Technological advancement in the digital age has given consumers access to a plethora of entertainment choices. Two industries that have evolved greatly as the internet has developed are music and gaming.
Music has become a part of our everyday lives, whether it’s tuning into the radio on the commute to work or blasting tunes through your headphones at the gym, music is an important aspect of our day. Now, digital music streaming has become a $19.3 billion dollar industry and is growing at a rate of 10 percent.
Similarly, gaming has become a top entertainment choice. There are games to suit all interests, from puzzles and strategy games to action, adventure and casino games. The casino game market is seeing high growth, see more detail here for online casino gaming options in Canada. The online gaming industry is now estimated to be worth more than $26 billion US dollars, with more than 1.3 billion people logging on to play worldwide.
There is in fact a very close relationship between music and gaming. Music is essential to games and is used for a variety of reasons, from evoking certain emotions in the player to telling a story and immersing players in the gaming experience. If you have ever played a game with the volume on mute, you will recognise how it can make you feel disconnected from the game and less involved in the narrative.
We explore further how music is connected to the gaming experience and the different way it is used by game developers to elevate the experiences that players have:
Music can be used in games as a narrative device
Music is a very important part of painting a picture of what is going on in a scene. Visual aspects are of course still very important, but music equally plays a role in helping the player to get a sense of what is going on and what could be able to happen. Similarly, voice actors may narrate a scene but sometimes words are not enough to convey true meaning without the accompaniment of musical sound.
An example of how when tense orchestral music begins to play in a seemingly calm scene, this can help to create feelings of trepidation and a rise state of unease before something surprising and scary happens in the story – such as a villain jumping out of the shadows.
Music composers and game writers must work together to get the details just right and evoke the right emotions and the right times in the game.
Music can encourage gamers to return to the game over and over again
Music is also known to greatly improve the replay value of a game. When a player really enjoys the soundtracks and music they hear while playing a game, they are more likely to want to come back and play again to experience the same positive feelings the music gave them the first time they played.
One example of a video game that does this well is the FIFA video game series, it often uses classic top of the charts tracks to evoke feelings of nostalgia and joy in its players. When a player hears that music in other settings, they are reminded of the game.
This illustrates just how effective music can be at creating certain emotional responses and game developers for the most successful games know how to utilise this to create highly popular, profitable game series.
Music helps to improve immersion in the game
Furthermore, music helps a player to get truly lost in a game and play less attention to the surroundings outside of their screen. Clever sound design can be used to reinforce the scene in the game and put the player in the shoes of the character they are playing as.
You know you have been well immersed in a game when a greater amount of time has passed than you expected, or you switch off the game and realise it is no longer light outside. Good music keeps you intrigued by the events of the game and focused on events as they unfold.
What can we expect in the future from music in gaming?
It is obvious that music and gaming will always have a strong connection and that games are reliant on music to enhance the experience and keep players coming back to enjoy more. As technology develops and evolves in future, new developments such as Artificial Intelligence will be better utilized.
AI could be used to create the sound element of the game and overlay the right soundtracks a key moment in the narrative. It could also be used to improve personalisation options with the opportunity to tailor the game’s music to suit the tastes of the specific player.
The post Music’s Relationship With Gaming appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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Music has become a part of our everyday lives, whether it’s tuning into the radio on the commute to work or blasting tunes through your headphones at the gym, music is an important aspect of our day. Now, digital music streaming has become a $19.3 billion dollar industry and is growing at a rate of 10 percent.
Similarly, gaming has become a top entertainment choice. There are games to suit all interests, from puzzles and strategy games to action, adventure and casino games. The casino game market is seeing high growth, see more detail here for online casino gaming options in Canada. The online gaming industry is now estimated to be worth more than $26 billion US dollars, with more than 1.3 billion people logging on to play worldwide.
There is in fact a very close relationship between music and gaming. Music is essential to games and is used for a variety of reasons, from evoking certain emotions in the player to telling a story and immersing players in the gaming experience. If you have ever played a game with the volume on mute, you will recognise how it can make you feel disconnected from the game and less involved in the narrative.
We explore further how music is connected to the gaming experience and the different way it is used by game developers to elevate the experiences that players have:
Music can be used in games as a narrative device
Music is a very important part of painting a picture of what is going on in a scene. Visual aspects are of course still very important, but music equally plays a role in helping the player to get a sense of what is going on and what could be able to happen. Similarly, voice actors may narrate a scene but sometimes words are not enough to convey true meaning without the accompaniment of musical sound.
An example of how when tense orchestral music begins to play in a seemingly calm scene, this can help to create feelings of trepidation and a rise state of unease before something surprising and scary happens in the story – such as a villain jumping out of the shadows.
Music composers and game writers must work together to get the details just right and evoke the right emotions and the right times in the game.
Music can encourage gamers to return to the game over and over again
Music is also known to greatly improve the replay value of a game. When a player really enjoys the soundtracks and music they hear while playing a game, they are more likely to want to come back and play again to experience the same positive feelings the music gave them the first time they played.
One example of a video game that does this well is the FIFA video game series, it often uses classic top of the charts tracks to evoke feelings of nostalgia and joy in its players. When a player hears that music in other settings, they are reminded of the game.
This illustrates just how effective music can be at creating certain emotional responses and game developers for the most successful games know how to utilise this to create highly popular, profitable game series.
Music helps to improve immersion in the game
Furthermore, music helps a player to get truly lost in a game and play less attention to the surroundings outside of their screen. Clever sound design can be used to reinforce the scene in the game and put the player in the shoes of the character they are playing as.
You know you have been well immersed in a game when a greater amount of time has passed than you expected, or you switch off the game and realise it is no longer light outside. Good music keeps you intrigued by the events of the game and focused on events as they unfold.
What can we expect in the future from music in gaming?
It is obvious that music and gaming will always have a strong connection and that games are reliant on music to enhance the experience and keep players coming back to enjoy more. As technology develops and evolves in future, new developments such as Artificial Intelligence will be better utilized.
AI could be used to create the sound element of the game and overlay the right soundtracks a key moment in the narrative. It could also be used to improve personalisation options with the opportunity to tailor the game’s music to suit the tastes of the specific player.
The post Music’s Relationship With Gaming appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
