GDC 2007: Koji Kondo shares secret in his melodies |
Ó
In his hour-long speech over at the Games Developer Conference, Kondo revealed the three pillars that define his work and their final result. From Super Mario Bros. to Twilight Princess, he has been using these three components to create what he defines as effective game music. The three components are rhythm, balance and interactivity.For most games, music is an additional accompaniment to the game, either to set the game's mood or to bless games with a personality. Kondo believes that in order to make music effective to the game, it must conform to the "intrinsic rhythms" of the gameplay.
Now we all remember Super Mario Bros. Who doesn't? In fact, we know it so well, that we could even hear the level music for World 1-1 and Mario's jump sound effects in our minds. Did you notice how the jumping sound effects match the music? And notice the tempo of the music. Remember the speed at which Mario skirts the ground? It also seems appropriate. But perhaps the most interesting is when you're down to 99 seconds, when the game hikes up the music tempo to assert a feeling of urgency.
He believes the move to orchestra and symphony-like soundtracks creates an expanse between the player and the game. The conductor usually doesn't attach himself to the game on a personal level, forcing the game to adopt the personality of the music, rather than having the music adopt the personality of the game. If the composer can relate to the game by actually playing it, he can derive inspiration for pieces that will jive in rhythm to the game and the player.
Balance is the key to making music and sound effects blend with each other, rather than making one stand out from the other. Kondo's conditions for balance includes several types for his composition. He points out that instrument selection, sound pitch and volume, and positioning should all be carefully planned, so that sounds don't get "gobbled up" by ambience in the game.
He also iterates the need for music tracks to flow from one to the other seamlessly, as if the collection of music tracks was simply one whole track. Kondo always makes sure that he submits a collection of music tracks rather than just one at a time, to fulfill this need.
As for interactivity, music has to react to the game. Like in Super Mario Bros., if the player is running out of time, it changes tempo to tell the player, "Hurry up, slowpoke!" It goes further than just fading in battle music when an encounter begins in a game. Kondo demonstrated that the gameplay itself becomes more exciting when the music changes in real time to what's happening in the showdown.
Ultimately, he believes that music could also redefine the gameplay. Games could be played out in time to the music, and he's not referring to Dance Dance Revolution. The music should be able to reach out to players, just like the game's characters do, too.
Via 1Up
Contact Us:
The QJ.net Network |
 |
| Site | Feed |
| QJ.NET | RSS |
| Nintendo DS | RSS |
| PlayStation 3 | RSS |
| PSP Updates | RSS |
| Wii | RSS |
| Xbox 360 | RSS |
| MMORPG | RSS |
| Personal Computer Games | RSS |
| iPhone - iPod Touch | RSS |
| QJ.NET Forums | RSS |
Add QJ.NET
User Favorites - December
User Favorites - December
Categories
Archives
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
Comments [refresh]
this man is amazing, I still listen to the oot theme lmao