It was such a joy earlier to tune into the Proms on TV and see a concert dedicated to video game soundtracks. Although gaming concerts have been a thing for more than a decade, recognition from this festival was a watershed moment. To watch conductor Robert Ames and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform thrilling renditions of scores from such diverse titles as The Legend of Zelda, Journey and Dear Esther was a moving example of how video game sounds, sights and ideas are escaping the cultural cul-de-sac they once inhabited. Successive generations have grown up with games, and so the aesthetics and conventions of the medium are seeping out into the wider cultural landscape. I recently looked at the growing phenomenon of video game soundtracks.

Caroline Grace has always enjoyed vintage technology. An IT tech in the Mid-Ohio Valley, they collect retro games, laser discs and cassette tapes, but mostly, vinyl records. Their collection is in the thousands, and hundreds of those are video game soundtracks. "I've been a big fan of games all my life," says Grace. "Some of my earliest memories are playing games like Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap and Goof Troop with my dad and brother. I get positive feelings from listening to the Wonder Boy III music now. I have a lot of pleasant memories of playing it with my family back in the day."

The Tokyo Olympics opening kicked off early this morning, and the parade of nations, where athletes walk through Japan's Olympic stadium, had a Japanese twist. A medley of videogame music, orchestrated, formed the soundtrack for the parade. It all kicked off with the main theme from Dragon Quest -- which sounds pretty Olympian outright -- followed by hits from Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, Nier, Sonic, Chrono Trigger and, er, eFootball. There are some notable omissions -- no Nintendo songs (Pokemon? Zelda?) being the biggest one -- but some Street Fighter II songs might have fitted well into the competitive theme.

After 10 years working from home, I've noticed some strange correlations in my productivity. In particular, I am far more sluggish and unmotivated when I forget to put on some music (and when I forget to open my windows). It seems small, but some good background jams can really make a difference in the work you get done. This isn't just anecdotal, either--plenty of research actually suggests music can help you get into that "flow state" required for more productive work, particularly fast-paced instrumental music that doesn't distract you with lyrics. It turns out, there's a genre of music that fits this bill perfectly: video game soundtracks.

Radio 3 is launching a new weekly programme dedicated to video game soundtracks. Running from Saturday 26 October, the hour-long show will be presented by composer Jessica Curry, who won a Bafta for her work with UK studio The Chinese Room and created and presented Classic FM's video game music programme, High Score. "[BBC presenter and journalist] Tom Service and his producer Brian Jackson came to interview me for Radio 3 at Chinese Room a couple of years ago, and we all really hit it off," said Curry. "Tom's an avid gamer and there was a definite feeling of excitement about the gaming scene and the music that's being composed for games. "Lots of people think that it's all battle music and aggression.

As I write these words, a triumphant horn is erupting in my ear over the rhythmic bowing of violins. In fact, as you read, I would encourage you to listen along--just search "Battlefield One." I bet you'll focus just a bit better with it playing in the background. After all, as a video game soundtrack it's designed to have exactly that effect. This is, by far, the best Life Pro Tip I've ever gotten or given: Listen to music from video games when you need to focus. It's a whole genre designed to simultaneously stimulate your senses and blend into the background of your brain, because that's the point of the soundtrack.

Spill a glass of wine on the wooden floor at Abbey Road and the studio triggers an emergency procedure. In this, England's most storied recording venue, change is resisted at a molecular level – and not only because, in 2010, the government listed the building as a heritage site to ward off vampiric property developers. A few years ago, decorators varnished the floor of Studio Two, whose decor is somewhere between a 1950s prep school gym and a ballroom on the Titanic. The room's acoustic resonance, made famous on most of the Beatles' albums, had changed. The varnish was promptly chipped off, at vast expense.