Poll: Do you mute the in-game music and play your own?

[NeutralDrow]

Depends on the game, naturally. If the soundtrack is vital (or simply awesome), like in a lot of my RPGs, fighting games, and visual novels, usually not[footnote]I have made occasional exceptions. The Gurren Lagann soundtrack goes surprisingly well with Smash Brothers 64, and I managed to slip <url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLBAFJWbd30>The Time Has Come into one of the climactic fight scenes in <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.252998-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Princess-Waltz>Princess Waltz (Liliana's final boss fight), where it fit surprisingly well.[/footnote].

MMOs are usually fair game, though. I've actually been in the habit of listening to internet videos while playing those (I've been having a couple of LPs and recently DBZ Abridged playing while I played City of Heroes).

 

[Purplefood1]

If it's a game where sound is important e.g. L4D 1/2 or something similar then no. But, if it's a game where it doesn't really matter about the sound then i'll get a playlist ready.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I play WoW mostly so yeah, I'll have music going or even video on the off monitors.

In fact, best track for me in dungeons is 'War' from the OST to Avatar. When James Horner kicks that shit into high gear, woohoo baby.

In Mass Effect on the other hand, music other than what the game provides is Verboten.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

as long as its not rap i don't most of the time the music is pretty athmospheric. Well ok with diablo 2 i played mostly blind guardian, but the game is just too repetative and shallow for athmosphere and metal helps killing lotsa fiends.

 

[Psycho78]

I usually turn the game music down to 50% or so when I run the game the first time. If the music is good I'll leave it or turn it up, if it's bad I'll turn it off.

Then other times when I just want to zone out in Grand Theft Auto or Day of Defeat I'll play my own music in the background.

 

[PoliceBox63]

I never do. I want to hear the sounds and music the game developers put in there.
I think I only ever listened to my own muscic when playing arcade games like Hexic and Track 'n' Field.

 

[AdamRBi]

Only in games where the soundtrack consists solely of licensed song from music artists. In that case me playing my music in the background doesn't change much, just makes the soundtrack better.

If the in-game music was designed for the game then I let it play. It's there for a reason, to set a mood, I don't want to disturb that.

 

[Skylants]

I just listen to the music on Independence FM.

 

[Mister Benoit]

Pretty self-explanatory. If you're playing a game and you don't like the soundtrack in-game, do you mute it? If so, do you play your own music in the background?

I do, personally. I usually play metal and hard rock for pretty much every game I can think of, except puzzle games.

So, Escapists, what do you do?

(Addendum: I don't do this in some games, such as Dead Space, where audio cues and atmosphere are important. Forgot about those.)

You read Kotaku.

I always listen to the in-game music, only times I don't is when i'm playing a handheld while on the go.