Perhaps you have started developing and designing your game, and are happy with the way it is coming along. The next stage is to think about the music for it. Are you thinking about creating the music for your game, yourself? If so, here are some thoughts on this to help you weigh up the pros and cons of going down this route...
Pros of creating your own game music
- This is a great way to keep the costs of your game down (since you won't be paying anyone else to create music for you)
- You will have complete control over the music for your game and the music creation process
- There will be no need to explain to anyone else what you are looking for, since you will be the one to do it and already know what you want
- You won’t need to wait or rely on anyone else to provide you with the music
- You have the opportunity to experiment with interesting sounds and to create a unique style of music for your game
- It can be a fun and creative process that can add to your game development experience and story
Cons of producing your own game music
- Although you may be the creator of your game and know-one else will know your game better than you – it doesn’t necessarily mean that you know exactly what type of music would be right for it.
- Creating great music takes time, creativity and skill. You may or may not have the time or natural musical inclinations to do this well. (See 5 Reasons to Invest in Great Game Music)
- Making good sounding game music also requires certain equipment which you may or may not have, or want to invest in
- If you work on the music for your game, it means that you will need to spend time away from other areas of your game development and game promotion
- It can be tricky to judge your own work
- If you are creating several games, you may want different types of music for each and you may or may not be in a position to do this yourself
- Working with someone else on the music for your game i.e. a composer, can bring a fresh perspective to your game music. The collaborative process can be fun and the resulting game music could be quite distinct and a real enhancement to your game. As a game music composer myself, obviously I would highly recommend considering taking this route if you can but ultimately the decision is up to you and you must decide what is right for you given your specific circumstances, what you're trying to do and what you have to do it with!
About the author: Ninichi is a freelance game music composer who enjoys working on a range of projects for games, film and other media. She is also the in-house composer for games company Quinton Studios.
If you would like to some custom music for your game or other project, feel free to contact her: ninichimusic@gmail.com to explore working together. Also see examples of her work on my game music and film music pages. You may also want to explore her royalty free music library available for licensing now.
Follow her @ninichimusic