The development and creation of video games has brought about a storm of change in the world. A new medium in which to exchange ideas and tell stories has seemingly popped up overnight. It did not take long for the medium to burst onto the scene of pop culture and, more than likely, affect an entire generation’s childhood. As is with most creative media, video games can both divide and unite a vast group of individuals in such a way that, over the years, they have created controversies and provoked societies to reflect upon its development, and now video games hold a place in everyday life of the modern world. Video games are media that do not always keep to themselves and reach their influence out into the world, serving as a catalyst to enact some amount of change and overlap between cultures.

Music used in video games has become one of the prime examples of this cultural exchange. During the 1980s, many game companies began to focus on and implement music in the video games they created. However, due to the limited technology at the time, the composers of this music were forced to throw out a lot of the more traditional methods of writing music and had to seek out more creative ways to convey the emotion needed. This gave birth to a unique sound that went on to touch many different musical genres and is now used in more than just video games. More importantly though, the implementation of music in video games has helped connect the gaps between cultures. Someone from Japan could relate to someone from New York all through a simple melody found in a video game they both enjoyed. The music in video games helped reinforce the idea humans are one species who experience the same things through life regardless of age, race, etc. Too often we forget there is an entire world out there beyond the confines of our town, country, state, etc., and with the ability to communicate more readily across countries, it has become even more vital to have something to establish an area of common ground on which to stand.

Video game music has given an entire generation the ability to relate to others of their age group across the globe. It has bred a feeling of camaraderie and led to a subculture that is comprised of many different types of individuals with equally as many diverse backgrounds. While it is essential these individuals hold on to their distinctive backgrounds, it is also the exchange of ideas and stories over a public medium that helps the human race move forward and develop new backgrounds. This helps to shape cultural identities and establish ties between different groups.   

Video game music has most assuredly changed in style and in method of creation as the technology has become outdated and replaced, but the role it plays has not. Children are still connected internationally in ways that are new to past generations, and this trend of community will continue to grow in the vein of video game music. There will be hurdles and setbacks because at times different cultures can be alienating or even threatening, but sometimes when cultures interact it can lead to something quite beautiful. This aspect of multicultural evolution is very evident in the spread of video game music across the world.