A new business venture by publisher Wired Productions to start a games-based music label is kicking off by helping to spread mental health awareness across the gaming world, and the publisher is using the title track from its most recent game to get things rolling. A four-track digital EP of variations of the metal-rap song Arcade Paradise (which shares a name with the game from which it originates) by Ivar & The Horde is on sale now, and all proceeds will go towards a mental health awareness charity.
The collection of four tracks — the original (explicit) version of Arcade Paradise, Future Funk Squad Electro Mix, a radio edit, and an instrumental version — is priced at $3.38 USD, but purchasers are invited to choose their price and have the option to pay more. The recipient of all sales made through the Bandcamp digital record store will be Safe In Our World, per The Xbox Hub,
Safe In Our World is a charitable organization based in England and Wales and has been in existence since October 2019. “The main goal of Safe In Our World is to create and foster worldwide mental health awareness within the video game industry; to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health, to make it a natural topic of discussion, and to promote the dialogue surrounding mental health so people are not afraid to reach out for help if they need it,” a mission statement on the organization’s official Web site reads. Among the organization’s’ functions are its Level Up campaign to promote positive mental health in workplace environments throughout the games industry and its scientific studies on the effects of video games on mental health.
Arcade Paradise the game launched on Steam on August 11 and has enjoyed very positive reviews, with 87 percent of players responding favorably to it. It earned an official DualShockers score of 8.5/10 from our review last month. Also available from the game’s Steam page is a 28-track digital official soundtrack for the game, which is priced at $9.99 USD and includes the original Arcade Paradise song but none of the three alternate versions included on the EP. The musicians behind the compilation are composer Kieron Pepper, who served as Prodigy’s live drummer from 1997 to 2007, Ben Pickersgill, and Stu Brootal.
Those wishing to contribute to the charity should note that proceeds from the official soundtrack on Steam are not part of the arrangement with Safe In Our World. Anyone looking to purchase the four-track collection and make a contribution can do so on Black Razor Records’ Bandcamp page.