The Video Game Soundtrack Grammys Category: An Explainer

The Grammy Awards is the world’s most prestigious and significant awards ceremony that recognises outstanding achievements in the music industry.

For the first time in its history, a category to honour video game music called the ‘Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media’ was presented at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2023.

Here is a closer look at the newest category that is awarded for ‘quality original scores for video games.’

How important is music in video games?

Video game music is now more important than ever, thanks to composers like Stephanie Economou, Jeremy Soule, Yoko Shimomura, Nobuo Uematsu, and Koji Kondo, to name a few. The right kind of soundtrack can elevate the game and take it to the next level.  

Experts have even described video game music as one of contemporary music’s most thrilling new areas. It has the ability to set the tone, heighten our experience, and even affect the decisions we make while playing. Without music in video games, the games would be rather dull.

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What exactly is the new video game soundtrack category at the Grammys?

The award was introduced to recognise the impact music, which has been specifically written to appear in video games, has. In other words, it’s the music we hear when playing hit video games from our preferred desktop computer, console, or mobile device.

It’s a sister category to one called the ‘Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media,’ which recognised music written for television, movies, and videos, although 2013’s Journey was the only game that ever received a nomination.

The new award goes to the person(s) who originally composed the score. The albums that have a chance of winning must predominantly contain scores purposely written for, or as a companion to, video games and other interactive media.

Who won the first-ever award for video game music at the Grammys?

The 2023 winner was Stephanie Economou, who wrote the score for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok. The other nominees included Christopher Tin (Old World), Richard Jacques (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy), Bear McCreary (Call of Duty Vanguard), and Austin Wintory (Aliens: Fireteam Elite).

Are the nominees out for 2024?

Yes. The nominees for next year’s award, which will be presented on February 4 2024, are the following:

● Composer(s): Jess Serro, Tripod and Austin Wintory. Game: Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical

● Composer(s): Bear McCreary. Game: God of War Ragnarök

● Composers: Chuck Myers, J Scott Rakozy, and Peter Murray. Game: Hogwarts Legacy

● Composer(s): Sarah Schachner. Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

● Composer(s): Gordy Haab and Stephen Barton. Game: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Which other famous video games could have won this award in the past?

If the award had existed prior to 2023, some of the other games that could have easily won because of their amazing scores would be The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Dark Souls, Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

You could also say that Dark Souls, Mafia 3, Final Fantasy 7, Persona 5, Fallout: New Vegas, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Bioshock: Infinite, Deadly Premonition, Silent Hills 2, and Kingdom Hearts, to name a few, could also have won the award.

This means composers like Inon Zu, David Wise, Martin O’Donnell, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Michiru Yamana would have potentially been previous winners.