Creating the Musical Identity and Style of Your Game

In this 2017 GDC talk, composer Penka Kouneva discusses how developers can successfully present their vision and articulate their musical needs to composers, and how composers can interpret and execute the ideas presented by their collaborators.
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[@jasondclark]

Very good discussion on how to collaborate with a composer, but not as much about the process of creating musical identity. Still valuable though.

[@lauriejmusic]

that was the whole point - work with the developers to find the musical identity

[@jasondclark]

@@lauriejmusic I agree that this was the point as it was presented in the video, but not in the title. As I said, I still enjoyed it even though I came to see 'how to create a musical identity and style for my game'.

[@lauriejmusic]

@@jasondclark firstly, the title is correct even if, as i've already pointed out, it addresses it indirectly. most importantly though, a GDC talk isn't going to give you your musical identity - that is something personal and intangible that only you can develop with the help of others. as she says in the video, work with other creators, and listen to others' soundtracks.

[@jasondclark]

@@lauriejmusic And if she went over elements of the game that I would want to focus on and what elements of music could help me determine if I wanted deep base versus choral notes, or if I would want to focus on one style over another for a particular ambiance, then I would agree. What she went over was how to tell her the feelings I have and she would create the musical identity for my game. As I've pointed out twice. The title is: "Creating the Musical Identity and Style of Your Game", not "Communicating to someone else so they can create the Musical Identity and Style of Your Game". Not really sure how you can find a point to argue here but if you insist on picking taking this as some personal attack and want to fight over it, go right ahead.

[@lauriejmusic]

@@jasondclark i mean yeah it's just pedantry from both of us at this point, but your first comment was semantics so that's what i've been criticising. just thought i'd defend a talk that contained useful info and examples from the likes of you. the reality of determining the musical elements to use for the game is that there is no formula. unless you want a musical identity that is entirely based on the status quo which isn't much of an identity at all (see the mass of film composers copying Zimmer's Inception style between 2010-2015). you can't watch a talk and be like "oh ok my shooting game has to have brasses in the lower register"

[@kriskropd]

I'd like to hear Ron give a talk about mixing music for games.

[@Lunareon]

We quickly forget details, but remember exactly how we felt when something happened, even after a lot of time has passed. In that way, emotions play a key role in memorability. Music (and the overall sound environment) is a very powerful tool in evoking different emotions, so it really does pay to invest in it, if you want to make something that will be remembered. A good, carefully crafted game soundtrack is able to evoke emotions and tell a story, even when listened to independently.
That said, game soundtracks in particular are my favourite type of music to listen to, when I want to get into a specific mood while working on something. They can be a great source of inspiration! I listen to soundtracks of games I have not even played, too, and sometimes a great soundtrack helps me discover new games I will enjoy playing. :)

[@x1101126]

Amazing, I love that Gemini 8 piece very much. It makes me goosebumps when I hear it.

[@dougdug]

Very interesting question at 24:00 , non-musicians (you should learn an instrument) won't know that we actually use these terms ALL THE TIME because it's really hard to describe and performers will want to have these thoughts in mind for more expressive music. For example something slow can sound "sluggish" or maybe tense. You can tell by her emphasis on quotes from these past collaborations. There's no excuse in my opinion to not dip your feet in music, but you don't need to know the inside baseball in order to get exactly what you want from good composers. Less experienced composers might not yet have the pallet to satisfy your needs so you must be musically observant OR hire people with experience in your genre/theme.

[@gothicdragonwarriorqueen5819]

Very interesting!!!😊❤👍

[@YOUCANTDOTHATONTELEVISION]

Song at 13:07 kind of has a bit of Oblivion the film soundtrack vibe to it. I loved that soundtrack

[@Baamthe25th]

it's true music is important. Would Mass Effect be Mass effect without that music when you travel space ? Or would I have such memories of Civ IV without Baba Yetu ?

[@mattolstein2999]

That spacey galaxy map music will forever give me the good chills

[@h3ritic]

The first composition was perfect for the game. They made a mistake in changing it

[@raedius_music]

She seemed to write exactly what they didn't want if you ask me.. the second score was more aliens for sure but still soaring melodies dramatic chord changes and fantasy strings ... Just less war drums... She is talented no doubt but I feel like she has a stubborn style if that's the difference between the first score and the second.

[@RetzyWilliams]

I’m sorry ...that song starting at 19:25 is a rip-off of the Avengers theme song ....give me a break