game music

I still vividly remember how surprised I was when, more than 20 years ago, I first popped Final Fantasy V Dear Friends (1993) into my CD player. I was expecting to hear the energetic main theme with its iconic harp, strings and trumpet. Instead, the CD started with joik from Lapland – followed by a piece that begins with a kantele solo! Indeed, Dear Friends is one of the few game music albums to feature kantele and joik. But is there anything ‘Finnish’ about the album?

This playlist highlights the work of composers, arrangers and performers of video game music in Finland. Our list boasts a selection of addictive sounds from epic orchestral textures to quirky technopop and tunes that make you want to dance. How about next trying them as part of a gaming experience?

Game Music Everyday Memories, or GAMEM, is a research project undertaken at the University of Jyväskylä in 2020-2022. Funded by the Kone Foundation, the project examined people’s fondest and most lasting game music memories from a range of different perspectives, and the effect of these memories in their everyday life. The research results indicate that the impact of game music is significant.

“The biggest part of my professional life so far has been writing game music arrangements, which have been performed by symphony orchestras around the world”, writes composer and arranger Jonne Valtonen, who is known for both his contemporary works and for composing and arranging game music.

September 2017, Finlandia Hall. One of Finland’s most iconic concert halls hosts an orchestral concert with a full audience that is decidedly younger than average. That’s thanks to the programme, which features music composed for video games. As thousands rise for a standing ovation for the Game Music Collective, the atmosphere is electric: something new has been born.

"Video game music has become increasingly prominent in musical life in Finland. This special issue introduces some of the fascinating and diverse aspects of game music in the country," writes Lasse Lehtonen.

The pandemic’s dark cloud may have offered the music industry a silver lining, forcing it to take a technological jump forward. Fans are ready to move on from streaming concerts – so what are the next big leaps for music and future tech?