Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Musings: Are casinos the modern arcades?

So I'm on vacation now but still thinking and reading about game music. That means blogging via my iPhone in the middle of nowhere with no wifi!

Tonight we popped into a casino just outside Traverse City. I wouldn't have even thought of video slots as games, except that I watched an interview with George Sanger on YouTube a few months ago where he described writing music for slot machines. They mostly ring around a major triad as you play and go up the octave when you win.

I was thinking about the environment of the casino and comparing it to the arcades where I grew up. The way the arcade games used to call out is very similar to how the casino games sound-- ringing to get your attention and build excitement for the next player. Even though there are still arcades around-- A2 has PinBall Pete's-- they don't have the same excitement they used to as when I was a kid. I can't even imagine how they were in the late 70s and early 80s!

Can I write off playing at the casino as research?  Maybe a stretch....

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