Music for video games
The first video games to include music were limited to a basic A type of texture where there is only one clear melody and an accompaniment that plays different notes and rhythms but is supporting the melody.. In the earliest games, sounds were limited to basic electronic sounds triggered by simple An electronic keyboard that allows the player to change the sound.. The length and quality of sounds included in games were limited by the tiny memory capacity of early computers.
Sound effects play a vital role in a game’s overall Music accompanying a range of media: film, TV, books, video games. . The classic game Space Invaders has only sound effects, each sound being a reaction to what happens in the game.
An extract of audio from the arcade game Space Invaders
As gaming technology developed, more memory space was available for bigger music files. The technology opened the door to new sounds that were less synthetic and more like naturally sounding instruments. Another technology, The selection of subjects included in a study., began to be used for the soundtrack of video games, which made it possible to include realistic sound effects and instrumental sounds too.
The game Hitman - produced in 2000 - featured the first fully-orchestrated soundtrack. The sound of a real string section creates an eerie The tonal quality or sound of an instrument that distinguishes it from others., coupled with a descending melodic pattern, leaving an ominous sense of tension.
Video game music is an now at a point when composers are favouring the sound of a live orchestra over synthesised technology. Composers have to be able to manipulate ideas to represent a wide range of emotions and locations that the player might find themselves in within a game. Themes, similar to a A short melody used to represent a specific character, object or emotion. that you might hear in films, are used countless times within a game to represent characters, specific locations, emotions and other core components of the game.