Music in Video Games

Dynamic Audio: Sound which reacts to changes in the gameplay environment

and/or in response to a user.

• Adaptive Audio respond to an event that the player triggers eg. When doing a challenge with a time constraint, as the time runs out the tempo gets faster.

• Donkey Kong Game Boy

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1SUcCgw4xo

• Interactive Audio: Respond to the player directly for example sound effects related to a character jumping. Pressing the button again will play the sound again to match the action.

• Mario jumping sound

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVYH6XPNdPI

Diegetic sounds: sounds that occur in the character’s space similar to Diegetic music

used in film• Non-dynamic diegetic audio: the

sound event occurs in the character’s space, but with which the character has no direct participation.

• For instance, in Portal when Chell (your character) comes across the radio that plays the main theme in a more upbeat way.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD3v1B_aXw0

• Adaptive diegetic audio. In Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, at dawn we hear a rooster crow, and in the “day” sequences of Hyrule Field, we hear pleasant bird sounds. When the game’s timer changes to night-time, we hear a wolf howl, crickets chirp, and various crows cawing. These sounds are diegetic and adaptive.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfrhek3O8ew&index=32&list=PLDDC74011619A10AE

Diegetic sounds: sounds that occur in the character’s space similar to Diegetic

music used in film

• Interactive diegetic sounds occur in the character’s space, with which the player’s character can directly interact.

• In Zelda opening a chest and receiving an item play two sounds.

• Opening treasure box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdOOGs33hOg&index=7&list=PLDDC74011619A10AE

• Receiving item:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP2zuMc6jOs&index=8&list=PLDDC74011619A10AE

Non-diegetic sound: background music and sound effects

• Interactive non-diegetic sounds are sound events occurring in reaction to gameplay. For example in Skyrim when a dragon approaches signifying the beginning of a battle sequence.

• Day time ambient music

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dO9W0HaUJ4&list=PL356BBB63A413A215&index=7

• Dragon fight

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gcNzSb0OI

• Non-dynamic linear sounds: Usually the introductory movies or cut-scenes in games. Players have no control over these sounds.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Opening Cutscene

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQz66naGJ-c

• Note this contains dialogue, non-diegetic and sound effects.

Kinetic gestural interaction in which the player bodily participates with

the sound on screen.• This can be exampled in Zelda:

Ocarina of Time by playing the ocarina during gameplay whereby the character pushes a series of buttons to produce diegetic sound.

• Here Link is taught to play Zelda’s Lullaby on his ocarina using buttons on the Nintendo 64 controller.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVL6VVw4b_w

• This can also be directly exampled in games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero where players have instrument shaped controllers to respond to instructions on screen.

Genres define the music composed

• Action role-playing game

• Skyrim

• Night Time Music

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu8hUAeWg2Q

• Day Time Music

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZkezSUA4zk&list=PL356BBB63A413A215&index=8

• First Person Shooter

• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDmZo4vEsBo

• Survival Horror Game

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWgswdsoSwo

• Atmospheric music to create tension and incite fear

• Resources

• http://gamessound.com/learning.htm