18. Sono Ludens

Talk about escapism, but also about learning: gaming and playing, immersing in a completely different world and solving „their“ issues, being rewarded through the sheer pleasure of having completed the mission and nothing else, I love it just as much as reading. Especially the „newer“ video games, where you get to make decisions and take charge, or not, build ties to those around you, or not, you (the „avatar“) being the one who has to deal with the consequences. Maybe it’s not as cathartic as shooting your way around, but when it comes to references, therefore impulses, to books and movies and old-school TV shows, it more than compensates the lack of ammo.

Accordingly, the music in this show is basically the soundtrack of different PC games, new and old, licensed and originally composed. There is but one game that I have been playing since the 90’s and am still playing today, and that’s Age of Empires, just a heads-up for the Main Theme. Sims is, I think, the second oldest game I still play, followed closely by Far Cry (you have to shoot your way around sometimes, I guess). The stories, the „skills“ required, as well as the level of meticulous attention one has to dedicate sometimes to these unpaid activities are the thoughts I dwell upon when I hear this music.