Understanding Game Scoring: The Evolution of Compositional Practice for and through Gaming

by Mack Enns

Overview

Understanding Game Scoring explores the unique collaboration between gameplay and composition that defines musical scoring for video games.

Using an array of case studies reaching back into the canon of classic video games, this book illuminates the musical flexibility, user interactivity and sound programming that make game scoring so different from traditional modes of composition. Mack Enns explores the collaboration between game scorers and players to produce the final score for a game, through case studies of the Nintendo Entertainment System sound hardware configuration, and game scores, including the canonic scores for Super Mario Bros. (1985) and The Legend of Zelda (1986).

This book is recommended reading for students and researchers interested in the composition and production of video game scores, as well as those interested in ludo-musicology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367492816
Publisher:	Butterworth-Heinemann
Publication date:	11/22/2021
Series:	Perspectives on Music Production
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mack Enns is a Research Assistant Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, specializing in music design and programming for video games and interactive media, music technology and popular music studies.

Table of Contents

List of figures viii

List of tables x

Preface xi

1 An introduction to game scoring 1

Disasterpeace and FEZ: a case study of game scoring 4

Music system overview: sequence context menu 6

Music system overview: scripts browser 7

Music system overview: main composition sequencer 9

Game scoring as a unique mode of musical composition 11

Methodology and outline 11

2 Game scoring's interactive multimedia context 20

Spatial emulation, the gaming "diegcsis," and game scoring 20

Interactivity: a new element 22

Audial responsibility in the interactive multimedia text: a case study of the score for The Legend of Zelda (1987) 23

Case study conclusions: John Cage and game scoring as aleatoric composition 26

Game scoring taxonomy: Title Music 27

Game scoring taxonomy: Source Musk 34

Source Music case study: Kondo's "Lost Woods" vs. Vreeland's "Reflection" 38

Game scoring taxonomy: Results Music 40

Chapter conclusions 45

3 Game scoring and gaming technology 49

Case study - the Nintendo Entertainment System's sound hardware configuration 50

Channel overview: pulse wave channels 51

Channel overview: triangle wave channel 53

Channel overview: noise channel 54

Channel overview: delta modulation channel 55

NES game scoring techniques 56

NES game scoring techniques: 2-channel echo 56

NES game scoring techniques: single-channel echo 57

NES game scoring techniques: arpeggio and psychoacoustic block chords 58

NES game scoring techniques: TWC kick drum sounds 59

NES game scoring techniques: melodic samples 59

Putting it all together: the APU mixer 62

Case study summary 62

Game scoring taxonomy: Logo Jingles 63

Game scoring taxonomy: Loading Music 65

Game scoring taxonomy: voice acting and vocals 67

Chapter conclusions 68

4 Game design and game scoring as software programming 75

Game scoring taxonomy: Introduction Music 75

Game scoring taxonomy: Demo Music 77

Game scoring taxonomy: Gameplay Music 78

Gameplay Music: Hub Music 80

Gameplay Music: Area Music 84

Area Music case study: game scoring as mimetic music technology in Tetris (1984) and Guitar Hero (2005) 84

Gameplay Music: Area Music (cont.) 87

Gameplay Music: Time System Jingles 91

Gameplay Music: Battle Music 92

Gameplay Music: Rest Music 97

Gameplay Music: Dialogue Music 98

Dialogue Music case study: the Owl and Link's Awakening 100

Gameplay Music: Challenge Music 102

Chapter conclusions 103

5 Game scoring: gameplay as performance of aleatoric composition 107

Before video games: the aleatoric tradition 107

A note on sound effects 110

Case study: Super Mario Bros. ("World 6-2") 112

Game scores vs. game soundtracks: Super Mario Bros, on CD 118

Case study conclusions 120

Game scoring taxonomy: Menu Sound Effects 120

Mario menus: a case study of Menu Sound Effects in two Super Mario games 120

Menu Sound Effects, cont. 124

Game scoring taxonomy: Menu Music 125

Game scoring taxonomy: Status Music (Gameplay Music, cont.) 128

Game scoring taxonomy: Gameplay Sound Effects 130

Game scoring taxonomy: "Ambiences" or Ambient Sound Effects 134

Chapter conclusions 136

6 Game scoring: conclusion 138

Future directions 140

Significance 141

Implications 141

Conclusion 142

Index 145