For my final project I am composing music for a pre-existing video game, the video game I am composing for is a game titled ‘Wwise Adventure Game’. This video game was published by Audio Kinetic as a demo game for sound designers and musicians to put their own audio over. In this game you play as an unnamed character who is tasked by a mysterious wizard to save the world from an unknown evil. As in the game there has been evil plants spawning around the world, and in this game you must find the source of the evil and destroy it. For my final project I am composing for the final segment of this game, which is from the dungeon level up until the end of the forge level. This game has a medieval fantasy setting, therefore for this final project I will be using string and brass instruments that are often used in fantasy games/movies such as Lord of the Rings and Game Of Thrones. Once I am done composing the music I plan to record a gameplay walkthrough of my music over the gameplay and post the footage on; YouTube, Soundcloud, Instagram reels and show it in the final college showcase for the public to see.
Why this Project?
The reason I have chosen to do this project is because in my future I would like to have a career in composing music for media, including movies, TV and video games. However at the moment my skills have not yet reached an advanced enough level to enter the industry as a composer, this is because my music still has many areas for improvement such as melody writing, harmonic writing and scoring skills in general. Therefore I would like to spend my time in this project learning more about this area of music through research, and developing my practical skills through composing for this video game. I have been inspired to compose video game music by; Mick Gordon (DOOM) , Nobuyoshi Suzuki (Bloodborne) and Mahito Yokota (Super Mario Galaxy) who are all amazing composers. I have chosen to compose for this game as its open source programme will allow me to code my own music into the game, furthermore allowing me to learn new programming skills which will be very beneficial for a career in the video game music industry.
How is my project relevant to the industry?
My project is relevant to the industry the video game industry is now one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world and it is growing larger by the day, furthermore each day a game begins development new job opportunities are opened for musicians. This is because video game directors depend on composers and sound design engineers to make music for their game to help it create an immersive experience for the players. My project links to this field of the industry as I will be composing music for a game, which is a job role in its self within the video game industry. Furthermore this project will help me develop more knowledge around composing and arranging, which is an essential skills in this field of the music industry. It will also help me understand how to programme my music into a video game using Wwise and Unity, this is a very good skill to put on your CV. IN summary this project will help me develop very important skills which may help me secure a career within the video game music industry in the future.
Why is music important in video games?
Every video game developers main goal is to immerse player in their video game world, as a study has proven background music helps immerse the player in the video with complete focus and concentration (Bhanawat, 2021). For fast paced video games music is essential for capturing the pace of the game and driving it with intensity, for example in action games such as DOOM Eternal the music will be very faced past to reflect on the high speed of the combat on screen. Recently video games have taken the form of strong narrative experiences, meaning music is now often being used to create “dramatic effect” (Bhanawat, 2021). For example if the player is in a familiar location such as their home town after being away from it for a while, the music may use emotional and nostalgic chords to reflect on the context of this moment in the story of the game. Music is also very important in simulation games to create a soft and relaxing musical atmosphere (Bhanawat, 2021). This can be seen in the Sims franchise, which features a calm and relaxing soundtrack which accompanies the player while they play through the lives of their sims. Alternatively relaxing music can also be used to break up moments of tension within video games after long battles or emotional scenes (Bhanawat, 2021). In conclusion music is very important for video games as it can help convey specific emotions and themes which helps immerse players in the video game world. It also can reflect on specific moods atmospheres to help support the tone and intensity of the gameplay. Without music in video games developers would struggle to immerse players in their video game and therefore damage the video game industry with the lack of immersion and emotion.
Quotes That Inspire Me
The technical meaning behind this quote is that to learn more than your hero’s such as Albert Einstein or Mozart you learn of previous discovered made by them. This is one of my favourite quotes that motivate me to research into new topics of interest within music, as it encourages me to study the works of my musical hero’s such as Chopin and Rachmaninoff to better understand their knowledge of music, furthermore teaching me more musical techniques and improving my own musical compositions. Isaac Newton was one of the most famous and intelligent scientists to ever grace this planet, this quote tells us a bit about how he achieved such as high level of intellect. Therefore reminded me and everyone else who reads this quote, that with hard work and dedication anything is possible.
This is one my favourite quotes that I look at for inspiration when I am struggling with developing my musical compositions during a writers block, as it reminds me that determination and patience will eventually pay off and make you a better composer, musician or performer. This quote is also very important to keep in mind as a musician as it may be disheartening at times if you are not getting job opportunities in the music industry, however this quote should be a reminder that eventually with enough determination you will get where you want to be in the music industry. If I am to get stuck during this project and lose morale I will look to this quote for inspiration and motivation on my project. Chopin, the creator of this quote, was an master composer for the piano and the romantic era of music. He was also one of my most favourite music composer who inspire me to write music today, therefore making this quote even more of a huge inspiration for me.
The meaning of this quote is that if you look back at what mistakes you have made previously in life or your career, you will be able to learn how avoid these issues in future and become a better person/artist. I love this quote as it reminds me of the importance of self reflection, furthermore motivating me to deeply reflect on my mistakes I will make in this project in order to improve.
Source List
antiminimalist.com, 2020. Reflection Quote. [image] Available at: <https://quotefancy.com/quote/1497891/Richard-Carlson-Reflection-is-one-of-the-most-underused-yet-powerful-tools-for-success> [Accessed 26 May 2022].
azquotes, n.d. Frederic Chopin Quote. [image] Available at: <https://www.azquotes.com/quote/848460> [Accessed 26 May 2022].
Bhanawat, A., 2021. How Does Music Influence Us When Playing Games?. [online] T.H.E – Music Essentials. Available at: <https://themusicessentials.com/editorials/how-does-music-influence-us-when-playing-games/> [Accessed 25 May 2022].
Kirschner, P. and Neelen, M., 2018. Isaac Newton Quote. [image] Available at: <https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-an-offer-you-cant-refuse/> [Accessed 26 May 2022].