Last year I was asked to take part in an interview series to inspire youngsters to explore what music can offer and to help them understand more about game music. One of the questions that was asked is to do with the ways that music is used in games. I thought that this could be an interesting area to explore together and to share here on my blog seeing as it seemed to be an interesting element to the programme, and so here are some of my thoughts…
There are many different ways that music is and can be used in games. The most common use is probably to set the mood and to set the tone for the overall game. Then an extension of this perhaps, is to use music for scene setting. Storytelling is also key in certain games and music will certainly play a key role in supporting the storyline, and then as part of this and/or separate to any particular story maybe emphasising key moments and using music to help to do that. In more general terms music is also there to keep you interested, engaged, entertained and to help you move through the game.
So, to look at each of these in a bit more detail:
1. Using music to set the mood in a game
Games are usually there to take you to a different world and to act as an escape from the real world. Therefore helping you to shift into the ‘zone’ is important and music really helps to do this. In some cases it may simply be about creating a relaxed and fun, uplifting environment. For example, ‘By the Seaside’…
The music is also about setting the right tone for your game, so here’s what I created for a very cutesy, cat game where they wanted it to feel feminine, fun and light-hearted:
In other games it could be about creating as sense of mystery, discovery and/or going into the unknown, and so the music would be there to support this idea and help capture that feeling.
For example, Queen of the Forest – is designed to set the tone for this fantasy game:
2. Making it clear you’re in a game
Some games will want you to know very clearly that you are in a game and one way of doing this is to use a fairly familiar retro-arcade style of music, which you may have heard if you ever played some of the old Super Mario games. This ‘gamey’ feeling and sound is often achieved via what’s called chiptune / 8-bit or 16-bit style music.
Sometimes this is used to match and support the pixelart used in games. For some people this gives you a nice sense of nostalgia and for others it simply helps to make it really obvious that you are in a game and hence all the associated feelings that go along with that such as fun, joy, entertainment – come together with that type of music and visuals.
This is Cavern, from Underworld Original Soundtrack
and here’s the mini-boss fight track from that same game:
Both are chiptune-inspired tracks and aim to give you that gamey feeling.
3. Setting the scene
This is similar to mood-setting except that in a game, often you’re in a certain place e.g. on a beach, in space, in a forest etc. and the music will be there to help capture the moods and feelings associated with those places. So the job of the music is to help you feel like you’re there.
For example, this is the main theme tune for a post apocalyptic game:
And here is another track called ‘The Dark Galaxy’ which is meant to be mysterious and help create a sense of wonder and exploration alongside a hint of danger…
4. Supporting the story
For certain types of games storytelling is really important. Sometimes it’s there to offer context for the rest of the game, and other times the stories and characters are what make up the bulk of the game.
Here’s a simple introductory track I created for a cute game called Vito Jump ‘n’ Roll. The music follows some animation and narration at the start of the game which is key to setting the context for the rest of the game.
Vito, the main character has a dog he loves and who he’s hanging out with initially but then a big bad man comes along and kidnaps the dog. Vito must then go on a hunt to find his dog again and thus his adventures through the game begin.
Role-playing games and visual novel games also rely quite heavily on music to support the storylines and the characters. Often each character will have it’s own dedicated theme tune which will play as they appear in the game and that may also evolve with them. Here’s ‘Fang’, a theme tune for a chinese-inspired character that is half dragon, half lion…
5. Emphasising key moments in a game
Another great use of music is to help emphasise a key moment in a game or when reaching a particular level in the game. For example, boss fights usually have quite exciting music created specifically for those moments. These are usually designed to create a sense of intensity, urgency and danger.
Black Knight – this is the big boss fight in an upcoming game called Underworld.
If compared to a track from earlier in the game for a more exploratory level, you will definitely notice a difference. This ‘Cavern’ track is much calmer than the Black Knight track!
6. Keeping you generally interested
One of the roles of music in a game is to generally keep the player interested. This means, the music needs to prevent boredom, encourage engagement, keep the player in the right mood and frame of mind to continue playing the game and all that comes with that.
Some sections in a game may not necessarily have that much going on but are necessary – for example, the menu options area, credit section, some games have a map area and so on. In these places, the music can help to keep the sense of flow going and just keep things moving along.
Check out the relaxed track created for Shakey’s Escape (a cat game) menu options.
So it’s nothing majorly dramatic but keeps in line with the rest of the soundtrack, keeps the player relaxed and hopefully still in the ‘zone’ for playing the game.
So there you have it! 6 different and varied ways that music can be harnessed and used in games. If used wisely, music can play an incredibly important and influential role in making a game really stand out. I hope that these ideas and examples have been helpful. Feel free to explore more game music on my site and to contact me if you need help with the soundtrack to your game. I’d be delighted to help and to explore working with you!
Another article you may find interesting: Why it’s useful to think about music early in game development.
About the author:
Ninichi is a freelance indie game and film music composer based in the UK. She composes music in a wide variety of styles and enjoys getting involved in new projects. To explore working with her, please contact her and/or visit her homepage now and explore her music here: game music, film music, jingles, and music for corporates.
