The examples considered so far are practically exclusively related to the formally recognized cultural sphere. Anything related to consumer music and more commercial practices has been more or less overlooked. Not so much because it doesn't exist or isn't of interest, but simply because it represents a teleological direction of assumptions relatively distant from the artistic sphere of interest. Much like what happened in the 18th century, the practices of blending game and music were carried out with a certain degree of disinterest by composers, either due to the presumed "lack of seriousness" of the gaming sphere or due to the aesthetic current being far removed from the formal structure of a game. However, such approaches focused on the dissemination and facilitation of musical practice in the most democratic and extensive manner possible have not disappeared. On the contrary, during the 20th century, they experienced a surge and regained popularity. During the 19th century, the absence of technologies allowing for easy interactive practices resulted in minimal changes to game piece media, as well as their popularities. In the 20th century, instead, interaction systems developed rapidly and, among the numerous consequences, also allowed for the inclusion of the sound element in various environments, including gaming. In this sense, the approach to the interconnection between games and music returned to popularity in a manner very similar to the practice prevalent in the 18th century. Additionally, the introduction of sound amplification and reproduction systems has also spread the presence of sound itself in contexts where the musical experience was not previously even imagined - such as elevators, waiting rooms, and shopping centers. The practice actually has precedents, as far back as ancient Roman times, musical instruments found space even in contexts such as arenas and stadiums, accompanying a collective experience and amplifying the expressive scope of ongoing events. In this regard, while one cannot certainly speak of interaction for elevators and supermarkets, to a certain degree, this is not entirely true for stadiums and other entertainment environments, where although not all the audience has the opportunity to define the course of the game, a part of the involved elements, the actual players, end up defining indeed the form of the soundscape enjoyed by all listeners. However, this is an almost involuntary consequence of the outcome of the game.
The most classic example of this abstraction, encompassing a more perceivable degree of interactivity, is the video game. A technologically advanced evolution of various types of "play," video games replicate different types of playful activities through electric, digital, or analog hardware and software, offering an interactive experience usually of a teleological and directed nature, generally as engaging and entertaining as their more physical counterparts. In video games, the musical aspect has begun to have relevance alongside technological opportunities, marking a distinction in the realm of multimedia artistic productions. Nowadays, the sonic aspect is inseparable from the ludic one, and although its function is generally to support and accompany the player's experience, this is not invariably true. Video games, in fact, have developed to such an extent that in recent decades, an important debate has arisen regarding the categorization of their contributions to the artistic community, as well as their relevance in relation to society and culture more broadly.
Other noteworthy cases, typical of the most contemporary trends, include live soundtracking concerts, where bands and ensembles are called upon to perform live music based on videoscores or even live-played video games; escape rooms, a form of modern entertainment based on collaborative dynamics where players are locked in a room to solve a mystery, often using sounds as specific signals to indicate useful clues to progress in the game; a more specific type of video game called "rhythm games," which consists of a very particular hybridization of virtuosic performance of a piece through instrument-shaped controllers, assisted by precise virtual non-traditional notation systems scrolling on a monitor. An example of this could be the famous Guitar Hero, as well as the dance pad games prompting players to step on buttons on the floor in a sequence displayed on the screen, frequently available in 70’ arcade. Rhythm games of this sort are a part of the wider genre of music-themed video games.
All these examples are noteworthy as they feature a highly pronounced playful dimension, objectively prevailing, but with a sound component of varying relevance depending on the specific cases.
However, one cannot speak of a meaningful relation between the two elements. The first thing that is lacking is interactivity: in spaces such as stadiums, escape rooms, or arcades, the presence or absence of a listener has no influence on the musical aspect. In the second series of examples, in the case of video games, it is a form derived exactly from those combinatorial modalities widespread in the 1700s, which pair pre-existing elements based not so much on dice, this time, but on the choices made by the player during gameplay. Therefore, interactivity is not lacking in this case, but the entire aesthetic and conceptual sphere behind the musical choices simply stems from the greater or lesser marketability of the product, thus reducing all compositional intentions to market needs. Moreover, among gaming elements and sound elements, the latter find themselves in a condition of deep subordination: any game could be played without having a sound reproduction system, whereas the opposite activity could almost be seen as a radical performance, such would be its impracticability. In this sense, such instances will not be considered within the scope of this dissertation as they do not bring about significant changes.