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

[TheAceTheOne]

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.)

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I used to, but for multiplayer games or games where I actually care about the story and what characters have to say then I want to hear everything so I don't.

However a game where I'm just semi-serious like Minecraft or RTS games I'll gladly play music in the background.

 

[Jester00]

i do sometimes when i play minecraft or teeworlds. but t mw2, i need the sounds.

 

[GiantRaven]

No. Sound design in games is too important for me to discard it.

 

[Super Toast]

Basically never. I find sound to be the second most important thing about a game.

 

[GiantRaven]

No.

No. Sound design in games is too important for me to discard it.

What if you want to chill with the homies while you're blasting alien scum?

I should clarify that I take sound design in videogames particularly seriously. My university dissertation will be on the subject relating to immersion in First-Person Shooters. So yeah, I'm particularly biased here. =P

 

[CAPTCHA]

Not with modern games. Sound is a crucial part of the overall design.

What if you want to chill with the homies while you're blasting alien scum?

Even while playing games with others I won't turn the music down. However my "casual" friend doesn't mind if I keep the music on while he plays Zuma or Bejewled.

 

[KalosCast]

Depends how much sound matters in the game. If I'm playing something where the audio cues don't matter much (most MMORPGs, for example) then I might. But generally if I have to play my own music to keep me entertained while playing the game, I don't like the game enough to actually keep playing it.

GTA's custom Radio Station on the other hand, was a brilliant idea.

 

[7moreDead_v1legacy]

All the time...I stick my headphone ear buds inside the cup of my headset so I hear game sounds and vent with my own music ^^

 

[Wapox]

If I don't care for the music in the game I either Mute it, or play something else.. depends on whether I have the music required to be in the background of such a game...

 

[DustyDrB]

I always mute TF2 and play music. There's not much in-game music anyway.

 

[asspills]

I do it all the time on games with little to no ambient music, or no real/good soundtrack, where I know dialogue wont come up soon. I also always put on music thats 100% appropriate.

Most often I do this with the Asassins Creed series, usually putting on A Perfect Circle. Something i reccomend everyone try. The mood, ambience and even lyrics match up with the game perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MAg9E5K3w


Or when playing Fable games, I'll often play Final Fantasy (not the game soundtrack, theres a band called Final Fantasy), who makes wonderful violin ballads that are always atmospheric, yet still lighthearted and silly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWPtBlPlHoo


Also, the band Russian Circles makes songs perfect for any videogame. No lyrics, just a band making perfect rock/metal ambient music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4noNh8a5uPE&feature=related
(skip ahead if you dont want to listen to the long intro)

 

[KuwaSanjuro]

I don't listen to music, I listen to podcasts, I find music too short to be listened to whilst playing.

 

[Drummie666]

No, I normally have to yell at my brother to stop playing some. I find it ruins the feel and break immersion of the game.

 

[Keith K]

If it's a licensed soundtrack, I will play my own. Racing, sports and competitive games always get custom soundtracks.

 

[Lawnmooer]

It depends on the game, in most MMO's and games that I've played enough to know every line of dialogue I will mute all sounds and play my music (Maybe leave some sound and just turn music off in some games for hit recognition)

In other games such as ones I'm following the story to, haven't played much or need sound for (TF2, Killing Floor and other multiplayer FPS games where sounds give you an edge over people who can't hear them (Footsteps or bacteria in L4D2)) I will leave the music alone and only play when my headphone batteries are charged and have at least a few hours left in them.

 

[Samwise137]

depends on the game. If it's an arcade style or emulator or something, then usually yes but for the most part, I let the in-game music do its thing.

 

[TheDarkestDerp]

Depends on the game if I do and which music, though generally I don't. Most of my faves rely too much on audio cues and voices, even the ones that don't, such as LIMBO, completely lose their atmosphere when the soundtrack becomes the ICP or Vir En Grey.

 

[imnot]

No but I play Halo Reachs ost. Its figgen amazing compared to anything else out now.