What do you listen to while you game?

[Seconds Out]

One thing I really enjoy is playing my sports games online while listening to the arena rock stations on FIOS. As I write this "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden is playing and I'm up 3-1 as the Isles vs. the Stars in NHL 09. So I want to know, what do you guys listen to while you play?

[neutralism]

I always disable the background music in all games I play.

For FPSs, I need to hear the battlefield.

For TBSs, background music serves no purpose so I will occasionally have some random radio or TV channel on, usually talk-based.

The only concession I'll make for background music is when playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero.

[AbeLincoln]

I think the music in RB and GH isn't so much in the background. So I'd say you're safe with "I don't listen to background music"

[The Doctor]

Galaxy News Radio

More seriously, typically The Misfits collections if I listen to anything at all.

[Ghostbear]

I hate having music going while I game.

[Gwinny]

I generally listen to the game's audio and don't have music playing.

[pomeroy]

The only time I'll listen to music is if I'm playing sports games. And then it's just usually whatever my iPod decides to play.

[Disgustipated]

The moans and groans of the old couple next door fucking.

[pomeroy]

The moans and groans of the old couple next door fucking.

That's hot.

[menage]

Only when I'm playing something like Puzzle Quest or a racing game like Forza. Otherwise it's game audio always

[Gorvi]

I listen to...... the game's music. I'm actually a fan of game music, though.

[BLeeP]

I have to have the game's audio going, personally. It would be like listening to something else while watching a movie.

Unless we are talking about Burnout 3..groan.

Also, I always make a Depeche Mode station in Vice City. I feel that it fits.

[Mr. Murphy]

I listen to RainWave while I play WoW.

[Kelegacy]

Yeah, I listen to the music/sounds of the game.

It would be like me cranking up the stereo while watching a movie. Ruins the experience.

EDIT: Katslover said the exact same thing before me! D'oh!

[Lint of Death]

I generally prefer whatever music is in-game. If there's no atmospheric component or voice chat that's important to me, I'll listen to the same music I usually listen to, which is mostly Spanish-language and spans many genres.

[Superman's Dead]

If there's in-game music I like, I stick with that.

If its juat a bunch of distorted guitars that start up whenever enemies come nearby, I take things into my own hands.

I have a mix of two Muse and a My Chemical Romance album for FPSs that make me want GOOD distorted guitars (Butterflies and Hurricanes in a climactic battle of The Darkness was perfect), and a mix of some Method Man/Wu-Tang that I listen to when I feel like having fun shooting people in the face and laughing at them.

I play it through the 360 Dashboard so I can still hear the game's sound effects, of course. I hate not knowing when I'm getting shot.

When I played WoW I listened to a lot of "...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead" and Citizen Cope.

[Wraith]

Usually I'll just listen to whatever's in the game. But if it's a game where I've already heard every song in the game many times over, like Civ IV or SimCity 4, I'll probably run something else in the background. Maybe MP3s, maybe a podcast, maybe internet radio. Radio IO Ambient (http://www.radioio.com/channels/ambient) works pretty good.

[LarsenNET]

Whatever the game provides.

[Shadowstorm]

If I'm in a casual random pubbie match in Halo 3 or whatever multiplayer game I am playing at the time (tf2, usually), I plug my Zune into my 360 and play The Flashbulb, Aphex Twin, or some idm album.

I really love the in-game music of most games, though.

[Squidbot]

Itunes on shuffle.

[biosc1]

For sports games and strategy games, it's either podcasts or music. Action games and RPG's, I need the sounds and music to add to the experience, so I keep the in-game sounds and music going.

[Inspector Fowler]

For a more realistic shooter, I'll just turn off the music - Far Cry 2 had good music, but I couldn't hear stuff very well. But for "goofy" shooters like Mercenaries or Halo, I love the music!

For the (very rare) tactical RPGs I'll play, I leave the music on.

But NEVER for racing games, tactical games, RTS games, MMOs, etc. It just gets old very fast.

[Hyperglide]

I only listen to music on my 360 when i'm playing a platforming game, sandbox (like GTA) or racing game (Gran Turismo usually has pretty good soundtrack but I like to rock out to my own when burning rubber) which doesn't require listening to a lot of audio text.

Most games have great soundtracks anyways and I WANT to hear or experience them. Games like Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, and Fallout have awesome music. They really set the tone.

[Bad Buddha]

I usually listen to the game soundtrack but turn it way down so it's not intrusive. I like to hear the ambient sounds over the music. I think it usually adds a lot of atmosphere to the experience.

[Suave Peanut]

I will usually listen to music when grinding in RPGs. Most recently, that would be They Might Be Giants and Talking Heads while playing Blue Dragon. I almost always have my Sansa hooked up to the Xbox, and will listen to what I've got on there when playing something else like Oblivion, GTA, etc.

[boratika]

Uh, whatever's coming out of the game. Unless it has terrible licensed music, then I just put my whole music collection on shuffle. But I don't tend to play games with licensed music. The only games I've ever really played with licensed music are GTA4, which had lots of good stuff, and GT4 prologue, which had such an awful soundtrack it made me want to stab my ears with a rusty screw driver (that is also on fire.)

[Widgetcraft]

The first time I play through a game, I listen to the default soundtrack. After that, it depends on the game. The other day I was playing Fable 2 while running around in the HAL armor, and listening to the soundtrack of Halo 2. I also enjoy power metal, like Manowar. While roaming around in Wraithmarsh, I listened to Nick Cave's Murder Ballads. It all depends on what I'm doing, sometimes I'll even listen to the soundtracks of other games, or of redone versions of game soundtracks (I particularly love Powerglove's Metal Combat for the Mortal Man, as I've mentioned many times). Back when I played City of Heroes, I really enjoyed my server's popular streaming radio station, The Cape (www.thecaperadio.com).

There are some games where I think the soundtrack is so good, and vital to the experience, that I'll never listen to anything else while playing them. This includes games from Earthbound to Halo.

[Variable Gear]

I used to listen exclusively to the game soundtrack/effects. Recently, however, I've been listening to podcasts while I play. For example, in Fallout 3, I'll mute the voice acting, turn down the master sound setting and then turn down the volume on my TV. Then I hit play and kill some Super Mutants!

[Virtual Machine]

Typically it's game soundtrack. Racing games it's usually Sheavy, Fu Manchu, or some other form of driving (in the feeling sense, not literally driving a car) upbeat rock or metal.

I did cue up the 3:10 to Yuma score the other day while playing Farcry 2, and it was pretty goddamn amazing. The music actually complemented the game very well, and it's a pretty low key score with scattered up-beat moments. The epic music that accompanies the final charge from the film kicked in just as I launched an all out assault on a junkyard during one of the faction missions, and the feeling was incredible.

[National Kato]

Usually the game's audio - most games these days have great, game-critical sound that is necessary to hear. Sports games and/or racing games I'll play whatever. NHL09 is the first game I've actually spent a lot of time making playlists and custom soundtracks for, because I play that game so damned much I want to hear what I like in the arenas.

[Reverant]

NPR, podcasts, or my mix of celtic rock/punk bands plus the audio so I know where the incoming fire is from.

[Superman's Dead]

Oh, yeah! In Viking, I wanted a really cinematic feels so I threw in the scores to The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. There were a few really sweet moments in the huge battles when the Rebellion Theme or Luke's Theme would play. =)

I also put them on during The Force Unleashed.

[cawblen]

i listen to...the game.

[KingGorilla]

If it is an Xbox Live game I listen to heavy breathing or a fan. ZING!

Usually what is in game. If I am chilling out with say Peggle, I will play a podcast. If I am getting serious like say in Company of Heroes online, solo or team, I axe any music or ambient sound, just FX and voice. That is less for any advantage, more because if I get into "the zone" I will not hear anything else anyway.

[Karak]

The game for me

[SilentScreams]

Depends on the game.
For something like Unreal Tourney I listen to Rammstein.
For something like Civ 4, I slow it down a bit and listen to...Megadeth :D

[divinechaos]

For shooters I listen to just straight up heavy shit. For racers I also listen to heavy shit. And for Katamari I turn up the in-game music volume.

[Psykoboy2]

I played Dead Space to the tune of Yakity-Sax.

Trust me, you can get through any game when the Benny Hill theme is playing.

[Skull3r]

If it is an Xbox Live game I listen to heavy breathing or a fan. ZING!


If its an xbox live game, I try turning up the background music, but I end up listening to my 360's dvd drive and fans.

[Purple Santa]

I listen to...... the game's music. I'm actually a fan of game music, though.
Weirdo! Your kind don't belong here ;)
I played Dead Space to the tune of Yakity-Sax.

Trust me, you can get through any game when the Benny Hill theme is playing.
I'm not sure if you are serious or not...but I might have to try this. I was thinking some Enya or something while playiing Dead Space. Your idea might be even funnier...

Listen to music while playing? Sometimes I don't have the sound on from the game. Some handheld music game tunes are just to annoying...

[Virtual Machine]

Best Dead Space accompaniment ever: Placido Domingo!

[Mdot]

Game music. I never substitute the soundtrack.

[Hyperglide]

Reading through this thread I gotta agree with the status quo about turn-based strategy and RTS games. I will listen to music on those games as well. It's not so important the music is way to repetitive to really care to much. Starcraft I actually listen to other video game music LOL if that makes sense. I'll put on Nobuo Uematsu or some classic BoF or Castlevania music. Civ IV I usually just put on whatever on shuffle.

I will say though the Zerg's music on Starcraft really kicks ass and is the one race i'll leave on. Makes me feel like part of the evil dominating, all-consuming Zerg brood that i'm controlling.

[Purple Santa]

Have to chime in again...the voices in my head told me to say, I listen to them...all the time. Nothing else matters...