Remember Those Days Gone By?

[wareagle884]

I found this tune from Secret of Mana not long ago on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3N9l...216BF3F77F56FB

As I sat at my computer and listened to the song play I began to happily reminisce about my childhood and the many hours spent exploring the amazing worlds contained in those little cartridges. After a moment I found myself with tears in my eyes as I kept thinking about all those days gone by. One of the reasons that I joined up with this forum and one of the reasons that I love to see something like VGL be successful is because I feel such a deep emotional connection to the music from games like Secret of Mana. To me, as I'm sure it is with many of you, the music is more than just something that's pleasing to the ear, it's a way that I can sort of go back in time and reconnect with that little kid sitting in front of his TV doing his best to make it to the next level or get by that one jump that seemed impossible. It does make me sad that those carefree days of innocence are gone forever, but it makes me feel good to know that there are so many others like me who share the same memories and have the same love for this music that I do. I hope this doesn't sound to terribly sentimental, but I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[DancingFlameDragon]

I guess most people feel that way sometimes. But then again, when I found myself yelling at the TV while playing Donkey Kong Country Returns, I noticed that things haven't really changed all that much. I also still play old games frequently that I never beat during the MANY years I've had them (-glares at NES-). I've never gotten rid of or sold any of the games I've owned, so at least I never have the feeling of missing a game I used to have (unless the game battery died or something like my Pokemon Gold Version, but at least now I have HeartGold).

[Kabukibear]

I think most of us on this site can relate to what you're talking about. For alot of us, we can happily listen to the original versions of some of this music and smile blissfully as we remember the total experience, the game and the music taken together. One of the reasons I like VGL is that it can take music that someone who might only be slightly, or not at all, familiar with the game, normally wouldn't listen to, and transform it into something breathtaking. At the same time, it transforms themes that we would happily listen bleep-blooping away and expands them into something new and unique and just as equally breathtaking. And THIRDLY, and, I feel, most important of all, it takes people who wouldn't necessarily have any interest at all in orchestral music and presents music familiar to them in that light. It bridges the gap and shows that music played by an orchestra isn't all old and stuffy and written by dead Germans, lol.

Because I truly believe that orchestral music had been a dying art. Not dead by any means, but with all the rock and techno and rap and everything else out there, people tend to wave away something like classical. Video games, I feel, have revived that appreciation in a whole new segment of the younger population. I for one, think it's fantastic and what got me into arranging vg music in the first place.

Anyway, I got a little sidetracked there.

But yes, the connection created by playing these games are very strong. I still get choked up listening to "Great Warrior," from FF7. Like anything else, these themes became a part of us growing up and, while it makes me sad sometimes to think of the carefree times of long ago, I am glad I was so fortunate to grow up to experience these things first hand. It's been amazing thus far, I look forward to what is yet to come!