Olivia Davy Game Art Blog: Beep, boop, shoo wop da wop. Sound for games!

Music in games is extremely influential especially at a young age. A lot of the music around in games is become more noticed amongst gamers, old and new. The new generation will always learn the classics such as “Mario” or “Pokemon”. They are one of the most well known soundtracks from gaming history.

Mario! Yeah!

As a gamer, I remember from a young age the “Mario” theme and the “Pokemon” theme. Not from playing myself, but because my family members had played these game. Not only did I start playing these games had I realised how important it was. It is one of those things that you think to yourself “Bloody hell I remember this. Now where the heck did I remember that from”, then you start playing the game, or you go research it on YouTube and nostalgia kicks in. Even if you never played the game, majority of people would have known where it came from. For me the “Pokemon” theme is a big nostalgia kick back. But even now, I listen to the theme songs from games such as “Croc”, but don't really remember playing the actual game, or what happened in it. But I know it brings back good memories and memories like that mean something. I also remember playing “Pandemonium!”. This was a game I never really understood as a young child, but I would listen to the theme and I would just remember. Even now when typing this I’m playing the theme on YouTube and smiling ear to ear, because it brings back such good memories.

Best game ever!

Oh the memories!

Sound and music are used in a very particular way in games. Even some of the most recognized pieces are either from little sound effects or small clips from the game. A good example of this is from “The Legend of Zelda” series. I'll take “Ocarina Of Time” for example. The melodies from when Link plays the Ocarina are well recognized. Some people may not know where it's from, but they've heard it. Personally this was the situation for me. I had not played any of the Zelda series, but had heard some of the tunes, such as “Zelda's Lullaby”. I never knew where I had heard it before, but it was such a recognizable tune. But this can also be in a sense of what happened in “FarCry 3”. I never listened to the sounds that “FarCry 3” had because it never really stood out. Apart from one mission (excuse the spoilers, if you haven't played it), where you have to burn the weed field and that's when the song by “Skrillex ft Damian “Jr. Gong” - Make It Bun Dem”, came on. Now a lot of gamers out there will instantly relate this song to “FarCry 3” (if they've played it obviously). Majority of the comments on this songs official music video all say “FarCry 3 <3”. No joke. It's something like this that stands out, but the rest of the music from the game was a complete dud. The fact that this song is the only way for people to recognize the game, is a bit of a failure within their part, that they have to use someone else's song to make it.

"Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact... same fucking thing... over and over again expecting... shit to change..." - Vaas

But then there are theme's and songs that create the game. I'll take “The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time” again as an example. One of the best songs for me personally is the “Shop Theme” from this game. It's one that makes me sway side to side with happiness and one that I will always remember. Right now I am doing exactly that. Plus after playing the game, it really takes me back when I was playing, and how I would just stand in the shop for a good 5 minutes just swaying side to side happy. The fact that anyone in the house who heard it, would come in and do exactly the same. It's amazing. So the composer for “The Legend Of Zelda” series is Koji Kondo, who also created the “Super Mario Bros” theme. He would colab with Shigeru Miyamoto, in creating these pieces of work. Kondo had complete freedom to create the theme, and that Miyamoto would put his input on what Kondo had made for the game but would never tell him what he wanted. Kondo commented at the Games Developers Conference 2007, saying that the theme reflects the action-orientated game-play of the series. He demonstrated this by showing how the characters movements and player's button presses, sync with the beat of the music. This is what he was aiming for, and that he found the catchiest tune ever made. Many magazine writers who have ever written about music in games have all said that the “Super Mario Bros” theme beats everything else for the best sound/music in history. Not only has the theme been used in the games but also in an anime film.

Zelda playing the Ocarina

However with music and composing music, you need it to fit the game. You can't have a horror game and happy music. That would sound weird. Take “Mass Effect” for example. “Mass Effect” is a well known game and amongst avid “Mass Effect” players they all get a connection to the music. With this game, it's not a happy one. It's dark and involves a lot of death and loss. The one song that I really hate from the game is the death song “Saren”, every time you die it always plays and you can tell what's happened when you hear that. The one that strikes me the most out of the series is from “Mass Effect 3 – Leaving Earth”. It's so powerful, so dark. The calm piano but low in key, and the sudden rumble of reaper noise, distorting it, putting you on the edge. But it's so powerful you're moved by it in a deep sense. This song fits so well with the game. I find as well that within the game any battles that are about to occur, a song starts playing, almost a battling song. It's sort of predictable but also makes you on edge as if you are there. Not that if you were actually in a battle you'd go around making some cool sounds, but the principle is still there.

Mass Effect 1,2 and 3

The songs that stand out for me a lot are ones that create the most impact. These are games I’ve already mentioned such as “Pandemonium!”, “Mario”, Croc”, “Pokemon” (especially), “Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time”. But others that stand out to me is the main theme from the “Uncharted” series. The orchestra, the deep thump of the drums in the main chorus of the song, is powerful and emerges you into an adventure. Then it softens, becomes quieter, as if you're traversing through rural landscape, taking in the scenery, smelling the air. But it comes back to more of a beat with the drums, the orchestra becomes one, it's now as if you are on top of the ruins looking over the land you've accomplished, over what you have travelled. I have so many mixed emotions with this theme, that 1,000,000% recommend listening to it! Another that I recommend you listen to is the “Skyrim” theme as well. That is truly a great theme, so powerful and magical. The deep roar of the voices, and the whole song, it truly makes you a wandering adventurer. But this isn't like “Uncharted”, you can tell by the song, the tone, that this is more magical, that “Skyrim” is based under different adventuring terms. “Skyrim” is based around magic, dragons, different races, not just Black, White and Asian, but Elfs,Khajits and much more. With “Uncharted” you can tell by the theme that it's modern day and this is all done by music. This split makes it memorable and that's why I love it so much. There are many, many songs and themes that I could talk about, but instead I will link them, for you to interpret how you want and the feelings you get from them.

Can't go wrong with dragons!

Now this is a game

Now thanks to this blog and YouTube, I want to go play all the games! But I can't. I will soon though! But I am going to go listen to all the music from games now! Best blog ever!

Always be a Gentlemon! Classy!

Olivia Davy Game Art Blog

Saturday, 26 April 2014

Beep, boop, shoo wop da wop. Sound for games!

No comments:

Post a Comment