The Game Composer’s Blog

Why aren’t we taken seriously?

I can’t keep track of the number I’ve times I’ve seen articles like this one:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jul2008/gb2008078_807637.htm

I love the subtitle: “Some well-known movie and TV composers are now penning scores for video games, further evidence of the gaming industry’s continued growth”

Apparently, game music isn’t legit until the almighty film (and TV??!!) composers put their inspired pens to their score paper and bestow their genius on a game or two. There couldn’t possibly be talented people who would want to actually make a career specifically doing music for games. Video games are for kids, right? It’s well established that film (and TV??!!) is art, right? Video games? Well, Roger Ebert himself said video games aren’t art. So that’s that. Anyone foolish enough to go specifically into video game music is just wasting their time. They must not be good enough to make it in the big leagues… you know, film (and TV??!!).

This is ridiculous. Game music has challenges that require some serious dedication. Just because someone is good at creating a soundtrack for a film doesn’t mean he or she will be a good game composer. It’s an entirely different beast. You don’t know what the player is going to be seeing at any given moment. They are in control of the experience and you have to create music that fits well and enhances the experience wherever the player decides to go. The linearity of film and television is a piece of cake when compared to the chaos of a game. Actually, chaos isn’t the right word. There is structure. But you must approach it very differently. You must be in complete command of your music and be able to shape and mold it modularly. Film composers don’t develop this while working on films. Only by working on games do you learn this stuff.

So why would people think that bringing a film composer onto a game project is a good thing?

- For developers who think this, it seems to just be an inferiority complex. The game industry is still very young and hasn’t yet been legitimized as an art form. They get excited when someone from an established “art” world takes an interest. This isn’t just for the music, either. They also sometimes feel that way about writing and voice acting and maybe art to an extent.

-For the mainstream media, they still definitely see video games as kid’s stuff. Only when bigger names from old media start dabbling in games do they see games as possibly being more than a childish pastime.

But, in all honesty, I think the most important people, the gamers, are getting it. Some game specific composers have decent fan bases. Their fans eagerly await the next game to use their music. Also, more game soundtracks are starting to get released (at least here in the US… overseas, game soundtracks are already big business). The demand for game soundtracks is starting to be met, a very cool development.

So, why aren’t we taken seriously yet? It’s a problem that plagues the game industry as a whole right now. We’re still, in the eyes of old media and much of the older generation at least, a silly kid’s hobby. I know this will change as the industry continues to grow and evolve, but I still get a little queasy when I read an article like the one above. But, hey, what do they know really?

July 25, 2008 - Posted by thegamecomposer | Ponderings | film music, legitimacy, mainstream media