Creating an immersive gaming experience requires more than a riveting storyline and unique art style - it also requires a captivating soundtrack! That's why working with a professional composer is essential for any serious video game project.

Professional music composition can define a game.

Music for video games has come a long way over the past decades, and its influence on players runs a lot deeper than a little superficial ear candy.

As for many gamers, many of my favourite game experiences have been influenced by how much I have enjoyed the music.

Thinking of games like Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us or Journey, developed by ThatGameCompany, I find it hard to imagine them without the music of Gustavo Santaolalla or Austin Wintory, so integral a part of the game is the music.

Although both games are extraordinary, with innovative storytelling and iconic art style, a significant part of their brilliance is how the soundtrack supports and elevates the overall experience. In fact, their scores are a defining feature.

A video game composer's skill is creating tailored music that heightens the emotional impact of scenes. We understand how different harmonies, rhythms and melodies affect players, helping to build tension or elicit emotions such as fear, excitement, anticipation or joy.

Ultimately, a skilled composer can craft a soundtrack that serves not only the players’ needs in-game but can define the game itself.

Here’s a deeper dive into composing music for games.

Music tells stories where words cannot.

Music can tell parts of a story where dialogue alone may struggle.

Using music to tell stories is not new. We hear it used in film all the time, setting the time or place of a period drama or whisking us into the futuristic worlds of a sci-fi adventure.

Similarly, music can establish a game setting in subtle, nuanced ways where other devices may be too heavyhanded.

With a simple shift in harmony or the change of a melodic phrase, a composer can invoke feelings that enhance a player’s understanding of the video game story.

For example, the shift of harmony to a more ominous, dissonant sound can indicate the presence of danger, even before a player is aware of any threat.

A feeling of fear becomes heightened by the anticipation of a threat we cannot see, and music can elicit this feeling in ways other dramatic devices cannot.

Check out this video comparing game scenes both with and without music to see how the score influences perception.

Sophisticated soundtracks add new levels of immersion to the gameplay.

One of my favourite things to compose for video games is adaptive music. Composing music that can dynamically change to meet the shifts in gameplay is a unique feature of writing music for video games.

For players, adaptive music enhances their experience of the game too. For example, another standout game from ThatGameCompany, Flower, turns the gameplay mechanic into a means of generating changes in the music.

As players collect petals, new layers of music are triggered, along with melodic phrases and stingers that signify the restoration of significant areas of the world.

The effect is that the music not only serves to create the emotional tone of the game but also reinforces the gameplay encouraging interaction with the world and adding confirmation when completing objectives.

For a deeper dive into the world of adaptive game music, check out my latest development blog for Arctic Awakening, a narrative adventure game I am currently scoring developed by Goldfirre studios: The Sound Of Arctic Awakening: Adaptive Music In Video Games.

A good soundtrack helps make sure players remember your video game for years to come.

A game soundtrack can stay with players long after they have stopped playing. That connection can be powerful!

There have been many occasions where I have been drawn back to playing a favourite game because of the soundtrack. For example, recently, I heard a track from What Remains Of Edith Finch in my Spotify playlist and was immediately compelled to begin another playthrough of the game.

As a composer, I may be more susceptible to this phenomenon, and although anecdotal, I think it illustrates how an experienced professional composer can create music that leaves an indelible mark in the player's mind.

If you are developing new IP and want to discuss music for your videogame, please drop me a line. I’m always interested in collaborating on new creative projects.

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