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Video game swing for maximum pleasure

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:02 am
by Haydn
Now and then I play a 'soccer' video game while listening to swing songs playing at random on my iPod. It's quite appropriate in a way, because I'm feeding off the energy of the music - and I can often 'up my game' when I'm really into the music.

But I've also noticed how different it feels hearing a tune when my mind is focussed on something else. It reminds me of how songs sometimes sound quite different when someone else is DJing them to the way they sound when I am DJing them or listening to them. Also, listening to songs on my iPod is usually much more fun when they are played at random than when I know what's coming. I think the reason the music sounds different (and often better) in these situations may be that part of my brain is switched off. If the brain knows what's coming, it controls the emotional response, but if the brain is doing something else (like playing a video game or talking), then the barriers are down, and the 'music enjoyment' door in the brain is wide open, allowing you to enjoy the music at a different and deeper level.

Just some ramblings - any of this make sense? :? :)

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:22 am
by Mr Awesomer
You mean football? :D

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 2:03 pm
by CountBasi
Yes, the game where the ball touches the foot a lot :wink:

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 12:08 am
by Surreal
Anyone ever play Grim Fandango? There's a couple neat tunes from that game's soundtrack that I play at dances every once in a while.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 12:03 pm
by Cyrano de Maniac
I did play a cut of Makka na Bara to Gin Tonic from Katamari Damacy once. I don't have it handy so I don't remember the tempo, but it's outside all but the most hard-core Lindy Hopper's speed if I remember correctly. I had to cut it down to about 4 1/2 minutes as well -- I think the entire track is around 9 minutes -- I'm not quite that cruel.

Brent

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:47 pm
by Mr Awesomer
There is a song from Conker, "Windy," that I've played a few times.

There is another song from that game that I've been tempted to play, but I'm just not that crass.

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 8:22 am
by remysun
Cyrano de Maniac wrote:I did play a cut of Makka na Bara to Gin Tonic from Katamari Damacy once. I don't have it handy so I don't remember the tempo, but it's outside all but the most hard-core Lindy Hopper's speed if I remember correctly. I had to cut it down to about 4 1/2 minutes as well -- I think the entire track is around 9 minutes -- I'm not quite that cruel.

Brent
Ah yes. Katamari. How did that play over?

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:24 pm
by Cyrano de Maniac
remysun wrote:Ah yes. Katamari. How did that play over?
Well, given that I considered it a novelty song for the evening, I held out until late in the evening when the crowd was already pretty thin and in "wind down mode", thus I'm not sure I have a representative sample to go by.

It seemed to go about as well as any other 240ish BPM song would have at that point -- a few balboa dancers and some struggling Lindy Hoppers on the floor, probably about 1/4 of the people left at the dance. Actually, that close to closing 1/4 of the people is pretty typical for most any song except the chart-busting crowd favorites.

So, I guess the answer is "OK, but I'd be careful about ever playing it again".

Brent

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:35 am
by Surreal
I have a couple jazzy-ish Mario Bros. theme songs that I've played on occasion.

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:11 am
by straycat
Mr Awesomer wrote:There is a song from Conker, "Windy," that I've played a few times.

There is another song from that game that I've been tempted to play, but I'm just not that crass.
Depending on what song you're talking about, it's quite possible that I have been that crass.... (although to be fair, it was at Herrang's "Bad Music Night" a couple of years back, and it did, to my amazement, go down a storm)