Video game music is taking a beautiful turn for the best as we witness the implementation of procedural generation in the new game "Spore" which was released on September 4, 2008.
From the creators of the "Sims" comes a new evolutionary based single-player online game. I haven't gotten my hands on it yet (although I plan to) in order to write a review. The game, according to wiki, "allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its beginnings as a unicellular organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture." Here's a great interview with Spore's producer Thomas Vu.
Now, we have a unique circumstance here within the game that allows users to have millions of game play options at their disposal. How do you adapt audio to that kind of unpredictable spontaneity? Well, there is actually a very good answer to that question. Procedural generation.
Procedural generation essentially includes any form of media which is composed algorithmically or pragmatically. We see games employing this method through sound, image, character, surroundings, etc. outputing random compositions appropriate to the situation as they're randomly predetermined by the programmer. Whatever has chosen to include procedural generation as its means of construction, of course must have the ability to create thousands and thousands of possibilities, so that no two experiences create the same outcome. Headed by the infamous creator of "generative music," Brian Eno, we see Spore using this technique in their sound design. Here's an excerpt from a GameSetWatch article, "He [Brian Eno] was asked to do it, because the designers wanted sound that is just as procedural as the game itself, instead of the loops which are tied to certain stages or areas which we are used to experience in games."
Pure Data, a graphical programming environment, was used for these compositions. Script was written for different phases of the game complementing each players action in every situation, finally linking to Pd as external events. A great article on how Pd was used in Spore. It would be very interesting to see the patches the team wrote in order to create this generative technique and how they linked them to the game play. I haven't used Pure Data as a generative environment, but only for simple synchronous tasks like designing sounds, drum machines, samplers, etc. I'm now inspired to delve deeper into this technique of using procedural generation within music and implementing Pd as a means of doing so.
Websites. Those digital fountains of wealth and entertainment that we frequently find ourselves subjected to hours at a time. The pure fact that this concept (World Wide Web) exists is absolutely unbelievable. I can easily pop online, smack down a line of text and instantly search the vast universe of its music, reviews, opinions, news, tv shows, biographies, books, stores, blah blah, etc. With the Web's popularity being so massively outstanding, what is preventing most of its content from being displayed attractivly and professionally? Of course there are the amatuer exceptions, posting their sites for reasons "unknown," at least other than to provide valuable information... but I'm talking here about the professional web sites we intentionally search for, that cater, in our opinion, priceless information... and even more specifically, websites that provide content dedicated to the entertainment of sorts. Believe it or not, we encounter various web pages with the anticipation that we'll become self inspired or self motivated. Is it any wonder why it's such a let down when our experiences with certain sites are dull and/or dysfunctional?
Personally, I feel like websites have a very large amount of potential for artistic expression, not only visually but acoustically as well. Let's ignore that fact that businesses, clubs, schools, etc. have to throw up blunt facts about each one's particular organization and focus on the pure opportunity that's available for Web Art. Not only could this bring your creative work to the doorstep of every computer user in the world, but it allows for interactive art that once could only be implemented through an installation.
Sound Design. This idea of designing sound for the web could complement an aesthetically pleasing interactive canvas in very special ways. Mouse overs and clicks initiating mysterious short tones. Waves of ambiance could float through the background. Loops activating manipulated field recordings or processed speech. As we create what seems to be the most basic of ideas for implementing sound design into interactive web applications, our creative minds can explore the further possibilities of human-computer interaction in sound. A perfect example of great sound design within a web environment is GameZombie.tv's "Bloodmap." A great visual, yet even better sound design created by Chris Bates. Also, the famous sound designer, Richard Devine has an extraordinary website which really focuses on the sound you hear as you interact with his site. Visit his page and listen as you mouse over certain buttons and over various subtle things in the background. He has truly created a wonderful experience for the visiter, using sound as his driving force. We know audio deserves a larger role, let's give it the opportunity to flourish.
