Being video game artists, we often forget that visual part of the game is not the only one that makes the experience of interactive art. Games are a collaboration of programmers, animators, writers, composers, and unfortunately - marketers. Quite often, size-wise the largest part of the games files is actually sound files.
But of course, it wasn't always like this. If we go back to one of my first posts about game history and take a look at those proto-games, it is easy to notice that because they were pretty much experiments, they barely featured any sound. Only later, when game-specific arcade machines, consoles and computers started to appear, some simple synthesized audio was possible to be made. Themes from games such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros. are known even by people who never play games despite the fact that initially they were synthesized on the fly using simple audio chips. Initial tracks were often covered by musicians, and the result sometimes was quite successful. Even now, the legacy of those initial attempts can be heard in chip tune music. Some modern games try to emulate chip and midi tunes. Not a big fan personally, but can't overlook it.
Music in games as we know it has only started to appear about 25 years ago with the invention of optical media such as CD. Developers weren't limited to size of several floppy disks any more, so actual recorded tracks have become a new standard. Of course back then there were other problems with it, such as inability to stream several tracks at once, necessity to program new sound containers for each project. But by now pretty much any console and PC has the same playback capabilities as any recorded movie.
And this requires expertise of talented composers and sound designers. John Williams, who is a very accomplished composer, has written music for many different games, mainly developed after Star Wars licence. On the contrary, there are individuals, who compose primarily for games, such as Sam Hulick. Such soundtracks are quite often released on separate CDs as a part of collectors edition or as a limited purchase option. Some collaborations produced by relatively unknown authors can be amazing as well. I still listen to music from Space Rangers 2 and Heroes of Might and Magic IV simply because it's awesome.
Soundtracks aside, there are a lot of other sounds that are present in modern games - voices, ambient noises, interaction/UI sounds, etc. It takes a very competent team to make sure everything works flawlessly. Try to close your eyes while playing a game. You'll hear the footsteps, some background sounds, characters movements, NPCs. A very interesting topic, but I am not qualified to speculate much about it, unfortunately.
One thing I probably can mention, is the sound samples. Quite often developers find out that it is cheaper to purchase a library of pre-recorded samples. While it saves time, it can potentially create.. problems. For instance, while playing Sequence, I noticed that one of the tracks was awfully familiar. Apparently, the guy who made the track used the same sample bank as the one who made music for Space Rangers 2. This thing is more noticeable with noises and sounds. Some effects can sound almost identical across several unrelated games. It may not be the same initial sample, but just a similar solution to the problem that sound designers have come up with. Hard to tell. I've watched some videos explaining how certain signature sounds were designed in games, and apparently it is possible to change the initial sample beyond recognition. But still, due to the coconut effect final sounds have to fit into the players expectations.
In any case, without proper sounds even the best looking level can leave an unpleasant impression. Artists often forget it, and this kind of elitism can be devastating for the project.
But of course, it wasn't always like this. If we go back to one of my first posts about game history and take a look at those proto-games, it is easy to notice that because they were pretty much experiments, they barely featured any sound. Only later, when game-specific arcade machines, consoles and computers started to appear, some simple synthesized audio was possible to be made. Themes from games such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros. are known even by people who never play games despite the fact that initially they were synthesized on the fly using simple audio chips. Initial tracks were often covered by musicians, and the result sometimes was quite successful. Even now, the legacy of those initial attempts can be heard in chip tune music. Some modern games try to emulate chip and midi tunes. Not a big fan personally, but can't overlook it.
Music in games as we know it has only started to appear about 25 years ago with the invention of optical media such as CD. Developers weren't limited to size of several floppy disks any more, so actual recorded tracks have become a new standard. Of course back then there were other problems with it, such as inability to stream several tracks at once, necessity to program new sound containers for each project. But by now pretty much any console and PC has the same playback capabilities as any recorded movie.
And this requires expertise of talented composers and sound designers. John Williams, who is a very accomplished composer, has written music for many different games, mainly developed after Star Wars licence. On the contrary, there are individuals, who compose primarily for games, such as Sam Hulick. Such soundtracks are quite often released on separate CDs as a part of collectors edition or as a limited purchase option. Some collaborations produced by relatively unknown authors can be amazing as well. I still listen to music from Space Rangers 2 and Heroes of Might and Magic IV simply because it's awesome.Soundtracks aside, there are a lot of other sounds that are present in modern games - voices, ambient noises, interaction/UI sounds, etc. It takes a very competent team to make sure everything works flawlessly. Try to close your eyes while playing a game. You'll hear the footsteps, some background sounds, characters movements, NPCs. A very interesting topic, but I am not qualified to speculate much about it, unfortunately.
One thing I probably can mention, is the sound samples. Quite often developers find out that it is cheaper to purchase a library of pre-recorded samples. While it saves time, it can potentially create.. problems. For instance, while playing Sequence, I noticed that one of the tracks was awfully familiar. Apparently, the guy who made the track used the same sample bank as the one who made music for Space Rangers 2. This thing is more noticeable with noises and sounds. Some effects can sound almost identical across several unrelated games. It may not be the same initial sample, but just a similar solution to the problem that sound designers have come up with. Hard to tell. I've watched some videos explaining how certain signature sounds were designed in games, and apparently it is possible to change the initial sample beyond recognition. But still, due to the coconut effect final sounds have to fit into the players expectations.
In any case, without proper sounds even the best looking level can leave an unpleasant impression. Artists often forget it, and this kind of elitism can be devastating for the project.
No comments:
Post a Comment