Without Video Game Music Life Would Be a Mistake

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

And the GOAT video game OST moment is...? Please, do tell!

[@TheGlenn8]

You've already played Outer Wilds. That's the answer.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

@TheGlenn8 True, that was silly of me.

[@shyneus9773]

Outer Wilds music is strange to me. It's really not my kind of music, yet I enjoy it anyways. The emotional weight and memory behind it really drives the experience as much as the cozy, familiar sound.

[@TheGlenn8]

Btw if you haven't yet you should play Echoes of the Eye. It's more Outer Wilds. What more could you possibly want?

[@shyneus9773]

Oh believe me, I have

[@kyrianasher5747]

"I'm neither chill nor patient, and definitely not a *bro*" Said the chillest bro I've ever known.

[@andrew_cunningham]

Your writing kills me dude... just so consistently sincere and eloquent and armour-piercing. I've watched probably half a dozen essays on Outer Wilds (and written my own) but this one still pointed out new reasons to love it.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Wasn't familiar with your stuff, seems really interresting! I'll check out your Outer Wilds video after I've finished the DLC!

[@wurshraggwurshington2284]

I was just thinking my yarn needed a soundtrack.

[@eysoare5801]

I feel a sense of nostalgia whenever I hear the traveller's song from outer wilds, even though I never finished the game. I feel though, that I still gained the intended experience because I played that loop, heard that song, and let the entropy of that world take over for me. In the end, the sun always explodes, and there is always the traveller's song.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Love this comment!

[@eysoare5801]

@@arcaneworkshop4323 and I love your videos, I've literally been moved to tears by some of them just because of the way you write. I want to make video essays because of great creators like you.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

@eysoare5801 Please drop me a link when you end up doing it!

[@SparktheYoshi]

The speech the machine makes in A Machine For Pigs will never not shake me up inside. The music only makes it harder.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I want to rent a theater and blast it from a huge screen! No! I want it played in my funeral from a huge screen!

[@connerblank5069]

You really are one of the best storytellers I've encountered on youtube. Happy my sub didn't get lost in the algorithm!

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you!

[@solitary-reign]

Very strong Jacob Geller vibes/talking points. And I mean that in the best possible way. Dude is easily my favorite video essayist. I thoroughly enjoy your melancholic view on the subject matter.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Jacob is great! I'm happy to share a sentence with him.

[@xdarkjimmyx]

All these games you talked about made me feel things. Special things, incredible things. Things that can be felt only once, and, once exhausted, become elusive ghosts I keep chasing for years. I can replay Outer Wilds, but I cannot play Outer Wilds for the first time again. I cannot make my brain race with the same thoughts, or my chest swell with the same emotions. The ghost is there, and it provides some solace, but the original moment is gone. And yet… When I watched your video, I felt the original feelings again. Well, maybe not the original, but new, original feelings. The emotions, the thoughts, all of it. It’s different, but it’s not rehashed feelings like my replays. It’s something new. I guess I’m re-experiencing these games through your lens. Deriving meaning of the meaning you derive, the remixing of the experience providing an experience of its own. Thank you for this. It is something really unique, something I was not expecting, to go on this roller coaster, but something I needed. Thank you.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you for the kind words! And for taking the time to formulate such a thoughtful comment. It was a nice read!

[@MrPlexson]

Glad to see KZbin still has occasional great recommendations. I really enjoy long-form video essays and your videos are amazing.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@lucawolf7058]

beaautiful that after the end of the universe and just before the end of tis video, the last visible words were "Satan's nut"

[@everestaexillifek]

Fucking hell, what a video. Made me cry

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DeeJuusan]

50 minutes of me being tearful and sniffing. You've created something very beautiful from all these very beautiful creations

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@NerveUnderscore]

44:34 "Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Kid. I was there when it was written"

[@ORANOID]

The video and soundtracks are so good, that I've felt a burst of emotions on the sections about outer wilds and the machine for pigs (for that thank you again, because I've played it on mute the first time and you recommended to play it with sound and it's entirely different) the entire time. Thank you!

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@niloofarrafatpanah2]

The monologue at the end of A Machine For Pigs leaves me with existential dread

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I'll go on to invent excuses to put A Machine For Pigs into my videos just for the ending monologues.

[@TKDB13]

I've been binging your content all evening since one of your older videos first popped up on my home page. Not only is your commentary about the artistic themes you explore deeply insightful, but you wrap it up in a style that rises to the level of being deeply artistic in its own right. Your scripts are eloquent and poignant, deftly weaving together themes from start to finish, and the delivery and editing fit seamlessly to elevate the message. This sort of thing is a rare gem to find on KZbin!

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@TheGlenn8]

Other games with amazing musical moments: Darkwood, getting to morning. Your only moment of peace. The only track in the game that isn't oppressive and tense. Hollow Knight. City of Tears. If you know you know. Kinda a weird one. But Project Zomboid has battletracks for when you're in combat with a lot of zombies, and while most of them are super oppressive, but exactly one pumps you up. The title of this track is perfect: "Maybe we can win this." Songs of conquest has good music in general, including the titular "songs" which summarize what you achieved in the campaign. Something quite subtle which I didn't quite notice the first time is that the melody of the songs is also in the background battle music for the faction you're playing as when you're dueling another Wielder (a strong enemy). Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 are master pieces of sound design. I guess there isn't any particular "moment", but if you love audio in video games you HAVE to play these games. Audio is used absolutely perfectly to convey information while also still fitting perfectly for what's happening. When a special infected spawns a subtle musical hint plays so you know what's up, and even more impressive is that every one of them has a unique "song" that perfectly fits the infected, and still more impressive is that all of them have two of these "songs", one with a piano and the other with a violin (piano is when they spawn far away and violin is when they spawn nearby). And EVEN MORE impressive is that they all also have unique songs for when you're being pinned by them. The twitchy spastic Jockey has something rapid and frantic. The prowling deliberate hunter has something slow, and lets each note fully playout before the next one is played. The obese but highly dangerous boomer has noticeable and deep notes. The two boss infected, the Tank and the Witch have full songs that play when they're present. The Witch's song has many variants depending on how agitated she is spiraling into weeping madness when she's startled.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you for this! It was a great read! I've been on the fence on Darkwood and this was just the push I needed! ...and I've sunk tens of hours with my mates in Left 4 Dead and hadn't noticed this. Time for a revisit!

[@roopesaukkonen]

I came home one and a half ours ago. Around midnight. Totally exhausted after 11 hour work day and the only thing on my mind was my own bed and pillow. Then I saw your video, made my self some tee and pressed play. Now, after watching this video I feel calm, relaxed and puzzled. I know I have to ponder this “I believe that in the begging of time before there was anything else there was a sound” more and find my own sound. I am excited to start this journey.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Kiitos tästä!

[@AlHyckGaemsTAD]

This video is beautiful, thought provoking, inspiring, and eerie. I don't have the word to express why I enjoy this video, but I appreciate the effort and creativity that went into it.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching! Glad you found the video resonant!

[@plop0r]

You hooked me with the intro alone. I can feel the urgency of your message and I resonate

[@FlameAndAir]

Got this recommended (Outer Wilds junkie, so not surprising given the theme and thumbnail) and I gotta say, your writing and narration is extremely compelling. I mostly listen to stuff while working, so the auditory aspect is key to me, and you absolutely knocked it out of the park on this one. Looking forward to checking out more of your stuff.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@josiahwise4803]

I never know what to feel when listening to your videos, legitimately something between very small and infinite, the way you talk, the words you use, the messages you try (and often succeed) in telling, even if I only get the feeling of the message and not the meaning, make each of your videos a personal joy to listen to, whether I have to time to listen in one go or in parts if I'm running between errands and don't have time to sit.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I'm going to take this as a compliment of the highest regard.

[@Akron661]

Never played a machine for pigs but that clip at 19:15 is just so good. Good is not the right word but it will have to do. Gives me goosebumps all over. Also, brilliant video as always

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

True, it's a spectacular moment! Thank you for your comment!

[@Link-ti7fe]

This was perfect. A perfect video with a perfect message, posted with perfect timing... for me anyway. Idk how you did it, but thank you

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ingloriousbaxter]

Beautiful video. You’ve got me in tears. I was also born in 1988 and your “what have you done?” Segment has really hit close to home. I’ve done a bit of guerrilla filmmaking but not nearly at the level I would like. I love when KZbin knows great channels for me to subscribe to. Thank you for the beauty.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thanks for the kind words! I was going for "uplifting" rather than "existentially devastating" so hopefully the segment didn't sting too fierce? I wish you all the best in your guerrilla efforts.

[@ingloriousbaxter]

@@arcaneworkshop4323 oh definitely. It left me feeling “I should create more” not “I’m a pos for not doing more”

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

@ingloriousbaxter Lovely to hear!

[@miraclejoe]

BRO, I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP! BUT I GUESS NOT 💀

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Hope you found the video worthwhile!

[@Beeyo176]

Guys, I have it on good authority that the next video is about puppies, why they're great, and is slightly less existentially revealing than usual.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I just finished the thumbnail for the upcoming video and it says "This world needs to Die" :D But perhaps puppies after that one...

[@rhapsodyaria]

Gods, I... don't think I've ever heard such evocative writing about music. The descriptions of the songs forming into these imagined stories of creation, of loss, of joys, of sorrows. This video is truly beautiful. As a musician, as someone who hold music up as something of the highest value, thank you.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you! The purpose of this video was to sort out my own relationship with music. I'm glad that high regard came through from the video.

[@Gabrilos505]

It is quite hard to explain how much I enjoy watching your videos.

[@blacktemplar7509]

For me it is the music that plays the moment you begin to fight Gerhmin the first hunter in bloodborne. There is a heartbreakingly beautiful moment, caught up in the deadly dance in a field of white flowers under an unknowable moon, that will always speak to me. All the trials, the blood, the rage. Gone. Its fleeting in my memory, like a crashing wave in its violence yet soothing in its peace. Its someone giving you the gift of not being stuck in the cirlce of pain life has become. But with every fiber of your being you fight agaisnt it. You cut the final thread of a soul broken and viewed with disgust. No matter the outcome, ignorance or truth, when the orchestra fades so does your journey.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

God damn, it's time replay Bloodborne once again! Such a great moment!

[@djr2416]

Great vid man, keep it up, you've been one of my favorite channels since I found you This is a topic I could gush about for days but I'll just mention the one great game and soundtrack that came out of nowhere on me and has been one of my all time favorites: Deaths Door. I first played it in winter the year it came out and the soundtrack had forever etched itself into my mind as the sound of that time of year, although it's been on my rotation pretty much constantly since I discovered it

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Deaths Door has kinda circled me for years and I've been on the fence for quite a while... I'm a sucker for a good soundtrack so you're comment was pretty much the last drop needed. Thanks for the recommendation! I'm glad you've enjoyed the videos!

[@Pr0pheceye]

I adore the pavloving that Outer Wilds puts you through, and then WEAPONIZES AGAINST YOU. The final song before you reach the ending, it makes you think, desperately, “I need more time”. And yet you make it.

[@Ben_R4mZ]

35:45 This reminds me of C.S. Lewis' writing "On Living I'm An Atomic Age" from 1948 "This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts-not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. These bombs may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds."

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Beautiful! Love it!

[@shyneus9773]

Wasn't expecting to find this in my recommended today, but I'm glad I did.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Glad to have you here!

[@blessonbeats]

Amazing stuff, hope this get the attention it deserves

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you!

[@greencircle2063]

"I LOVE OUTER WILDS" *clicks video*

[@8bittripper]

You've been killing it lately man, keep it up.

[@jaydinotjd]

I find it a bit funny that when asked “what does space sound like” my immediate thought was Outer Wilds and then being greeted with the recognizable banjo - I literally just woke up why did I just get punched in the face- But actually one of my biggest problems is having the means to make things but not the motivation and attention span to actually make things Then experiencing great art and proceeding to get upset that I can’t make it in the sense that I do not even attempt So many opportunities and yet I just stand here watching them slip away I literally just woke up I was not expecting to be read for filth what is this-

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Who could've guessed banjo-music was the ultimate soundtrack for interplanetary space travel?!

[@dolcevita4015]

I found this through twitter. Beautiful video!

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Glad you enjoyed it! Didn't know I had a presence in Twitter...?

[@InsertName404]

Damn, brilliant video!

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you!

[@Welteam]

Happy to discover this channel

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Glad to have you here!

[@mrm1987]

This essay was so true and beautiful, I'll even forgive you for spoiling me on Outer Wilds

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Nooo-ooo! You might be able to forgive, but how can I?! Sweeping declaration: From this moment on I promise to be less liberal with my spoiler warnings! ...but glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for the kind words.

[@Sheamu5]

I hope Andrew sees this video someday, this was beautiful.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you!

[@johndoe-rq1pu]

A spurious fact.

[@theoctopus7191]

Another story that always reminds me of Outer Wilds for some reason is the web series 17776. The simple premise is that 17,776 years have passed since humans effectively became immortal and the series explores what life looks like in this hypothetical world through American football. It’s much more lighthearted in tone, but in a similar way to this video, it convinced me that our lives would be empty without playing and making games.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I wasn't familiar with 17776, thank you for mentioning it! That does sound interresting.

[@ryancole4015]

Upvote for title alone

[@gintu]

Great video. Thanks

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

You're welcome!

[@IOSALive]

Arcane Workshop, i subscribed

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Glad to have you!

[@justforcomenting1547]

Thank you

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

You're most welcome!

[@JoeyEmerald]

never stop friend. Only you and jacob geller can do it this good.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you for the high praise!

[@Nick-kd6pk]

I think the dlc is also quite beautiful, don't you agree? It had a lot less (not to count the reels) songs, but to me they hit just as hard. I still have chills whenever i hear River and River's End.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I haven't actually finished the DLC, but you got me intrigued!

[@Moe90rules]

Great video :)

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Pipsonite]

This is prime content. “Hey algorithm, check this out!”

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you for the support!

[@DigitalBe4r]

The first clip of this video is from Nier Automata and the second is from Outer Wilds. Alright sir, you got my attention.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Hope you found the video worthwhile beyond the first 10 seconds! :D

[@jagaraorkham9148]

Great video! I enjoy you mentioning real world heritage sites and their history. As for your question of video game ost, 2 games come to mind, Hades and Transistor. Granted, I’m biased with supergiant games. They make great narrative and ost to their games. The rock music they used on Hades trailer was just banging. It had something like a bad ass feel to it hehe. As for Transistor, I like the somber tune and slight jazz fusion to it. Plus, I enjoyed the story of it. Sadly, I think it’s slow gameplay might not be this generation cup of tea.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Checking out Supergiant Games has been on my to-do-list for some time now, and as luck would have it; Transistor was just 75% on PS Store so that'll be my first foray into their offerings. Thank you for suggestion! I'm glad you found the video worthwhile!

[@jagaraorkham9148]

@@arcaneworkshop4323I feel like I’ve added more to your games back log hehe, apologies in advance. Nice to hear to got to buy it on sale. Didn’t realize it was available on PS store. Not to spoil anything, but I do mean it when I say its gameplay might not have aged nicely as it’s a turn based type. Anyways, hope you enjoy it

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

@jagaraorkham9148 No worries, your suggestion was just the last push I needed. After Fear & Hunger and F&H2: Termina, I'm pretty sure Transistor will be a somewhat chiller experience. :D

[@jagaraorkham9148]

@@arcaneworkshop4323 fear and hunger 1 and 2?! wow… much respect to you for finishing those games. Never played and probably never will, just because of their notoriety of bs and punishing mechanic hehe. I am interested in their story and listened to a few lore analysis. And yes, compared to those, transistor is a much more chilled game. Hope you enjoy :)

[@Mofym-kw6bl]

Hi, Mr Author! I'd like to write this to your mail, for example(although maybe you wouldn't want that =)), but I couldn't find it. Maybe I'm just bad at the youtube interface, that's probably the case. Anyway, your videos have moved me. There's a lot of content on youtube, the internet in general, right now. God knows I consume it unhealthily. Often just to occupy the silence, fill the background while I work or whatever. The content creators blend into a monotonous mess for me. Talking about the same topics, infodumps. I rarely write comments. But I can't help but write this one. The first video I found was ‘The Gods to whom you can not pray’. I stopped it at the fifth minute. Because I had to watch it calmly and deliberately. And because I had to send the link to your channel to some of my friends. I've never done that before. But at that very moment I was sure that all your videos were amazing. I've watched half of them now and I can confirm that they are. I'm taking notes! Coincidence, fate, taste. Call it what you want. I don't share your experience with video games, or even your taste in them. But I do seem to share a view of the world, of myself. I've often thought about the things you're talking about. I'm a fan of mythology. And often think about video games more deeply than they perhaps deserve. That's not really the reason I'm writing this. Not exactly why I ran to recommend you to anyone who was willing to listen. I found someone who had something to say, not just to discuss. I found someone who makes it interesting. I found someone who does it carefully, thoughtfully. And just someone whose voice I like. I can't support you on Patreon. Because of politics, he won't take my money. But for the first time in my life, I have the desire to endorse someone on Patreon. Good luck and good health to you! I'll probably stick around for a while.

[@Mofym-kw6bl]

Oh, right! I'm currently on 'Originality, The Meaning of Life and... Frozen 2?!' and i disagree with you. What you do here IS magic. It is skill. And Skill is magic. At least to someone who doesn't weild it. That or i am just a romantic. I think people do a lot of magic in their everyday life. Its like Gendalf say's. Can't remember it correctly but something like: Regular people doing everyday things are holding the evil at bay.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Wow... Thank you for taking the time to write such a kind and thoughtful comment! It means a lot. I'm glad you've found the videos worthwhile! Especially the one on Frozen 2 - that's one of my personal favourites but hasn't really been a big hit, if views are considered! :D Thanks for your time!

[@thesystem3273]

Floki is that you ?

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I'll take this as a compliment!

[@LemonadeBandit]

New drop everyone put down what you're doing and watch this.

[@TheGlenn8]

Machine for pigs... The stories of the other Amnesia games don't even come close. It's quite strange that the game in the series with the weakest gameplay has the best story. I guess it need to. Where all the other Amnesia games are in essence about an evil other wordly empire making spooky things happen on earth, Machine for Pigs is about the horrors of the 20th century. The wars, the genocides, the dictatorships, famine, disease, atomic calamity. The one man who prophetically gets to see all the horrors we will inflict upon ourselves and decides to create a machine god who will end all of humanity, so we don't have to suffer through the 1900s. But when this man is metaphorically reborn he realizes the error of his ways. Despite all the terrible things that are to come we must move forward. Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Well said! One my all-time-favourites!

[@CamelliaFlingert]

"Without Video Game Music Life Would Be a Mistake" It's a mistake even with video game music, exactly because it has an end, gaining self-awareness only to die and then being in this void of nothingness for eternity is the worst tоrture one can go through

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I like to think it's only through finitude we learn the value of things. It wasn't all bad vibes before I was born and I hope to carry that on after my death.

[@CamelliaFlingert]

@@arcaneworkshop4323 so you prefer eternal non-existence over existence? you prefer to not feel, to not see, to not hear, to not think, to not being aware of yourself and this life, to not experience anything at all?

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

No, that's not what I meant.

[@KristinVTaylor]

I don't possess any kind of musical talent; I can't keep a beat, let alone create moving pieces of symphonic greatness. But for the past 35 years I've recognized an inalienable truth: Video games have some of the most powerful music and soundscapes ever created. Sure, there are movie scores that make a film in to something transcendent. But even the best soundtracks and score combinations, such as that for The Crow (the original, naturally) just can't quite hit as powerfully as a video game's musical score. A score that has been crafted not just to fill out a one-sided narrative, but which completes an interactive experience. I admit that there are bad game soundtracks that are almost appalling. No offense meant to anyone who liked it, but Act Raiser's score makes my teeth ache, for example. There are worse game soundtracks out there, but I've been able to purge them from my memory, mercifully. I went to school for video game design about 20 years ago. Our music teacher back then claimed that "a game where you remember the music is a bad game." I didn't have the courage back then to backtalk him, because I knew even then that when a game has a soundscape that does its job - truly does its job - then both the game AND the soundtrack become unforgettable. Thanks for uploading this video essay. People need to celebrate game music more. Especially all of the ones that you listed here. Some other games which had sound or music that truly moved me and became integral memories: Sacrifice Super Metroid Mechanicus Dark Tide Borderlands (and 2)

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thanks for this, it was a nice read!

[@MrAweeze]

Calling mid fifties elderly is a bit much 😂

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Depends on the century. :D

[@charlietangofoxtrot5481]

I don't know if you or your inner citic is taking votes from randos on the internet in answer to the question of "What have you done?", but if so: "Made videos that speak to me." Thank you.

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Thank you!

[@charlietangofoxtrot5481]

@@arcaneworkshop4323 and when this channel blows up, please be mindful of your own well being. I've seen some creators with a million subscribers on this platform describe that success as a harrowing experience.

[@winwil321]

Banger video, but should add a spoiler tag at least for outer wilds, terrible game to have spoiled

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

My rationale usually is "if there's a hour-long video of some game, any game, things will get spoiled". But true, there should be a spoileri warning of some sorts on in the video itself - not everyone reads the description where I list the games spoiled. Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@adhds69]

I heard once that Finland is only three things: Vodka, Saunas, Vodka in Saunas. Is this true?

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Nowdays it's more non-alcoholic microbrews and people avoiding the sauna because it's bad for the enviroment.

[@adhds69]

@@arcaneworkshop4323 bad for environment? First cow farts now this, why? The wood combustion?

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

Cow farts, electric consumption, wood combustion... Everything I love dooms the planet. :D

[@jacobwebster6445]

1988 club

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

"Too rare to die, too dangerous for mass-production."

[@zinv08]

Not first

[@arcaneworkshop4323]

I still appreciate the comment!

[@stranded5925]

It's not that deep, but yeah