Metal: The music genre of choice for the gaming community?

[Biosophilogical]

I nevere really seem to get into metal. I think I have the wrong personality ... or other people don't listen to music to get an emotional response from it. I mean, that's why I like my music, because it sits well with me; I'm able to experience the music on a level greater than 'Wow ... a guitar'. It's really hard to explain, I think this is one of those, "If you are the same you understand, if you're not, you probably don't". So yeah, metal just doesn't do it for me (well, most metal, I'm not going to rule out an entire genre, that would be stupid as I go by a song-to-song basis, and just use genres to make finding 'my' stuff simpler).

 

[astrav1]

I love heavy metal. I mean real metal, although I would fee like a poser if I called myself a metalhead. For future reference could some one define, "metalhead" for me please?

 

[Korenith]

I nevere really seem to get into metal. I think I have the wrong personality ... or other people don't listen to music to get an emotional response from it. I mean, that's why I like my music, because it sits well with me; I'm able to experience the music on a level greater than 'Wow ... a guitar'. It's really hard to explain, I think this is one of those, "If you are the same you understand, if you're not, you probably don't". So yeah, metal just doesn't do it for me (well, most metal, I'm not going to rule out an entire genre, that would be stupid as I go by a song-to-song basis, and just use genres to make finding 'my' stuff simpler).

I think you're right, that it entirely depends on the person and what they get from music. For me it's a mixture of emotional response and intellectual stimulation and I find both in metal more than other genres. The emotions evoked in metal though tend towards ideas of comradery, anger, depression or elation although love and everything else gets in there at times. Perhaps the main emotional themes of metal musicianship just don't gel with how you generally feel?

 

[RanD00M]

Really? Everything tatgeted at teens in England appears to be full of indie music and other assorted arse.

Pretty much in Poland you can divide the 15-24 demographic into 40% metal 45% hip hop 15% reggae. Not to mention metal got to be the 'media' favourite few months ago when leader of Behemoth started dating a pink self-proclaimed queen of local pop. For several weeks every tabloid wrote about Nergal and his bride-to-be.

I would have though that Nergals Lukemia would have gotten some coverage. Or has it? I don't really know, it's not like I live in Poland.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I prefer pop/punk and a bit of post-hardcore.

I actually dislike metal due to the (generally) samey nature of each and every song.

Not to be an ass, but that complaint is much more often leveled at pop/punk than metal.

I mean, listen to these and tell me they sound similar.




Anyway, it's more the Escapist that has lots of metalheads. Out of all the MW2 players blaring music through their mics, I've heard one play metal. And it was debatably not even metal...

And then there's all the games with techno or classical soundtracks...

EDIT: Shit, forgot. I like metal a lot, pretty much anything other than Death or Black metal.

Something I wish more bands would do is incorporate saxophones. Their so much better than keyboards...

 

[Korenith]

I love heavy metal. I mean real metal, although I would fee like a poser if I called myself a metalhead. For future reference could some one define, "metalhead" for me please?

Well for me it's anybody with a more than casual interest in metal ie. you go to the gigs, find yourself dicussing it on forums, maybe wear some of the band merchandise, have quite a decent collection of metal music but I guess there are other interpretations. I just like the idea of being a "metalhead" because it creates for me a sense of community. I've never felt more welcome around people I don't know than at a metal festival because everybody has that common interest from which they can always start up a conversation. I don't think it's a poser term but more a recognition of a certain aspect of your personality.

 

[Biosophilogical]

I nevere really seem to get into metal. I think I have the wrong personality ... or other people don't listen to music to get an emotional response from it. I mean, that's why I like my music, because it sits well with me; I'm able to experience the music on a level greater than 'Wow ... a guitar'. It's really hard to explain, I think this is one of those, "If you are the same you understand, if you're not, you probably don't". So yeah, metal just doesn't do it for me (well, most metal, I'm not going to rule out an entire genre, that would be stupid as I go by a song-to-song basis, and just use genres to make finding 'my' stuff simpler).

I think you're right, that it entirely depends on the person and what they get from music. For me it's a mixture of emotional response and intellectual stimulation and I find both in metal more than other genres. The emotions evoked in metal though tend towards ideas of comradery, anger, depression or elation although love and everything else gets in there at times. Perhaps the main emotional themes of metal musicianship just don't gel with how you generally feel?

See, that's what I don't really understand (about metal and me). I'm very in touch with all of my emotions, I can know what I'm feeling at any given time and the exact reasons for it (even emotions that some people sometimes misdirect like anger/hate/jealousy/whatever). So it isn't that I don't 'get' the 'metal emotions' - and here is where I try a psychological stab in the dark - it's that the aspects of most metal I've heard don't really convey it to me well (sort of like I'm a PS3 and metal is Halo).

 

[DSK-]

I like some metal (preferably the older stuff). I don't actively listen to it but my rule of thumb with music or songs from other genres is that "if it sounds good to me, then it's good".

Personally my music of choice is progressive trance. Not to be confused with popular trance.

 

[Keava]

I would have though that Nergals Lukemia would have gotten some coverage. Or has it? I don't really know, it's not like I live in Poland.

It did, but much less than his romance with a pop star of skankiness, Doda. Romances sell better than illness of a an obviously anti-christian metal celebrity.

 

[badgersprite]

Well, I used to like metal when I was younger. And I'm talking thrash metal, death metal and black metal here, not just the more mainstream heavy stuff. But then I just kind of...grew out of it. And I have no idea why.

It's not even really that I dislike the stuff that I used to love, I just stopped wanting to listen to it as often as I used to. It's weird. I honestly can't explain how or why my tastes suddenly changed. I haven't disregarded all metal or anything, but the stuff I do still listen to is generally way more towards the heavy rock, melodic, or orchestral sides of the spectrum, if that makes any sense.

Maybe I'm old. Oh no! I've turned into an old person who can't stand loud music before I'm even twenty! Aagh!

But, yeah, I do think a kicking guitar riff fits perfectly with a video game, considering how many video games revolve around epic battles and fights for survival. The fast tempo of a metal song does fit perfectly with the sort of quick reaction times you need when you're beating down a final boss or final stage in a fight. You need music that kicks as much ass as you're going to.

That said, I do like my big, melodramatic orchestral scores with my games too. Combinations of that and metal result in some awesome soundtracks, am I right?

 

[astrav1]

I love heavy metal. I mean real metal, although I would fee like a poser if I called myself a metalhead. For future reference could some one define, "metalhead" for me please?

Well for me it's anybody with a more than casual interest in metal ie. you go to the gigs, find yourself dicussing it on forums, maybe wear some of the band merchandise, have quite a decent collection of metal music but I guess there are other interpretations. I just like the idea of being a "metalhead" because it creates for me a sense of community. I've never felt more welcome around people I don't know than at a metal festival because everybody has that common interest from which they can always start up a conversation. I don't think it's a poser term but more a recognition of a certain aspect of your personality.

Well, thank you for clearing that up for me. I guess that makes me a metalhead then.

 

[RanD00M]

I would have though that Nergals Lukemia would have gotten some coverage. Or has it? I don't really know, it's not like I live in Poland.

It did, but much less than his romance with a pop star of skankiness, Doda. Romances sell better than illness of a an obviously anti-christian metal celebrity.

Well at least the illness is more interesting to me. Him dying would mean that I would lose yet another beloved musician.
No Behemoth would mean unhappy me.

And I though it was funny when he was on trial for ripping the bible on stage.

 

[The Night Shade]

I listen to every kind of rock,my favorite band is AC/DC and i have some metallica and megadeth songs in my list

 

[GreyFire]

Depends on what type of game you are playing. Metal for tearing through zombies or in epic battles etc. chilled music for driving and rpgs and then just random music for platformers. I have to say metal does have a strong place in gaming.

 

[LightspeedJack]

I find metalcore more interesting than straight metal. But I'm into almost every genre really.

 

[Krion_Vark]

I can listen to most forms of music. EXCEPT most Rap because of what its supposed to be and what it actually is. Also SCREAMING Metal I cannot listen to because quite frankly I dont want to listen to 5 minutes of someone screaming in my ear.

 

[IkeGreil29]

Well... I'm the only HUGE metalhead out of all my friends (That's a lie... the only huge metalhead out of my GAMER friends; I have a metalhead friend, but she's not that much into games... or at all). So I'd say no... maybe techno, metal, rock and stuff like that are gamer's genres. And considering that most of the people at gaming sites like The Escapist and Kotaku are hardcore gamers who already probably know most of the things your average gaming fan doesn't, it doesn't surprise me that they know of a genre that is slightly harder on the ears, or genres that aren't particularly known well except for centers for that subculture.