DT Session 03 - Music
Music Plays
Music(Classical Music Plays)... MUSIC!!! (Doom Soundtrack plays).
Music is one of the most powerful tools to create atmosphere and invoke emotions.
Games with their music playing and gameplay
Zelda, Minecraft, etc.
We get sucked into these worlds accompanied by a score. They breath a personality and mood into them. Couldn't mix Minecraft with the Doom Soundtrack, could we?
Let's start with the basics. Music is built on four main elements: rhythm, melody, harmony, and dynamics. Each one changes the tone and atmosphere of your game in its own way.
Music and emotion
- Music is very good at making us feel things. Different scales, chords and progressions tend to trigger specific feelings. For instance, a minor key might evoke sadness, while a major key can inspire happiness.
Music in Storytelling and World-Building
Practical Application: Creating Your Game Soundtrack
An interactive mini daw, where the player has a very simple melody tool, where they can place notes on a selected scale and change each note to play a major or minor or diminished chord
It's time to put theory into practice. You'll design a basic soundtrack for a game concept of your choice. Consider the game's genre, setting, characters, and story. Use the four elements to write pieces that fit the game.
That was only a first look at music in game design. Keep listening to lots of different music, and pay attention to what the soundtrack is doing the next time a game gives you goosebumps. Thanks for joining today!
If you want to learn more about music theory, check out the side quest on "Music in games", as well as some super usefull videos and resources linked below.