I solve problems through software for a living. No easy feat. While I do demand silence when I need to get into the nitty-gritty, more often than not, I turn to music to get the creative juices flowing.

Let’s talk about criteria. Given that I can’t stand the mere sound of people talking, I prefer instrumental, ambient music while working. Vocals are fine but they have to not be in english; choirs get the job done too. Lastly, I’m not a fan of playlists so I pick hour-long albums instead.

With these out of the way, here are a few albums I queue up when I’m coding.

• Nobuo Uematsu - FINAL FANTASY V (Original Soundtrack)
• Nobuo Uematsu - FINAL FANTASY VI (Original Soundtrack)
• Nobuo Uematsu - FINAL FANTASY I (PS Version) [Original Soundtrack]
• Nobuo Uematsu - Nobuo Uematsu × Hironobu Sakaguchi Works - Music from FANTASIAN (Original Game Soundtrack)
• Takeharu Ishimoto - Crisis Core - FINAL FANTASY VII (Original Soundtrack)
• Christopher Larkin - Hollow Knight (Original Soundtrack)
• Mick Gordon - Doom Original Game Soundtrack
• Steven Price - Our Planet Original Soundtrack
• Thomas Bergersen - Humanity - Chapter III
• Thomas Bergersen - American Dream
• Thomas Bergersen - Sun
• Two Steps From Hell - Miracles

On Final Fantasy

I grew up playing Final Fantasy on the Game Boy and I got really hooked. Final Fantasy VI, in particular, is a game which I have sunk more than 220-hours of playtime on. I consider it to be the best game I have ever played. Yes, I got deeply emotionally invested in the characters and the wild roller-coaster ride of a story they were all part of.

Thus, I will forever revere Nobuo Uematsu for the musical genius that he is for composing the soundtracks to much of Final Fantasy franchise’s installments. His music is the imagination and creativity unbound; writing masterpeices despite limited technology. Uematsu essentially made The Creation of Adam with crayons.

Fantasian, which I now play, is also made by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and has a soundtrack exclusively by Uematsu. The game instantly took me those sweet times.

Having these soundtracks on queue while working makes me feel like a hero on a quest to save the world from the clutches of evil. Fun fact: I was listening to the Final Fantasy V Original Soundtrack as I wrote this.

On Doom

Confession: I haven’t really played Doom. I’ve never been a fan of first-person shooter games. Oh, and I didn’t really have capable computers or the money for triple-A gaming during these years. But what did happen during these years is I developed a taste for heavy music. The Doom Original Game Soundtrack is just that: heavy. It works for me despite its filthy guitar riffs and violent percussion. It also helps that I feel like the Doomslayer slaughtering demons.

On Our Planet

I really loved Our Planet. Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey is still my favorite docuseries, but this is a close second. Our Planet has marvelous cinematography and narration, but what most people won’t notice is its original score. Steven Price was able to write a soundtrack that complements what’s on the screen impeccably. You really don’t notice great background music. When I listen to this album while working I tend to be surprised that I had been listening for hours when I though I had just started a few minutes ago.

On Two Steps From Hell and Thomas Bergersen

In case it wasn’t obvious enough, I like epic music. Two Steps From Hell has an extensive catalog of these but this time I went for the albums that are less stimulating. So gentle, orchestral music that soothe my mind and soul.