Adaptive music as a narrative device in video games
Heino, Olli (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202305098572
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202305098572
Tiivistelmä
As technology and game development has progressed, video games have in many ways started to resemble interactive movies. While many of the functions of music in video games are akin to film music and other visual media, video games stand out as being a non-linear medium. As such, composing music for video games requires a fundamentally different approach in design.
Narrative-rich video games often mix cinematic cutscenes and gameplay. While cinematic cutscenes unfold linearly, the player’s actions during gameplay are impossible to predict. For the music to fulfill its roles and functions, it will have to adapt to the player’s actions and the events of the game.
The purpose of this thesis was to delve deeper into adaptive music in video games and research its possibilities of supporting the narrative. This was partly done through case studies aimed at several story-rich video games. The research focused on analyzing the music design and relevant techniques used in these games.
The thesis is a good starting point for those who are interested in writing adaptive music, as it covers the process of design, composition, and production of such material. These processes were tested in the practical part of the thesis which resulted in an adaptive music implementation using Audiokinetic’s audio middleware Wwise.
Narrative-rich video games often mix cinematic cutscenes and gameplay. While cinematic cutscenes unfold linearly, the player’s actions during gameplay are impossible to predict. For the music to fulfill its roles and functions, it will have to adapt to the player’s actions and the events of the game.
The purpose of this thesis was to delve deeper into adaptive music in video games and research its possibilities of supporting the narrative. This was partly done through case studies aimed at several story-rich video games. The research focused on analyzing the music design and relevant techniques used in these games.
The thesis is a good starting point for those who are interested in writing adaptive music, as it covers the process of design, composition, and production of such material. These processes were tested in the practical part of the thesis which resulted in an adaptive music implementation using Audiokinetic’s audio middleware Wwise.