I am less interested in game audio as 'soundtrack' as I am more interested
in using the soundtrack for creating more adaptive interfaces in games.
With the exception of a few games who's gameplay is primarily driven by a
musical interfaces (REZ), I think game design in general is not taking
advantage of audio beyond its complaisant role, and unfortunately audio is
boiling down to two things: sound id's for objects and things in worlds, and
simple background music (which gets annoying the same way a lot of banal
movie soundtrack does in that it is constantly triggers predictable
responses for us and spoils the movie instead). Audio in games I feel are
not taking advantage of the possibilities of sound serving as the main
navigational tool. Rez is a cool game but the interface with sound makes
that game more a duplication of a musical instruments in games, rather than
making the soundtrack in cinema an interactive element through virtuality.
Partly the problem is the lack of technology for the average gamer, with
speakers and 5.1, the industry itself is not at a point with the consumers
in order to really push sound beyond desktop speakers, television outputs
and headphones, into something of a greater environmental listening
experience.
But there is alot more to be done with audio in gameplay, where audio can
drive gameplay without being becoming a dominating interface itself, where
sound and camera can be linked to exploit the user's control of the
environment, where the physical world (the geometry itself, the level
design, other characters) is altered through music, rather than just
mimicking more passive roles like the user faces in cinema.
Soundtrack in games is interesting, and definitely becoming another avenue
for IDM, however, IDM here can serve a larger role, not of just making the
music more accessible to the public through games, but also be a force in
evolving audio as something to engage and manipulate the environement -
interacting with the music in ways only games can really allow. Using music
for players to radically reconstruct their worlds, over and over. A way of
making games infinitely replayable.
I am interested in researching audio to make video games accessible to the
blind. And I think the relationship between audio and environment is a link
that can be tapped and utilized for all gamers.
b.
-----Original Message-----
From: Eddie Symons [mailto:esymons@BlitzGames.com]
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 1:21 AM
To: idm@hyperreal.org
Subject: Re: [idm] [OT]: videogames.
IDM stuff has been involved with games a little. I seem to remember Warp
having loads of stuff used in a game called HardWar? No original tracks
though just licenced stuff.
When I was working on 'Music2000' (music creation type thing) for
playstation, we almost got Aphex Twin to write a track for us. Originally we
were just going to licence Windowlicker, and do our own version of it in
music2000, but when Richard found out about it, he was really interested and
wanted to do a brand new track himself. Unfortunately, the only code we
could get him at the time was bugged to fuck, so he couldn't be arsed.
Incidentally, Horse Opera was lead tester on the prequel 'Music' on psone.
I know a few guys whos day job is writing music for videogames, who are also
pretty well known idm artists... Just a shame they don't get to do their own
thing for game soundtracks, they usually work to designers requirements,
which doesn't give them much freedom. You do hear little bits sneaking in
here and there though.
Eddie
---
Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 12:17:08 -0400
To: evan shamoon <giantmech@hotmail.com>
From: Aaron D Meyers <adm226@nyu.edu>
Cc: idm@hyperreal.org
Subject: Re: [idm] [OT]: videogames.
Message-ID: <37ea4537d340.37d34037ea45@homemail.nyu.edu>
I may be jumping the gun here, but I would say that Metroid Prime looks
poised to be the
IDMest game of the year.
I'm also a big fan of the Wipeout series, but I don't have a Playstation
anymore so I was forced to switch over to ExtremeG3 for my ridiculously fast
futuristic racing game fix. Now, can someone explain why they aren't lining
up top-tier IDM artists for the soundtracks to these games? I guess for
some people, the Ministry of Sound soundtrack on EG3 is pretty exciting, but
come on now... what if Autechre were to write some generative tracks that
react to some things happening on the screen? Yes, that's right, it'd be
rad.
I've never tried it, but now that I think about it, Plaid does seem like a
logical choice to accompany Super Monkey Ball. You should really upgrade to
Super Monkey Ball 2. They have really improved their formula for rad little
games with monkeys in little balls... and they have Monkey Baseball now too!
And the story in the single player game is the most delightfully retarded
thing I've ever experienced on a television screen.
-Aaron
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