High Score: The Influence of Sound in Video Games

Research has shown that one should listen to video game soundtracks when working as they keep the mind focused on the task in hand, not distracting the mind with lyrics. High Score: The Influence of Music in Video Games builds on this research and connects the field of video game’s to the dramatic arts. Split into three sections, this article opens with an overview of the field, a look at the current scholarship and a discussion on the phycological effects that video game scores have on the player. The article then moves moves on to discuss the use of music as a training tool; using Alien: Isolation as a case study. Finally the article discusses the use of music in Bioshock Infinite to explore music as a story telling method,