They have different purposes.

Listening music is intended for a broad spectrum of “use cases”, but gaming music often needs to drive a specific emotion at a very specific time, be repeated if a gamer takes too long to complete an area, drive world building for an area, etc.

And just because the tech has changed doesn’t mean the social expectations have. We expect game music to have specific characteristics because it’s what we’re used to.

Video game music is basically a different breed entirely, even if oftentimes it’s actually better than what the kids listen to these days.

Lena Raine’s entire discography lives rent free on my iPod.

I think the big one is the goal or pursuit of the music. VG music is background music there to lend to the game. Most other music does not have that as the reason for its creation, and may be distracting in a game.

I also think that the storage and tech that drove the sound VG is not that far in the past. Wouldn’t it just make sense to just lay into what’s been working and expand on? We are conditioned by certain sounds and there are expectations when we are in certain environments. IMO, VG music to me is sonically distilled dopamine that works best as a supporting role to the task at hand.

Listen to Final Fantasy XIV’s music, especially Shadowbringers and Endwalker. That game is a musical with audience participation. Some songs were also performed by a real band of the actual developers, The Primals, and later included in the game.

Mild spoilers (hide the video and you’ll be fine):

• Footfalls
• On blade’s edge
• Close in the distance
• Of countless stars
• Ultima (Primals version)
• In the balance
• Dedicated to moonligh
• Metal: Brute Justice Mode (both in-game and Primals)
• Locus
• eScape

Spoilers (major plot points in video or lyrics):

• Who brings shadow
• To the edge
• Athena, the tireless one
• Tomorrow and tomorrow (more a cutscene song, but it’s amazing)

Why is there a dichotomy between movie soundtracks and listening music?

Same question