I've listened to music whilst playing games for as long as I can remember - especially on reruns. It goes back to when I played FFX for the second time many years ago, I knew what was happening so I thought some background noise would help. Stuck on a bit of Evanescence and Linkin Park (...come on, I was about 13 at the time) and it was a different experience. Although the major downside was missing out on the awesome FFX soundtrack, I have long since compensated for having it all on my iPod.

Now I know for you Xbox owners, you have the luxury of putting your music into your games, which is awesome and I still wonder why Sony didn't give us PS3 owners that little option. But when I play games on my PC such as Left 4 Dead, or late night plays of Pokemon, I'll stick my iPod on or blast it out on my speakers, and zone out as I play.

It's a nice experience. Gaming and music have both been described as ways to escape real life at times - mixing them together works very well. The reason I'm writing this is because I've just bought Evanescence's new album (...okay, I'm 21 now. They're a good band! Don't judge!) and I know over the next few days I'll be listening to it as I run through Golden Sun - I'm about half-way through already, it's insane. And I just wanted to know everybody else's experiences with music and games. Do you listen to your own music when you play? What type of music? Do you have different genres of music for different genres of games?

Beck's Odelay, Big Blacks's Songs About Fucking, Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, The Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique and Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation are not only albums I usually listen to while playing games, but they are also fantastic albums that you should listen to right now if you haven't. Limp Bizkit's Significant Other is a fun one too, but not very fantastic.

no, i listen to the majority of heavy metal, i guess people call it nu metal.  right now i'm listening to all that remains. i find listening to music with racing games like forza and gran turismo 5 is pretty good feeling.

I actually cant bring myself to play other music for games unless Im playing a multiplayer session like battle field or COD. I've tried it before, but I just feel like Im losing some atmosphere or something

Only MMO's.
I often space out with some metal (often the more fantasy/melodic type) while playing MMO games, I can dream the zone music by now.
Putting on Annie Mac's show on saturdays while grinding is good too.  

And fuck, listen to whatever you want, people judge anyway!

Depends on the game, of course. But I do love having my own music going while playing. I don't stick to any particular genre, though; I just go with what's striking my fancy at the moment, even if it's entirely unfitting for the game. I once spent five hours in GTAIV listening to Emilie Autumn and going on killing spree after killing spree. And not her harder songs, either.

@Clairabel: I only ever listen to my own music while playing an MMO (since I always like to hear the music of the game and how it was portrayed or how they used it in a scene and such). WoW was a different kettle of fish, this was my 'let's do it' music I listened to for fighting bosses/running tough dungeons - if I felt I needed a boost of luck:

Tom Waits + SCC's Deniable Ops = Awesome

I don't play music while gaming. It throws of my groove :P

Cant hear footsteps or anything in Gears 3 and Battlefield 3.

I'm a "try hard" :D

I'm always blasting Drowning pool - let the bodies hit the floor when I'm fr4gg1ng in COD with my bro's on XBL.

Fistbump anyone?

@Swoxx said:

I'm always blasting Drowning pool - let the bodies hit the floor when I'm fr4gg1ng in COD with my bro's on XBL.

Fistbump anyone?

(Fistbump)

Depends on the game. Sometimes, I'll put on music that actively fucks with the mood of the game. I've done that for F.E.A.R. 2 and Bad Company 2.

I don't usually listen to other music while I'm playing games, definitely not if it's the first play through. I don't want to miss anything. If I'm playing an MMO though I do like to stick my ipod on.

No, but I listen to the Bomb/Screened cast while I trophy hunt.

No not really...but I listen to different podcasts when I play games.

I only listen to my own music in racing games and Call of Duty if I'm playing TDM or something easy like that.

@DjCmeP: My other half does that. It's his way of multitasking.

Most games I just listen to the game music or turn it off (I don't mind playing  Fallout 3/NV or STALKER and the like with no music, fits the atmosphere) but for long-haul games like Guild Wars or a long play of Civilization where I'll be listening to the same simple tunes over and over, I usually just turn on internet radio.

The only time I listened while playing a game was Skate 2 and it was all 80's Hardcore punk. Black Flag, the Bad Brains, Void, Agression, Battilon of Saints, MDC, the Dead Kennedys, the Circle jerks, the Adolescents, Wasted Youth, S.O.A just to name a few but the the band I had the must fun listening to was JFA here is out of school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lNllWtXkXg&feature=related

I usually only listen to music in games when I am grinding or while playing Forza.

For me music is a tool where I can explore my mind and it's usually associated with art & tasks I know in and out. If I want to listen to my own music while playing it has to be with games that doesn't necessarily require too much thoughts, exempli gratia: MMO's & loot/grind games. Games with a story & atmosphere will be listened to raw like the creators intended to.