Grammys finally add a video game category

The ultimate award in music is finally recognizing video game soundtracks as an important subset of sound.

Each year, the Recording Academy hand out awards to the world's best musical artists and composers in a large spectacle.

The Grammy Award is seemingly as old as time itself, originating in 1959, and is considered one of the four major annual U.S.-based entertainment awards.

The specific award is dedicated to "excellence in score soundtracks and albums comprised predominately of original scores."
Only soundtracks created specifically for video games released within the qualification period will be eligible.

This isn't the first time video game music has been recognized by the Recording Academy.

The soundtrack for 2012's indie adventure game Journey received a Grammy nomination that same year - the first time for a video game.
A performance of a song from Nintendo's Kirby game franchise won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella.

Although a video game-centric category is long overdue, its creation may be a response to declining viewership for the awards show.

Ratings for the 2022 Grammy Awards hit an almost all-time-low with 8.93 million viewers.
With gaming and esports on the cultural rise, the Recording Academy may be trying to tap into this rapidly growing audience.

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