Jazz is a distinct genre that is often overlooked when we think of music in video games.  For this episode, we uncover and dissect the world of jazz in video game music – from ‘live’ music to creating historical authenticity to establishing the genre of ‘film noire’ through its connection with jazz.  Each member looked […]

Game Music 101 – CFRC Podcast Network

And All That Jazz

Jazz is a distinct genre that is often overlooked when we think of music in video games.  For this episode, we uncover and dissect the world of jazz in video game music – from ‘live’ music to creating historical authenticity to establishing the genre of ‘film noire’ through its connection with jazz.  Each member looked Continue Reading

Women have been composing music for video games since their inception and yet their stories can often be forgotten amongst a male-dominated industry. Today’s episode looks to focus in on a selection of women who are behind the sound we hear in video games, both past and present. From Yoko Shimomura’s iconic Street Fighter II soundtrack to […]

Women Behind the Sound

Women have been composing music for video games since their inception and yet their stories can often be forgotten amongst a male-dominated industry. Today’s episode looks to focus in on a selection of women who are behind the sound we hear in video games, both past and present. From Yoko Shimomura’s iconic Street Fighter II soundtrack to the sound design by up-and-comer Em Halberstadt for the award-winning Night In The Woods, the Game Music team is looking at some of their favourite women, their influences, and the versatility of their talents. The team also poses the question, “What sort of social conditioning have these composers and designers experienced as women and have we experienced as listeners?”  Track Title Video Game Composer Calling From Heaven(Stage 6) Castlevania: Bloodlines  Michiru Yamane  Foretellers Case Kingdom Hearts 3 Yoko Shimomura Victoria’s Lab LittleBigPlanet 2 Soundtrack Winifred Phillips Prayer Castlevania: Symphony of the Night OST Michiru Yamane Left Bank Two LittleBigPlanet OST Winifred Phillips Deep Dive Kingdom Hearts Yoko Shimomura The Wilderness LittleBigPlanet Soundtrack Winifred Phillips Liberation Main Theme Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation Winifred Phillips Hikari (Instrumental) Kingdom Hearts Yoko Shimomura Ryu Stage Super Smash Bros. Ultimate SNES Yoko Shimomura Clear Breeze Skull Girls Michiru Yamane Pandora’s Box Continue Reading

Mental Health awareness has become a global topic of discussion – and the video game industry has been getting in on the conversation. In this episode, the research team explores the impact and role that music plays in video games recognized as part of the mental health conversation. From The Last of Us to Gris to Hellblade to Celeste, the Game Music […]

Mental Health in Video Games

Mental Health awareness has become a global topic of discussion – and the video game industry has been getting in on the conversation. In this episode, the research team explores the impact and role that music plays in video games recognized as part of the mental health conversation. From The Last of Us to Gris to Hellblade to Celeste, the Game Music 101 team looks to unpack the portrayal of mental health in these games and how – if at all – the music and sounds we hear bring us to a better understanding of this very important topic. Music Tracks:   Gustavo Santaolalla – Main Theme, The Last Of Us soundtrack David García Díaz, “Druth”, HellBlade: Senua’s Sacrifice soundtrack David Garcia/Andy LaPlegua, “Fight Theme”, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice soundtrack Berlinist, “Mae”, Gris soundtrack Berlinist, “Pt 1 + Pt 2”, Gris soundtrack Lena Raine, “My Dearest Friends”, Celeste soundtrack Lena Raine, “Spirit of Hospitality”, Celeste soundtrack Lena Raine, “First Steps”, Celeste soundtrack Berlinist, “In Your Hands”, Gris soundtrack David Garcia/Andy LaPlegua, “Dillion”, HellBlade: Senua’s Sacrifice soundtrack Gustavo Santaolalla, “All Gone (Seasons)”, The Last of Us soundtrack Toby “Radiation” Fox with FL Studio, “Megalovania”, Undertale soundtrack Lena Raine, “Resurrections”, Celeste soundtrack Berlinist, “Comparison”, Gris soundtrack Berlinist, “Perseverance”, Gris soundtrack David Continue Reading

From Stardew Valley to Animal Crossing to Harvest Moon, the game genre commonly known as the “Farming Sim” often features calm, relaxing music.  Farming Sims music often makes explicit reference to musical elements associated with rural environments, such as Country and Folk music styles, but also incorporate subtler elements rooted in the concept of the […]

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

From Stardew Valley to Animal Crossing to Harvest Moon, the game genre commonly known as the “Farming Sim” often features calm, relaxing music.  Farming Sims music often makes explicit reference to musical elements associated with rural environments, such as Country and Folk music styles, but also incorporate subtler elements rooted in the concept of the “pastoral”:  a trope with a surprisingly long musical history!  The podcast hosts will present their favourite examples of Farming Sim music, and will discuss how these songs are structured to keep the listener engaged – but not too engaged – and relaxed – but not too relaxed! Music Tracks: ·       “1AM” Animal Crossing New Leaf Music: (12:07-12:20) ·       “10AM” Animal Crossing New Leaf Music: (26:22-26:41) ·       “5PM” Animal Crossing Original GameCube Soundtrack: (11:54-12:07) ·       Goat Simulator “8-bit Super Happy Version”: (21:29-21:49) ·       Goat Simulator “Main Theme”: (2:38-3:05), (17:36-18:02), (26:57-27:21) ·       Deadmau5 “Petting Zoo”: (21:53-22:09) ·       Harvest Moon Back to Nature “Spring”: (6:47-7:11) ·       Harvest Moon “A Wonderful Life: Breeze”: (19:48-20:14) ·       Harvest Moon “Animal Parade: Summer”: (25:41-25:53) ·       Harvest Moon Back to Nature “Title Theme”: (5:01-5:21) ·       Harvest Moon Back to Nature “Town Theme”: (5:21-6:11), (25:55-26:18) ·       Harvest Moon “Dance”: (23:35-23:59) ·       Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony: (13:57-15:31) ·       Stardew Valley “Distant Banjo”: (23:27-23:33) ·       Stardew Valley “Fall”: (17:03-17:34) ·       Stardew Valley “Spring”: Continue Reading

This bonus episode focuses on composer Trevor Morris’s work on DragonAge: Inquisition.  Research assistants Brooke and Andrew tackle a variety of questions ranging from the controversy about switching composers mid-series, what harmonic factors distinguish the music, and how the music does (or does not) reflect Morris’s Canadian-ness. Music Tracks (all from DragonAge: Inquisition) ·       The […]

Episode 4: Identity in DragonAge: Inquisition

This bonus episode focuses on composer Trevor Morris’s work on DragonAge: Inquisition.  Research assistants Brooke and Andrew tackle a variety of questions ranging from the controversy about switching composers mid-series, what harmonic factors distinguish the music, and how the music does (or does not) reflect Morris’s Canadian-ness. Music Tracks (all from DragonAge: Inquisition) ·       The Lost Temple: 0:29-7:32 ·       Dragon Age Inquisition Theme: 7:37-10:50, 14:05-17:39 ·       Journey to Skyhold: 10:54-11:33 ·       Orlais Theme: 11:39-14:03 ·       In Hushed Whispers: 17:39-19:22, 20:54-23:48 ·       Aquatic Ambience: 19:22-20:54 ·       The Wrath of Heaven: 23:48-25:51 ·       Take Me Home 25:51-26:17

Video games often take influences from real-world cultures, sometimes to reflect particular eras and locations in historically-based games, but in other cases as a ‘shortcut’ for suggesting particular cultural norms.  From Nordic influences in Skyrim to Middle-Eastern instrumentation in Assassin’s Creed and The Legend of Zelda, this episode will present a number of examples.  The […]

Episode 3: “Geoculture”

Video games often take influences from real-world cultures, sometimes to reflect particular eras and locations in historically-based games, but in other cases as a ‘shortcut’ for suggesting particular cultural norms.  From Nordic influences in Skyrim to Middle-Eastern instrumentation in Assassin’s Creed and The Legend of Zelda, this episode will present a number of examples.  The podcasts hosts will discuss how such borrowing can give game designers a quick method to generate a rich game world, but how in the process cultural appropriation becomes a major issue. Musical examples: 1:58:  New Donk City, Super Mario Odyssey 2:31:  Main Theme, Battlefield 1  3:16:  City of Jerusalem, Assassin’s Creed 1 4:01:  Main Theme, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 4:46:  Woman’s Battalion of Death, Battlefield 1: In The Name of the Tsar DLC 5:30:  Cimbalom sample, Hammered Dulcimer Family, Tim Manning Music Magic (Bohak) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFaXcvHpJwU&list=PLfxFd1oEv69SNsbTPN4qBCbf0HMv26NRL&index=5 (1:50) 6:05:  Dean Shostak Plays Cristal Baschet, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVHzwdnYdEc 6:57:  Tibet: Tibetan Monks – Playing Long Horn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1_C3TLXRlI 9:18:  Tostarena Ruins, Super Mario Odyssey 10:37:  Polonaise, op. 53, Frederic Chopin 11:30:  Nocturne in E-Flat Major, op. 9 no. 2, Frederic Chopin 12:15:  Volvo Queen of the Night Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRnXONCj45Q 12:44:  Queen of the Night aria (“Der Hölle Rache Continue Reading

TFirst-person shooters often feature driving, pulsing music meant to propel the player onwards.  However, not all games evoking war follow this model!  In this podcast, the hosts will examine the music from games that evoke regret, grief, and sorrow in their attempt to create game worlds that more accurately depict the horrors of war and […]

The Human Side Of War

TFirst-person shooters often feature driving, pulsing music meant to propel the player onwards.  However, not all games evoking war follow this model!  In this podcast, the hosts will examine the music from games that evoke regret, grief, and sorrow in their attempt to create game worlds that more accurately depict the horrors of war and conflict.  The hosts will examine what musical elements, including harmony, key, and instrumentation, contribute to how we hear sadness in this music. Music Tracks: 6:25 “These Cold Days” – This War of Mine 7:42 “Round Victory Theme” – Battlefield 1 10:07 “Main Theme” – Papers, Please 10:56 “Death Theme” – Papers, Please 11:55 “Victory Theme” – Papers, Please 13:11 “Death Theme” – Papers, Please 15:26 “When the Night Comes” – This War of Mine 16:34 “Some Place We Call Home” – This War of Mine 18:07 “Markus’ Main Theme” – Detroit:  Become Human 19:35 “Libera Me” – Battlefield 1 20:22 & 20:41 “Dawn of a New Time” – Battlefield 1 23:21 “Markus’ Main Theme” – Detroit:  Become Human 24:30 “Connor’s Main Theme” – Detroit:  Become Human 25:49 “Flight of the Pigeon” – Battlefield 1 27:39 “New World Symphony: Largo” – Antonin Dvorak 29:44 & 30:15 Continue Reading

The first episode in our podcast series will present the four hosts – Stephanie Lind (project supervisor) and undergraduate research assistants Brooke, Andrew, and Kaitlin.  Stephanie will outline how video games, and more specifically their music, often reference stock concepts derived from TV, film, games, and other pop culture references – known as “tropes” in […]

Tropes and Topics

Video game music is more than just bleeps and bloops: players expect game music to significantly contribute to their immersion and enjoyment of the game experience. In this podcast, the Game Music at Queen’s research team discusses how music effectively communicates narrative and other elements of gameplay, featuring music from your favourite game series.

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Game Music 101 – CFRC Podcast Network

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