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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Johannesburg, 2016 / In this part-written, part-composed creative research project I consider the music of ‘indie’ video games, specifically exploring some of the myriad dynamic compositional approaches in this particular category of game development. In my written work I analyse three indie video games – Braid (2008), Fez (2012) and Journey (2012) – each of which use unique methods to apply music dynamically. I use interviews with the games’ creators, as well as close analysis and transcription of significant sections of each video game, in order to reveal how music is used to provide the player with a more immersive, satisfying, and involving gaming experience. I also consider the use of ambient music in indie video games, a common feature of a large number of contemporary games, weighing up its merits and limitations. Musical concepts and compositional approaches raised in my written work have informed the portfolio of compositions submitted for this degree, and, similarly, my creative work has informed my analytical research. My creative work explores, amongst other aspects, indeterminate form, ambient music, and ways of ‘looping’ material in the creation of unrepeatable structures. This thesis also considers music which functions narratively in games – a function that might necessitate a greater degree of musical linearity — and how this musical role might be incompatible with the demands of interactivity. After briefly introducing the concepts dealt with across this thesis in Chapter 1, Chapters 2 to 4 take the form of case studies of the indie games mentioned above, with each chapter tackling unique challenges that game composers face when writing music for non-linear games, by which I mean games structured so that not all players will experience the content in the same order due to player agency. More specifically, Chapter 2 deals with the game Braid and its use of pre-composed, licensed music and how the game’s developer applies this music dynamically to the game. Chapter 3 deals with Fez and its mainly adaptive musical approach, its built-in software music engine, ‘Fezzer’, which allows for a composer to input and manipulate musical loops in the game, and nostalgia in indie video game aesthetics. Chapter 4 centres on the video game Journey and on how autonomous, ‘narrative’ music in video games might be seen to exist in opposition to music’s ability to be truly dynamic. Finally, Chapter 5 reflects on my own creative work for this thesis; how concepts from the case studies have informed my creative work and vice versa. / MT2017

The videogame now occupies a unique territory in contemporary culture that offers a new perspective on conceptions of high and low art. While the fear that the majority of videogames 'pacify' their audience in an Adornian "culture industry" is not without justification, its reductionism can be countered by a recognition of the diversity and aesthetic potential of the medium. This has been proposed by sociologist, Graeme Kirkpatrick, although without close attention to the role of music. Videogame music often operates in similar ways to music in other mixed-media scenarios, such as film, or opera. In the same way that film music cannot be completely divorced from film, videogame music is contingent on and a crucial part of the videogame aesthetic. However, the interactive nature of the medium - its différance - has naturally led to the development of nonlinear musical systems that tailor music in real time to the game's dynamically changing dramatic action. Musical non-linearity points beyond both music and videogames (and their respective discourses) toward broader issues pertinent to contemporary musicology and critical thinking, not least to matters concerning high modernism (traditionally conceived of as resistant to mass culture). Such issues include Barthes's "death of the author", the significance of order/disorder as a formal spectrum, and postmodern conceptions and experiences of temporality. I argue that in this sense the videogame medium - and its music - warrants attention as a unique but not sui generis aesthetic experience. Precedent can be found for many of the formal ideas employed in such systems in certain aspects of avant-garde art, and especially in the aleatoric music prevalent in the 1950s and 60s. This thesis explores this paradox by considering videogames as both high and low, and, more significantly, I argue that the aesthetics of videogame music draw attention to the centrality of "play" in all cultural objects.

My research will attempt to determine how award academies choose their nominations through the analysis of select musical aesthetics. As a trained musician (pianist) and avid gamer, I will bring my two passions together, contributing to the field of ludomusicology (the study of video game music). My research consists of an overview of video game scores spanning a decade (2004 – 2013) with a select sample of three soundtracks per year (a total of thirty soundtracks). The samples will be taken from the BAFTA- (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), VGX- (formerly known as Spike), and D.I.C.E. awards (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain). Through engaging a music theory macro analysis, I will discuss melodic themes used in each soundtrack, the setting of the score (instrumental or electronic), and whether the soundtrack samples contain the epic musical idiom. At the end of my dissertation my research reveals what kind of music these award academy panels favour. If the award academies are a reflection of popular taste, my research indicates what the audiences like to hear in video game music. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

This bachelor thesis discusses the way nostalgia correlates with video game music and how the emotion of nostalgia is achieved in the different soundtracks discussed. A large part of the bachelor thesis discusses leitmotifs and their role in video game music when attempting to create a sense of familiarity and an emotionally memorable soundtrack. The study approaches nostalgia from different perspectives to be able to identify what it is exactly in video game music that evokes the emotion.

The introduction of a game mechanic is an aspect of a game that - when done right - goes almost unnoticed by the player. When it is done incorrectly however, it can become a large point of frustration in the player. The goal of this study is to discover how to introduce a game mechanic that guides the player through the game's musical score. The research question asked was: "Based on player experiences, how should a non-diegetic musical guidance mechanic be introduced in a video game?" This study uses design science as a foundation and uses a survey to gain a broad overview of the general preferences given by participants. Two versions of a prototype were developed which was played by 11 participants who were then asked about their experience. In both versions, the player was tasked with finding the magic flutes scattered across a city by listening to the music. The flute was stereo panned to the left or right speaker, corresponding the direction of the flute in the game world. The versions contained two different methods of introduction and the participant was asked in a semi-structured interview afterwards whether they enjoyed the method they received. One version contained a detailed introduction that described how the guidance mechanic worked, the other version did not. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis to extract common themes in the answers given. The results were varied, but the majority said that they preferred to learn by themselves, without a detail introduction. This method let the player think for themselves and led to a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when figuring out what to do. For a game such as this where the objective is to somehow find something, they believed that it is better to not give the answer away too freely. Not many ethical concerns where found for this study, though the one that was found is important to acknowledge. Players with aural impairments cannot play this game the way it is intended, by listening to the musical score, since they have difficulties with sound. This is a flaw that should be studied and solved or mitigated in future studies.

Music is commonly applied in art and entertainment to enhance the emotional experience. In video-games and other non-linear mediums this task must be achieved dynamically at run-time, as the timeline of events is unknown in advance. Different techniques have been developed to solve this issue, but most commercial applications still rely on pre-rendered audio. In this study, I investigate using a Computer System for Expressive Music Performance (CSEMP) to dynamically shape a computer performance of a pre-composed track to a small platforming game. A prototype environment utilising the KTH Rule System was built and evaluated through semistructured interviews and observations with 7 participants. The results suggest that changes in the musical performance can successfully reflect smaller changes in the experience such as character movement, and are less effective for sound effects or more dramatic changes, such as when the player is engaging in combat or when the player loses. All participants preferred the interactive soundtrack over a non-interactive version of the same soundtrack. / Musik används ofta som ett komplement i konst och underhållning för att förstärka den känslomässiga upplevelse. I datorspel och andra icke-linjära medier måste musiken ta på sig denna rollen dynamiskt, eftersom det inte går att veta hur händelserna kommer utfalla sig i förväg. För att lösa detta problem har det utvecklats olika tekniker, men dom flesta är fortfarande baserade på digitala inspelningar. I denna studie utforskar jag användningen av ett "Computer Systen for Expressive Musig Performance" (CSEMP) för att dynamiskt forma datorns framträdande av en lineär komposition till ett enkelt plattformsspel. En prototyp baserat på systemet "KTH Rule System" utvecklades och utvärderades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och observationer med 7 deltagare. Resultaten visar att förändringar i uppspelningen lyckades spegla mindre förändringar i spelet, såsom hur en spelkaraktär rör sig, och var mindre effekt som ljudeffekter och för större förändringar, såsom när spelaren är i fara eller spelet är över. Alla deltagare föredrog det interaktiva ljudspåret över en icke-interaktiv version i det samma ljudspåret.

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Embasado no processo artístico, este estudo reflete e descreve a preparação dos arranjos e de um recital de músicas de videogames como repertório de concerto. Os referenciais teóricos são discussões a respeito da música nos videogames, tecnologias de áudio referentes, discussões sobre pesquisa artística, textos sobre performance e sobre o concerto como evento. Os documentos desenvolvidos pelo autor durante o processo são partituras de arranjos autorais, cartazes e logomarcas que desenhei. Hoje em dia, as músicas de videogames não mais estão restritas aos jogos, constituem um repertorio que vem sendo interpretado por orquestras e solistas em diversos lugares do mundo. De um ruído que pretendia ilustrar o som da batida de uma bolinha no jogo Pong (1972) aos materiais sinfônicos presentes nos jogos de hoje, podemos perceber uma história de evoluções tecnológicas, demandas de mercado, práticas interpretativas e a possibilidade de uma nova janela a ser aberta no campo de estudos da música. Neste trabalho, apresento o relato sobre as diferentes etapas para a preparação de um concerto com músicas de videogame, envolvendo a escolha do repertório, preparação dos arranjos, realização dos cartazes para divulgação e as decisões interpretativas. / Based on the artistic process, this research reflects and describes the preparation of arrangements and a recital of music from videogames as a concert repertoire. The theoretical references are discussions about music in videogames, related audio technologies, discussions about artistic research, texts about performance and about the concert as an event. The documents developed by the author during the process are scores of arrangements, posters and logos that I drew. Nowadays, video game music is no longer restricted to games, it is a repertoire that has been played by orchestras and soloists in different parts of the world. From a noise that was intended to illustrate the sound of the beating ball in the Pong (1972) game to the symphonic materials present in the games of today, we can perceive a history of technological evolutions, market demands, interpretive practices and the possibility of a new window to be open in the field of music studies. In this work, I present the report on the different stages for the preparation of a concert with video game music, involving the choice of repertoire, preparation of the arrangements, realization of posters for dissemination and interpretative decisions.

Embasado no processo artístico, este estudo reflete e descreve a preparação dos arranjos e de um recital de músicas de videogames como repertório de concerto. Os referenciais teóricos são discussões a respeito da música nos videogames, tecnologias de áudio referentes, discussões sobre pesquisa artística, textos sobre performance e sobre o concerto como evento. Os documentos desenvolvidos pelo autor durante o processo são partituras de arranjos autorais, cartazes e logomarcas que desenhei. Hoje em dia, as músicas de videogames não mais estão restritas aos jogos, constituem um repertorio que vem sendo interpretado por orquestras e solistas em diversos lugares do mundo. De um ruído que pretendia ilustrar o som da batida de uma bolinha no jogo Pong (1972) aos materiais sinfônicos presentes nos jogos de hoje, podemos perceber uma história de evoluções tecnológicas, demandas de mercado, práticas interpretativas e a possibilidade de uma nova janela a ser aberta no campo de estudos da música. Neste trabalho, apresento o relato sobre as diferentes etapas para a preparação de um concerto com músicas de videogame, envolvendo a escolha do repertório, preparação dos arranjos, realização dos cartazes para divulgação e as decisões interpretativas. / Based on the artistic process, this research reflects and describes the preparation of arrangements and a recital of music from videogames as a concert repertoire. The theoretical references are discussions about music in videogames, related audio technologies, discussions about artistic research, texts about performance and about the concert as an event. The documents developed by the author during the process are scores of arrangements, posters and logos that I drew. Nowadays, video game music is no longer restricted to games, it is a repertoire that has been played by orchestras and soloists in different parts of the world. From a noise that was intended to illustrate the sound of the beating ball in the Pong (1972) game to the symphonic materials present in the games of today, we can perceive a history of technological evolutions, market demands, interpretive practices and the possibility of a new window to be open in the field of music studies. In this work, I present the report on the different stages for the preparation of a concert with video game music, involving the choice of repertoire, preparation of the arrangements, realization of posters for dissemination and interpretative decisions.