game music
the upload file are the book we read this semester
For this assignment, students should adopt the case-study model used by many of the authors we will read this semester, and craft an argument about video game audio by using one specific game as an exemplar. These arguments can be rooted in music theory (that is, how the notes of a soundtrack or piece are put together), in musicology (how culture and history informs both soundtrack and game), or in technical implementation (how the ways the music is coded or otherwise implemented into the game informs the composition). One brief example for each of these cases:
Music theory: Triple meter (3/4 time) is used for underwater levels in Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World to create a sense of bobbing along with the waves.
Musicology: A performance of The Beggars Opera by John Gay during the introduction of Assassins Creed III helps situate the player in a very specific time and place (18th century London).
Technology: The Super Nintendo often uses timpani with more notes than standard orchestration allows because there are only eight channels available to represent the entire orchestra; as a result, timpani and string bass get conflated to a single instrument sound.
Essays should be at least 1,500 words and no more than 3,000 words in length.
