Video Game Music Class: an overdue update.

It's been forever since I've updated what's been going on in class and today's time to catch up!

For the class I missed in early October while traveling to GameSoundCon, I asked my students to watch some of my videos (linked in the right sidebar) about Leitmotifs in Final Fantasy 7, idée fixe in Super Mario World, and musical form in Super Mario Bros and then answer some questions about what they saw.  The class is also a pilot trial of Canvas for UM, so I used that to administer the quizzes while I was away.  It worked pretty well, except that-- as least, at of my writing-- it's not possible to have an audio file be an answer in a multiple choice quiz question in Canvas.  The tech staff gave me a workaround, but it wasn't as streamlined and didn't allow the level of control I was hoping for.  For instance: I want to have the question: "which of these themes is NOT one of the Leitmotifs discussed in the video" where A, B, C, and D are audio files with a maximum of two plays each.  Seems basic to me, and I think language teachers would see advantages of this as well.  However, not possible.  The challenges of modern music teaching...

I tried out a new class on South Park: Stick of Truth that went very much in line with my blog entry about playing the game.  I'm thinking more strongly about the connection between my blogging and teaching this semester, and am seeing the powerful connection between the two.  Using my blog this way was a big moment for me because it was the first time that I realized my notes here are easy and convenient ways for me to construct lesson plans for game music class.  Most of the time, I've got links to the audio and all my notes on the game's audio are collected right here.  Super convenient for creating a lecture.  Now, even though I enjoyed creating the class, I'm not sure I'll do a SoT class again because the material is racy.  Teaching this course is always a balance between finding modern games and franchises that the students know while keeping the material appropriate for the classroom.

We had a photographer come to class to get some pictures for UM's biannual magazine, Muse.  (I'll throw the link up once it's out.)  VGM will be getting a little publicity in the Winter edition.  I asked several members of the class who have created games to show them during the class period so that we could hear and react to their audio.  Really an interesting exercise that's valuable for these game creators as they get feedback about their creations, and also for the students in class who have never made a game --and may never-- because they see their peers' creativity and the work that goes into it.  Really awesome discussions this day.  Also, note to self: brilliant toss to the students regarding the photo op.  It's always better to showcase them!

Last week, we covered music games (Parappa, Vib Ribbon, DDR, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Wii Music, etc) and "live" performance of game audio via YouTube.  This took the form of a "party" day where we watched a few videos of Smooth McGroove and other game music covers before seeing a chunk of a Video Games Live concert.  I baked cookies for them.  97 cookies for this class!  Also encouraged the students to dress up (as is the fashion with game music shows) and a couple of students wanted to take a picture with me afterward as we were all Zelda related.

This Tuesday I did an in-class tutorial about creating audio with GarageBand.  Not that GB is the greatest software, but it's prevalent, free, and user friendly.  Also, it's fairly common for students to have used GB either through their own experimentation or in a high school music class.  Experience tells me that some will use other software: Logic, Ableton, ProTools, and FL Studio come to mind as professional level tools some serious music lovers in class will learn/already know.  I've also had students work with an online chip tune music program, or a DS music maker and these work just fine too.  My point in asking the students to create game audio is in part to realize that game audio can be anything.  New theme songs for Pac-Man?  Great.  Beach Boys sound-a-like to avoid licensing fees for BioShock 7?  Awesome.  Get creative.

Tomorrow we'll have our last Skype conversation of the semester with Alexander Brandon.  It's awesome to talk with a game composer at the point when the students are thinking about their own projects.  I know the discussion will be great.  Really looking forward to it.

  

Playing Games: Wii Music

I checked out Wii Music from the UM Game Library today to give it a shot over the holiday.  I don't really play games where making music or playing along in time is the main thrust of the game.  I suppose it's largely because I'm already doing that most days at work, so why would I play it virtually on a game?  This is a genre of games I don't know very well, but plan to explore more this summer.  There are definitely some cool things about Wii Music, as well as some things that left me dissatisfied.

The first ten or fifteen minutes of gameplay are tutorials where the game teaches you how to play the different kinds of instruments.  Now, I don't know what this experience is like for most folks, but it took way too long and was very boring for me.  Also, super unrealistic.  The drums and the piano are played with the same motion-- and-- as a person who plays both, I can say: piano and drums aren't really played at all in the same way.  However, I do like the premise of playing the game and the instruments.

Realistic, fun touches: the look of panic on the handbell player's face when you screw up, the sweating and disappointment when you play in the park and no one stops and listens because you've played so poorly, the orchestra warming up/ audience murmuring before you bring up your hands to conduct.  The pitch perfect section is also a cool section-- not bad as a Mus Ed tool as it incorporates reading and some tricky ear training.  I don't know if it's always this way, but I had a ton of augmented and diminished chords to create and only a couple major chords.  The section where you figure out who's playing the wrong note is a great training idea for a conductor, but it's kind of hard to hear the difference between some of the instruments.  Perhaps that's the point, and maybe if I played more I'd be better, but I enjoyed this none-the-less.  I love the way that you can record your performances and then mix them together to create your own versions of songs and then share them with others.  That rocks.  The game definitely got something right there.  The references to classical pieces that are blatant and overt-- love it!  Oh, and the fact that you unlock video game music to play/conduct as you progress: Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda-- AWESOME!

Disappointing: the lessons simply take too long.  They could be simplified and quickened for a person who gets it quicker.  I understand most players don't have a doctorate in music, but I just couldn't even do those lessons-- I just gave up out of boredom.  Also, doesn't the conductor traditionally acknowledge the choir/orchestra before bowing him/herself?  I know they want the focus to be on you, the player, but with so many realistic touches, it's too bad that the end of the piece doesn't end with recognition of the players first.  Also, if I tried to conduct any of the pieces at the tempo they should've been, the orchestra skipped because the game seems to think they should be slower!  What?!  Carmen Overture, Vivaldi Four Seasons, even the Zelda Overworld Theme-- these aren't slow!  Hopefully, the playing and conducting motions will get more realistic with future.  I also don't want to watch my videos right after I play, and if there's a way to skip that, I'd love to know it.  Re-watching the videos was just a chance to tune out for me.

Cool game, glad I tried it out!

Surveying Literature: Game on! and Video Games Behind the Fun

Over the holiday, I watched two video game documentaries available through Netflix streaming services.  Neither, of course, had its focus as video game music, but both made points that were interesting to studying game audio.

History Channel's documentary Video Games: Behind the Fun

I hadn't thought about the increasing demand to have stars provide voices in video games.  Of course, when you play Star Trek: A Final Unity, you expect to hear Patrick Stewart as Picard, etc... but there's also a push to have stars from TV and movies provide audio as well as an expectation to hear certain voices that've become established in genres: for instance, Cain in Diablo III.

I think I've heard before that Space Invaders caused a coin shortage in Japan... and wondered, is this the modern equivalent of the game website crashing with so many users trying to play?  Also interesting to think about the arcades as having better graphics and sound-- and they did!  I still remember playing TMNT: The Arcade Game in the Putt-Putt arcade in my hometown; it was so much better than the NES version!

Watching this made me think again: how did the venue of gameplay affect the audio experience.  This topic warrants an entire blog, but the audio progression of listening venue was: Garages/Labs, Arcades, Home consoles, portable games, PCs, now consoles as entertainment units.  Arcades and portable games have an interesting quality for better or worse: fixed audio specifications.

CNBC's Documentary: Game On

This documentary drove home for me changes that have taken place in game audio development.  What one person was in charge of creating right at the end of the game experience has now become an entire audio team, each with specific development jobs.

I'm constantly bumping into popular songs about video games, in this documentary, I encountered Pac-Man Fever.  I'd be interested to try to make a list of as many of these popular songs about video games as I can find-- maybe there already is such a list?

Game On focuses a lot on the business and financial aspects of video games, often detailing units sold and profits.  For instance, the multimedia connections between the ET movie franchise and the game developed for Atari.

Finally, Game On introduced me to Wii Music, a game I didn't know but would like to check out.