unlock a mini-game and learn the instrument. In particular, Ellie’s heartbreaking rendition of aha’s “Take On Me” became notable for its sharp contrast to the surrounding scenarios and importance in the overall character journey.
Tchia and The Last of Us Part II both share a similarity in that instead of just pressing colored buttons in the way of games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, they present wheels showing the specific chords you’re playing. They allow you to hear the sound of each chord as you play them and more easily make the connection between reading music and hearing it.
Learning the chords for these songs can help bridge the connection toward understanding how to play them outside the game. For instance, experts typically recommend starting with just G major, C major and D major. Experimenting in game with just these few essential chords can help build a foundational understanding of the basics of playing an instrument.
Similarly, games like It Takes Two and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth feature playable pianos in-game. Final Fantasy follows in the path of Tchia and The Last of Us, showing specific notes that you’re pressing and allowing the player to change octaves and chord types.
It Takes Two, a game where you play as people turned into tiny toy figures, take a more comical approach by letting you jump on piano keys. However, musically oriented players have noticed that the keys you can jump on do accurately mimic actual piano keys, allowing players to recreate their favorite songs with practice.
In other games, musical instruments are a minor element that users may miss if they focus on the story. For example, in Red Dead Redemption 2 online, gamers can play musical instruments in the saloon. While your character doesn’t control the device, you can adjust how they dance to the music.
Why are developers adding playable musical instruments to these games? First, it enhances the focus on immersion. With these interactive elements, you can feel more in touch with the fictional world and have more control of the character. Therefore, you insert yourself into the narrative and enjoy the game more.
Research shows that 68% of young people are interested in immersive games, so catering to this desire is essential in production. Developers use more creative tactics yearly, and music integration is one way to keep pace.
At the core of immersion is a player’s creativity and expression. Gamers feel more free to connect with the characters and mold them as they wish when they’ve had the chance to do something so innately human as playing an instrument through their characters’ eyes. Even if the title doesn’t focus on music, the instruments become integral to the experience.
Playable instruments also add educational value to games, especially ones with children playing. Users have said games inspired them to learn the ukulele or piano because they want to learn tunes from the game.
Exposure to musical instruments can be beneficial to young gamers, especially if they’re in middle or high school. A 2023 British Journal of Musical Education study found students learning instruments had better mathematics scores than their noninstrumentalist peers.
Most gamers might not learn an instrument because of Tchia or The Last of Us Part II. However, the initial knowledge and experience of trying out an instrument in an approachable way may inspire them to take guitar lessons or music theory classes.
Gamers benefit from having playable instruments in games, though there are advantages for the publishers. Incorporating music broadens their appeal and could interest more people in buying the game.
Titles with playable instruments blend action and music, thus attracting people who enjoy both. Individuals who previously didn’t play role-playing games may become more interested due to the musical elements.
Incorporating musical instruments also lets developers show off their advanced audio design. In modern games, you can see more artificial intelligence as the game adapts to your actions.
Spatial audio is a recent innovation that affects the playable instruments. Enhancing this feature lets players hear music depending on how far away they are from the objects. Therefore, the game becomes more realistic and has more depth.
Playable instruments in video games are a trend you should expect more of in the future. The advancing technologies and heightened interaction lead to improved experiences in your favorite games.
Editor Bio
Jack Shaw is the Games editor of Modded Magazine, having spent six years writing in the entertainment and tech space. During this time, he’s covered everything from new releases, deep-dive reviews, pop culture developments and tech innovations. In addition to his work on Modded, Jack’s writing has been published in The Outerhaven, Gamescritics, GameFragger and more.
