Why is Metal the dominant music genre on internet gaming forums?

[LilGherkin]

There are way too many metal threads on the escapist.

I could not agree with you more my friend. They really seem to clog up the off-topic session and I just sit there and think, "Why?"

 

[Akai Shizuku]

I don't like metal. If you were to compare music to martial artists, heavy metal would be a warrior of the Maori tribes. It is harsh, brutal, angry, mad, and utterly uncivilized. It may very well be effective at accomplishing what it set out to do, but only people who delude themselves could consider it a joy to spectate at its performance. Take these opinions as simply that: opinions.

I don't think the Maori people are much less civilized than where most of us come from; actually, they may be more so. But that's besides the point. There is no delusion. People wonder why metal fans are so hardcore about their genre and so devoted...it's because of the passion and the realism in the music, even if the subject matter is about zombies tearing a victim apart. There's passion in the music, and even in the most harsh screams of hatred you can detect a love for what's taking place here. You don't find that, any of that, in mainstream music. Just turn on the radio and your ears will be assaulted by men going on about hookers, guns, money and cars, with the occasional generic emo boy ranting on about how bad his life is when he lives in a suburb or whatever. Give me a break.

Have you seen what a Maori looks like when he's trying to kill someone? Did you know they used to eat the flesh of their downed enemies? Before they were dead? More civilized?

"passion and the realism ..... zombies tearing a victim apart." That being in a single sentence speaks for itself.

If heavy metal strives only to compete against 21st century mainstream music, than it definitely isn't as hard as it thinks it is.

Sorry my friend, you have refuted nothing, and have further cemented my thoughts.

In America, 1/3 of women are rape victims. Who's uncivilized now?

Sometimes metal just tells a story, which is art itself. Even then, it could be a metaphor, and contains passion still.

Heavy metal strives for its own purposes, not merely to combat the garbage you hear on the radio. Heavy metal is a celebration of awesomeness.

 

[karpiel]

It's because only metal embraces the social ineptitude symptomatic of compulsive forum posters.

 

[Fire Daemon]

Some metal songs are very similar to some video games. Because of this a game becomes an extension of the song or the song becomes an extension of the game, they both complement each other and lead to a better time spent with both. You don't have to necessarily enjoy both at the same time but if you enjoy the song Aces High, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MkubJduGQA] for example, because you think WWII airplanes are pretty cool then you'll like the game Blazing Angels [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD_cKXgLRZI]. If you like the concept of Hell [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPB8-x11TXo] you'll like Doom [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK5m8HmGDX0&feature=related]. If you like Gears of War [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gears+of+war+megadeth&search_type=&aq=0&oq=Gears+of+War+mega] than you'll probably like Gears of War. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thNWaVsBpOE&feature=related]

There are many games with similarities to metal and many songs with similarities to games. I think that it is why gamers have this stereotype of being metal heads.

It may also be because both are typically outside of the 'popular things' circle. It seems to me that when two or more things are not popular but still available to people they tend to go hand in hand. Many people that play and collect Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 also listen to metal and also play video games. That doesn't mean that all gamers collect miniatures and that doesn't mean all Warhammer fans listen to metal but there are similarities. It's also important to note that Warhammer was influenced by metal and has influenced some popular metal bands such as Three Inches of Blood (and maybe many more).

They just go hand in hand with each other, which in my opinion is a good thing. If only more types of music could break into the gaming world. We see games such as 50 Cent: Bulletproof and what have you, but wouldn't it be great to see a game based on Carmen [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen] and other famous opera? Wouldn't a game inspired by Beethoven's symphonies be really great? It isn't going to happen, obviously, unless you include some artsy indie game, but you can dream.

 

[Marbas]

I already covered the fact that Metal has its own purposes and fulfills them quite nicely, meaning YOU agree with ME. YOU juxtaposed metal with mainstream media. And, by the way, thank you for declaring yourself a biased fanboy so I wouldn't have to go to the trouble myself.

I like you.

 

[Artemis923]

You cannot replicate the sound of a guitar being skillfully played by using a computer. You can sample someone playing it or have a digital sounding MIDI voice make noise vaguely resembling a guitar.

Maybe not now, but eventually. Or, you can market it as Avant-garde metal and be a little unconventional with song structure.

As someone who has played guitar and piano for years and produces albums of many different genres for a living, I think I am somewhat qualified to opine that becoming proficient at metal requires a lot more musical talent and skill than learning to program loops in Reason and putting a distortion effect and some noise filters onto some drum samples, as the person in that link you posted is doing.

That is not what the person I linked is doing. For one thing, he builds his own...noisemakers. There are also no drums involved. Secondly, please provide actual evidence instead of just saying you are qualified to make that judgment call.

more complex but it's often of much higher energy and is generally more passionate than most other music.

Prove it.

What I'm saying to both of you boils down to this, prove it. All you're doing is grandstanding.

As for complexity, it isn't that important, Noise, as a genre completely unbound by musical convention, has the most complex songs of any genre in the world because there are no rules. As such, it can be as complex or minimal as it likes. That doesn't mean the more complex songs are better or have anything better about them. Complexity is not its' own reward.

What, then, do you prefer? What music is it that you find to be so much better?

 

[Marbas]

You cannot replicate the sound of a guitar being skillfully played by using a computer. You can sample someone playing it or have a digital sounding MIDI voice make noise vaguely resembling a guitar.

Maybe not now, but eventually. Or, you can market it as Avant-garde metal and be a little unconventional with song structure.

As someone who has played guitar and piano for years and produces albums of many different genres for a living, I think I am somewhat qualified to opine that becoming proficient at metal requires a lot more musical talent and skill than learning to program loops in Reason and putting a distortion effect and some noise filters onto some drum samples, as the person in that link you posted is doing.

That is not what the person I linked is doing. For one thing, he builds his own...noisemakers. There are also no drums involved. Secondly, please provide actual evidence instead of just saying you are qualified to make that judgment call.

more complex but it's often of much higher energy and is generally more passionate than most other music.

Prove it.

What I'm saying to both of you boils down to this, prove it. All you're doing is grandstanding.

As for complexity, it isn't that important, Noise, as a genre completely unbound by musical convention, has the most complex songs of any genre in the world because there are no rules. As such, it can be as complex or minimal as it likes. That doesn't mean the more complex songs are better or have anything better about them. Complexity is not its' own reward.

What, then, do you prefer? What music is it that you find to be so much better?

I don't find any music to be better, but I do find music I like more. Anyways, I've already stated what I like in this thread. Noise, Industrial, Power Electronics, and Dark Ambient. This is why I'm getting annoyed. People are claiming their genre of choice takes more inherent skill and talent to perform than others, which is just flat out ridiculous.

 

[Artemis923]

You cannot replicate the sound of a guitar being skillfully played by using a computer. You can sample someone playing it or have a digital sounding MIDI voice make noise vaguely resembling a guitar.

Maybe not now, but eventually. Or, you can market it as Avant-garde metal and be a little unconventional with song structure.

As someone who has played guitar and piano for years and produces albums of many different genres for a living, I think I am somewhat qualified to opine that becoming proficient at metal requires a lot more musical talent and skill than learning to program loops in Reason and putting a distortion effect and some noise filters onto some drum samples, as the person in that link you posted is doing.

That is not what the person I linked is doing. For one thing, he builds his own...noisemakers. There are also no drums involved. Secondly, please provide actual evidence instead of just saying you are qualified to make that judgment call.

more complex but it's often of much higher energy and is generally more passionate than most other music.

Prove it.

What I'm saying to both of you boils down to this, prove it. All you're doing is grandstanding.

As for complexity, it isn't that important, Noise, as a genre completely unbound by musical convention, has the most complex songs of any genre in the world because there are no rules. As such, it can be as complex or minimal as it likes. That doesn't mean the more complex songs are better or have anything better about them. Complexity is not its' own reward.

What, then, do you prefer? What music is it that you find to be so much better?

I don't find any music to be better, but I do find music I like more. Anyways, I've already stated what I like in this thread. Noise, Industrial, Power Electronics, and Dark Ambient. This is why I'm getting annoyed. People are claiming their genre of choice takes more inherent skill and talent to perform than others, which is just flat out ridiculous.

My point was that death metal took talent in the first place, not that it took more talent than other genres.

 

[Marbas]

My point was that death metal took talent in the first place, not that it took more talent than other genres.

I never said anything about you.



But any musical genre worth its' salt takes a lot of talent. That's why we admire performers.

 

[Nazulu]

Wouldn't have a clue! There are far greater bands than most listed on all these metal threads.

 

[Dommyboy]

Because it's an ever expanding genre. Pretty simple reason in a way.

 

[Artemis923]

My point was that death metal took talent in the first place, not that it took more talent than other genres.

I never said anything about you.



But any musical genre worth its' salt takes a lot of talent. That's why we admire performers.

My mistake then. XD

 

[Citrus]

Many gamers are young adults. Many young adults enjoy metal.

That's my hypothesis.

 

[Jak009]

It´s because most people in gaming forums enjoy metal music(me included).

Common sense, mah boi.

 

[YuheJi]

Because it's an ever expanding genre. Pretty simple reason in a way.

Aren't all genres expanding? If you compare anything from jazz to hip hop that is being produced today, to what was being produced, say, twenty years ago, you will hear major differences. Jazz has moved from things like Acid and Afro-Cuban jazz in the eighties to the rise in popularity of Smooth Jazz in the 1990s and 2000s. East Coast hip hop, with an emphasis in lyrical dexterity was commmon in the eighties, and has inspired the expansion of the genre into the West Coast, and into the South with crunk. What about metal is more "ever expanding" than other genres?

 

[SimpleChimp]

Because there is a lot of pent up anger in gamers? I honestly have no idea, i guess with the action packed games there needs to be action packed songs to pump you up. Imagine playing CoD WaW to some poppy tunes...

There are way too many metal threads on the escapist.

I play COD waw to a playlist of specially selected ska songs. . .

 

[Chesterfield Snapdragon McFisticuffs]

Now I'll be honest and say I don't really like Metal, but I've noticed that for some reason on every internet gaming forum I go on or look at, Metal is by a country mile the most popular music genre, and this place is no exception. Despite my general dislike of the genre, it doesn't make me angry - just curious (after all, music taste is subjective).

Metal isn't dominating the radio stations, so why is this the case? I don't want to attribute all gamers to one taste because that's ignorant; since I know next to nothing about Metal I'd like to know what characteristics of the genre appeal to you and what, if any, connection do you see to the fact you're a gamer? Is there a connection or is it just a massive coincidence and I don't visit enough forums?

I always thought being gamers would make people more inclined to like electronic/8-bit music like the video below so I find this quite interesting.

Crystal Castles! They are amongst the wickedest-sickest bands around!
I don't know about the metal thing though, it must just be this site because the people i meet around town seem to hate the stuff with a passion, namely because alot of it IS just noise, and not real music.
I know I have some form of scientific backing in saying that, something about the brain registering what is music as it has pleasant resonances our something.