Music is the cornerstone of the entertainment industry, especially for video games. No matter what story plays on the screen, a great soundtrack can change almost anything, which eventually testifies to its strength. This year's Game Developer Conference (GDC) is set to host the second year Developer concertWhere the raw power that the music has natural can be heard, felt and experienced first -hand.
Game Rant recently talked to a renowned composer of video game Austin Wintory (Abzu, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Banner Saga) The upcoming concert of GDC 2025 developer, about how he is preparing for the show and what inspires his own approach to the composition of music. During the interview, Wintors spoke of an emotional “cabinet” that automatically opened in hearing the music of video games that combines players with defining moments in their game history.
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Nostalgia is a mystery to Austin Wintory to emotional involvement at the GDC developer's concert
Music is one of the most important parts of the video game, although it is hard to see. In fact, it could be said that when the music of the game is more noticeable, it does not do its job. More than anything else, the music in the video game is to strengthen and support what is already happening on the screen, be it moving visual or convincing dialogue. As already mentioned, the removal of this music completely or even its change can not only change the overall tone of what is happening in the story of the video game, but can also potentially separate the emotions of the player from the moment.
In other words, the music is “baked”, as Widtory said, in a video game, rather than being the highlight of the game experience. When it goes well, music serves as a vehicle for the emotional attraction of the story and its ability to project feelings on the player. During our conversation with Wintors, we asked how it was about handing over this emotion to make music on video games vividly, unlike when it naturally feels when the story is told and is in hand that he replied to which he answered.
Well, I think you just have to believe that music is baked in it, be it these qualities. For example, I'm big Mass effect fanatical, so I play Mass effectAnd I just love his characters and a story. What happens that I will be without really trying and without realizing it, I store the emotions I get from the game, which includes those of music. So there is a little aspect of feedback.
This “feedback loop” is exactly what the performance does as a developer concert so effective. The emotional weight of the game is not only in her story, mechanics and characters. Instead, these emotions essentially associate with the music itself. When players hear the same melodies a few years later, more than memories of the game's memories, they experience emotions associated with these memories. Piece of music from Final Fantasy 7 It is not only a song at that time, but the emotional impact of Aerith's fate, respect inspiring the view of Midgar or the friendship that connects the cloud on his way. In this note, Wintora continued,
But let's say I'm really in love with a certain character or as if there was a scene that chases me in the way I play. It's almost as if music has become this storage locker where you give everything you give you a scene and experience, and insert music, so later, if you're at Spotify or at a concert, reopen this locker through music and all the memories and experiences that come. Potentially ten or twenty years after you played the game.
The idea of a storage cabinet, which is automatically reopened to hear known melodies, is deep, because it means that a concert as a concert of a developer is not just a passive listening experience, but almost time traveling. Unlike just watching the old cutscene on the video on YouTube, the digestion of a musical living game will place fans in the same emotional state in which they were first witnessed by the unfolding of cutscene. This is really the reason why remastered soundtracks, orchestral renditions and concerts have become such a popular part of game culture. Music is not just a reminder of the game, but a direct series of approach to the emotional experiences that players once had.
The fact that nostalgia is considered more than just a marketing instrument and instead as a bridge between now and there, a concert of developer Austin Wintory shows the lasting power of video game music. It is a kind of narrative that goes beyond the original game, keeps its world, characters and emotional heights and depths alive for decades. Fortunately, Widtory and GDC crew plan to continue to comply with the tradition of the developer concert for as long as they are capable, which means that other experiences are yet to come.
GDC
- Location
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San Francisco, California
- Data
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Annual
