QuickCheck: Can video game music help you concentrate better than classical music?
IN A world full of distractions, finding the right soundtrack to improve focus has become a daily pursuit for students, professionals, and creatives alike.
For decades, classical music has been the top choice for mental clarity and concentration. But recently, video game music — often overlooked outside gaming circles, has emerged as an unlikely rival.
Could these digital soundtracks actually help you focus better than the works of Mozart or Chopin?
Verdict:
TRUE
Believe it or not, at its core, video game music is crafted to serve one specific function: to help players stay immersed and alert during complex tasks.
Whether navigating puzzles in Portal or building in Minecraft, players rely on these soundscapes to stay focused for long periods — often without even realising how much the music is supporting their attention span.
Unlike mainstream music that may include lyrics or dramatic shifts in tone, video game soundtracks are generally instrumental, repetitive in structure, and loop seamlessly — all traits that support sustained focus.
As BAFTA-winning composer Jessica Curry noted in an interview with The Guardian, game music is 'meant to guide players emotionally while staying out of the way.'
This subtlety and design make it ideal not just for gameplay, but for any task requiring long periods of concentration, from studying to working on reports or writing.
A 2019 study published in Psychology of Music compared different genres of background music on sustained attention.
It found that instrumental video game music, particularly ambient tracks, consistently helped participants maintain focus better than lyrical or more emotionally intense compositions.
Similarly, research from Colorado State University revealed that students reported greater immersion and fewer distractions while listening to video game music during study sessions.
Unlike classical music, video game scores are intentionally engineered to support engagement over long stretches without overwhelming the listener.
The popularity of video game music as a productivity tool has surged, especially among younger audiences and digital professionals.
On streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube, playlists featuring tracks from The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Stardew Valley have amassed millions of plays, often curated under titles such as 'Study Mode' or 'Focus with Nintendo.'
Some companies have even taken notice. In 2021, Microsoft curated a study playlist featuring music from the Halo franchise, promoting it as a resource for students and remote workers looking to stay focused during virtual learning and meetings.
So, the next time you're facing a looming deadline or prepping for an exam, it might be worth trading in Beethoven for the atmospheric tunes of Celeste or Ori and the Blind Forest.
After all, if the music can help players stay focused through virtual battles and strategic quests, it might just help you conquer your to-do list in real life.
Sources:
1. Psychological Effects of Background Music in Video Games: Enhancing Concentration and Experience. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews: https://ijrpr.com/uploads/ V5ISSUE7/IJRPR31637.pdf
2. 2021 Halo Franchise Music Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/ playlist/ 1fVpud2BDbeVXe3N4rkrl5
3. G2A News. (2024, February 1). Video Game Soundtracks That Help in Studying: https://www.g2a.com/news/ features/video-game- soundtracks-that-help-in- studying/
4. Colorado State University Study Examines Potential Positive Effects of Video Games: https://anthgr.colostate.edu/ 2011/04/positive-effects- video-games/
5. An Investigation into the Effect of Music on Immersion in Video Games. musicscience.net: https://musicscience.net/wp- content/uploads/2018/10/evans. pdf
6. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture: writing a score for the end of the world: https://www.theguardian.com/ technology/2015/jul/30/ everybodys-gone-to-the- rapture-video-game-sound-music
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