Monday, March 30, 2015

Music & Its Importance To Game Design Students

By Jennifer Marie Anderson


If you want to talk about crucial elements of game design, music definitely deserves to be looked into. Most game students will agree with the notion that music will always have a place in this level of work, seeing as how it is an artistic element. However, how important is this to the overall process, you may wonder? For those who are curious - and I am sure that this is a high number - here are just a few reasons why students must music into heavy consideration.

If you want to talk about how music plays into the game design, you have to look at how it gains someone's attention. For example, if a soundtrack is composed for a lengthy roleplaying game, chances are that it'll have a grand feeling, as if a greater destiny awaits. However, it's just as easy to assume that a game in the horror genre will possess an air of tension. Simply put, music is tailored to fit any scenario and it's better because of this factor.

Of course, if we're talking about actual music, it should be crafted in such a way that it doesn't annoy the player after a while. Most games, in this day and age, can last for hours and you're not going to want to hear the same repetitive loop without a break. For this reason, it's important to create audio that doesn't drone on players. You may wonder how this can be done but there are a few examples of composers who have done this rather well.

Koji Kondo has been revered as one of the greatest composers in the world of video games. The way that he created music, for titles like "The Legend of Zelda," was interesting because of how he was able to listen to his creations for extensive lengths of time. He knew that certain pieces of music could grind on the brain after time has passed, which he did not want. The fact that he judged his own music, based on this system, showed how in-tune a composer can be with his or her audience.

Music is, to put it simply, one of the most integral points that game design students should keep in mind. It is able to help set the scene, in many situations, but it's just as easy to assume that this type of music can create soundtracks anyone can leisurely listen to. However, it's important to note that audio can only be effective with strong capabilities in place. Without these, students who are focused on the creation of video games may not see the strongest work come about.




About the Author:



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...