Although I may be musically skilled, the internets tend to confuse me at times. As a result, it has taken me multiple months to figure out how to make the blog page on my site work correctly. But alas, it works now, and I’m excited. You may not be excited because you may not want to have anything to do with my thoughts. But if you feel that way, why are you still reading this? Huh?
Anyway, since this is my first blog post, I wanted to talk a bit about my philosophy of composing music for video games. And since they’re more fun to read (and since you will probably skim this anyway), I will write out my philosophy in the form of a top ten list.
Full MIDI score of Orchestral Adventure.
10. Play games.
How can you write good video game music if you don’t actually play them? While you should definitely play the huge AAA games (my favorites are MW2 and Halo 3), especially check out indie games, because they have some of the most creative music, such as in Alchemia.
9. Help with PR.
Tweet. Post on Reddit. Talk about it. Tell people about it. If your music is in a game, you should help the developers get the word out about their game. After all, it is in your best interest for people to know about your work as well. For example, “Hey guys, check out the awesome game Tilt to Live!!!!!!!!!1one”
8. Be approachable.
Everything you do should make you seem like a personable professional (even if you’re not). Tweet about your life. Blog about your musical endeavors. If you give off the vibe that you are non-personable or unprofessional, no one is going to want to work with you.
7. Admit shortcomings.
You can’t do everything (well, if you can, contact me – I’d like to work with you). Let’s say for example that you are commissioned to make a specific sound effect. You try and try but the developer just isn’t happy with it. Admit your shortcoming, don’t charge them for your failed attempt, and try harder next time.
6. Be as responsive as possible.
Don’t be one of those people who gets an email, thinks “Eh, I’ll respond later,” then forgets about it for days. Respond to emails immediately. Respond to Twitter mentions as well. And to comments on your posts. People hate waiting.
5. Be trustworthy.
I don’t care what the agreement is, just stick to it. If you agree that you’ll compose a song for $100 and it ends up taking more work than you thought, suck it up. It’s annoying and rude to ask for more money once a deal is made.
4. Be flexible and humble.
Being a video game music composer – especially over the internet – involves a lot of trial and error. Although developers try their best to relay what they want in a game’s music, the truth is that many of them know as much about music as I know about programming (zero). When a developer tells you to adjust your song, do your best to change it to their liking. They are usually the ones who know what’s best for their game, they just may not be able to explain it in terms a musician understands. And never charge them an extra fee. The way I see it, they are paying me for quality of the music, not quantity of time.
3. Be creative.
Don’t be that guy who always writes EPIC ORCHESTRAL SCORES. Be different. Gamers want to hear something new, fresh, and exciting. A great example of creativity in game music is in ilomilo.
2. Match the feel of the game.
One of the most important things about game music is that it is appropriate for the game. Do whatever you can to help fit the music into the world the developers have created. For example, when I was composing Tilt to Live’s Code Red Theme, I listened first to the original music in the game and tried my best to recreate the jazzy, surfer feel.
1. Make good music.
This may seem obvious, but way too many people (especially non-gamers) think of video game music as just that: “video game music.” It has been tainted by so much horrible music (I’m looking at you Mario Party) that sometimes people forget what it is all about. It should be treated like music in any other medium. Unless it is specifically called for in a project, video game music should never be dumbed down. Whatever you do, always strive to compose the best piece of music possible.