You press a button, and the beat drops. Forward you fly, straight into the perilous unknown, beats pushing against your eardrums as you push back against the controller. Tempo and harmony swim together in your brain, and you lose yourself in the rhythm of play.
We’re living in something of a golden age of chiptune music. The last five or so years have seen a popularity explosion for the classic electronic sounds that most gamers associate with the games of their youths.
Joy is a terribly underrated commodity in video games. Most of the games I play inspire all kinds of feelings — stress, tension, exhilaration, frustration, even less-celebrated but still mentionable sensations like “comforting routine” and “empowering murder-fantasy”.