Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An examination of the many complex aspects of game audio, from the perspectives of both sound design and music composition.

A distinguishing feature of video games is their interactivity, and sound plays an important role in this: a player's actions can trigger dialogue, sound effects, ambient sound, and music. And yet game sound has been neglected in the growing literature on game studies. This book fills that gap, introducing readers to the many complex aspects of game audio, from its development in early games to theoretical discussions of immersion and realism. In Game Sound , Karen Collins draws on a range of sources--including composers, sound designers, voice-over actors and other industry professionals, Internet articles, fan sites, industry conferences, magazines, patent documents, and, of course, the games themselves--to offer a broad overview of the history, theory, and production practice of video game audio. Game Sound has two underlying themes: how and why games are different from or similar to film or other linear audiovisual media; and technology and the constraints it has placed on the production of game audio. Collins focuses first on the historical development of game audio, from penny arcades through the rise of home games and the recent rapid developments in the industry. She then examines the production process for a contemporary game at a large game company, discussing the roles of composers, sound designers, voice talent, and audio programmers; considers the growing presence of licensed intellectual property (particularly popular music and films) in games; and explores the function of audio in games in theoretical terms. Finally, she discusses the difficulties posed by nonlinearity and interactivity for the composer of game music.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. ix)
• 1 Introduction (p. 1)
• Games Are Not Films! But . . . (p. 5)
• 2 Push Start Button: The Rise of Video Games (p. 7)
• Invaders in Our Homes: The Birth of Home Consoles (p. 20)
• "Well It Needs Sound": The Birth of Personal Computers (p. 28)
• Conclusion (p. 34)
• 3 Insert Quarter to Continue: 16-Bit and the Death of the Arcade (p. 37)
• Nintendo and Sega: The Home Console Wars (p. 39)
• Personal Computers Get Musical (p. 48)
• MIDI and the Creation of iMUSE (p. 51)
• Amiga and the MOD Format (p. 57)
• Conclusion (p. 59)
• 4 Press Reset: Video Game Music Comes of Age (p. 63)
• Home Console Audio Matures (p. 68)
• Other Platforms: Rhythm-Action, Handhelds, and Online Games (p. 73)
• Conclusion (p. 81)
• 5 Game Audio Today: Technology, Process, and Aesthetic (p. 85)
• The Process of Taking a Game to Market (p. 86)
• The Audio Production Process (p. 88)
• The Pre-Production Stage (p. 89)
• The Production Stage (p. 95)
• The Post-Production Stage (p. 102)
• Conclusion (p. 105)
• 6 Synergy in Game Audio: Film, Popular Music, and Intellectual Property (p. 107)
• Popular Music and Video Games (p. 111)
• The Impact of Popular Music on Games, and of Games on Popular Music (p. 117)
• Conclusion (p. 121)
• 7 Gameplay, Genre, and the Functions of Game Audio (p. 123)
• Degrees of Player Interactivity in Dynamic Audio (p. 125)
• The Functions of Game Audio (p. 127)
• Immersion and the Construction of the "Real" (p. 133)
• Conclusion (p. 136)
• 8 Compositional Approaches to Dynamic Game Music (p. 139)
• Nonlinearity in Games (p. 142)
• Ten Approaches to Variability in Game Music (p. 147)
• Conclusion (p. 164)
• 9 Conclusion (p. 167)
• Notes (p. 173)
• Glossary (p. 183)
• References (p. 189)
• Index (p. 197)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Game Sound is a fascinating work for music majors or general audiences with a significant music education background. It is one of the first books on the market that systematically discusses video game audio and music at a more advanced level. In nine chapters, Collins (Canadian Centre of Arts and Technology, Univ. of Waterloo) very skillfully discusses the history of video games, game production, and development technology as a background for a high-level discussion on music and audio production. As a piano player, this reviewer recommends this book for everybody interested in music and audio for games. Since some chapters focus on game design and do not require musical education, this work will be a valuable secondary resource for game audio development courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. J. Brzezinski DePaul University