There are several elements to be had when it comes to game design, music being amongst the most important. In fact, I am sure that many students, in this field, can tell you all about how this element is so commonplace in this day and age. With that said, there is still the idea of why, exactly, music is so necessary for this type of work to be fulfilled. For those who are hungry for knowledge, as far as art is concerned, here are a few points to make note of.
To start off, music helps to captivate a gamer's attention at the onset. It could be done in a few ways, one of them being the excitement factor that comes from racing titles like "Need for Speed." However, soundtracks can just as easily instill feelings of dread in players, provided that's the design. After all, titles such as "The Evil Within" show that you do not necessarily need a catchy soundtrack but rather ambiance that can make an experience greater.
Of course, if we're talking about actual music, it should be crafted in such a way that it doesn't annoy the player after a while. Most games, in this day and age, can last for hours and you're not going to want to hear the same repetitive loop without a break. For this reason, it's important to create audio that doesn't drone on players. You may wonder how this can be done but there are a few examples of composers who have done this rather well.
Koji Kondo, in my view, stands as one of the most effective video game composers of all time. One of the reasons for this was his ability to create soundtracks that did not annoy the player. When he created a song, be it for "The Legend of Zelda" or another game entirely, he wanted to do so with the idea that players would not tune out. The fact that he would listen to his creations for an hour, to see if they started to grate on his nerves or not, showed just how vital music in game design truly is.
If you want to talk about the most essential elements of game design, no one can overlook music. Not only is this able to bring life to the most pulse-pounding soundtracks, but it's easy to see that music can set just about any scene that can be imagined. Audio is necessary, to say the least, but it must be created with a sense of quality intact. Once this is done, it's easy to see that one's efforts in game design will turn out to be that much greater.
To start off, music helps to captivate a gamer's attention at the onset. It could be done in a few ways, one of them being the excitement factor that comes from racing titles like "Need for Speed." However, soundtracks can just as easily instill feelings of dread in players, provided that's the design. After all, titles such as "The Evil Within" show that you do not necessarily need a catchy soundtrack but rather ambiance that can make an experience greater.
Of course, if we're talking about actual music, it should be crafted in such a way that it doesn't annoy the player after a while. Most games, in this day and age, can last for hours and you're not going to want to hear the same repetitive loop without a break. For this reason, it's important to create audio that doesn't drone on players. You may wonder how this can be done but there are a few examples of composers who have done this rather well.
Koji Kondo, in my view, stands as one of the most effective video game composers of all time. One of the reasons for this was his ability to create soundtracks that did not annoy the player. When he created a song, be it for "The Legend of Zelda" or another game entirely, he wanted to do so with the idea that players would not tune out. The fact that he would listen to his creations for an hour, to see if they started to grate on his nerves or not, showed just how vital music in game design truly is.
If you want to talk about the most essential elements of game design, no one can overlook music. Not only is this able to bring life to the most pulse-pounding soundtracks, but it's easy to see that music can set just about any scene that can be imagined. Audio is necessary, to say the least, but it must be created with a sense of quality intact. Once this is done, it's easy to see that one's efforts in game design will turn out to be that much greater.
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