Games vs. Film vs. Web Video

What part does music play in the world of emotion? When does music and sound capture us, reel us in without permission? Besides solely concentrating on music alone, film (when using music and/or sound) is something we encounter which creates for us an atmosphere in which the experiences on the screen result in an emotional tornado. Our response to the screen is augmented when music and sound effects are applied. They are there to direct us, lead us to particular reactions, it's all preplanned.

Why don't video games come to mind as mediums evoking such special experiences? Of course one large reason is that current consoles are now able to support sampling rates equivalent to those that are being producing in film. We can thank the now wide and cheap accessibility of RAM for this. These nastily low sample rates were giving game music that old school 4-bit theme we all know and love, kind of. Of course this was the worst case scenario and samples rates have been getting increasingly better up to this point. You can now power up Halo 3 and listen to a beautifully orchestrated score that is as high of quality as the music in film.

So we have music and sound in our video games with quality that is equally as crisp and stunning as our standard film production. It's certainly not that the composers or sound designers for these games are less talented is it? No, it's just different. It's much harder. The art of applying music/sound to video games requires a completely different approach than that of designing audio for film. The key lies in the essence of the experience. I believe the point of disaster for sound designers and composers hides in realizing this challenge.

The approach...

Film is presented in a narrative linear fashion, while games, also being very narrative, are interactive and provide opportunities for the player to create sort of his own unique experience as he/she picks and chooses from some of the many options that are available to him/her during game play. Sound designers have to complement this quick and spontaneous change. How do we adapt the user's sonic environment appropriately to suit these nonlinear experiences? Music and sound is not something to be taken lightly. Elaboration: later posts.

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Back to sampling rates.
Additionally...conceptually, this allows our sound in Web Video to be, without excuse, at least 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, minimum. Sound artists need to be just as involved in Web 2.0 as they are in any other field of entertainment. It's a young field, yet profitable and flourishing. When creating a primarily visual piece of entertainment on the internet, such as "webisodes," news shows, games, etc., a sound designer should be involved from the very beginning. Give that person time to create beautiful sound and/or music that complements the user's experience perfectly. Even with web video we need to evoke pleasant emotions and make our productions "sticky." Who says audio doesn't play a humongous factor, whether consciously or subconsciously, in creating that mysterious formula for getting an audience to come back and watch your productions? I for one strongly agree with the opinion that it does play a large role... and this is primarily what we will be discussing further and elaborating on throughout this blog.