AA2 - Week 1 - Introduction to Game Audio
Sure I wasn't even born when it was created, but I still grew up playing Donkey Kong (1981). Although suffering from the polyphony issues that the limited arcade machine hardware caused, I'm sure at the time the sound played little part in the storyline driven experience. The main title screen has a monophonic theme song, which still manages to be catchy, and the start of each level has introductory music, which dies out as soon as the gameplay kicks in. The sound effects are dominated by the seemingly random 'boing' used for Mario's footsteps (or the 'b-boing' of Mario jumping), to the extent that not much else can be heard. Standing still allows other sounds to become apparent, including a distorted bass 'thump' used when Donkey Kong beats his chest. As this game was so early in the life of video games, it is not surprising that the audio is quite horrendous, however I don't remember ever getting annoyed with it when I was younger. Sound effects aside, the music was a very early sign that Nintendo could create catchy melodies. I cannot think of one Nintendo game that I have played that hasn't gotten me humming the tune. Ocarina melodies from The Legend of Zelda on N64 still haunt me to this day.
3 comments:
Interesting point re: sound & annoyance. My early "gaming" experience revolved around Amstrad CPC and the Atari 2600 and I also remember enjoying the sound for what it was. Even though I was aware of the computers limitations, I kind of enjoyed the novelty value of lo-fi synthesis... still do! It is the sound of a generation as they say.
Games certainly have come a long way very quickly. The latest generation is taking the first real steps into photo-realism, which is a far cry (no pun intended) from the colourful pixels of Donkey Kong. Sound is increasing in importance, too, with most game developers now spending copious amount of time and money on music and SFX. I think any synthesised sound will start to become dated soon, as captured sound becomes easier to process as technology gets quicker. One of the biggest recent steps would have to be context-sensitive orchestral soundtracks, which are controlled in a similar fashion to a DJ spinning compact discs. It's almost at the stage where the music has its own artificial intelligence!
I like the idea of music and AI being looked at further. I agree on the synthesised element, although I guess synthesised instrumentation (like specific pads) will still have their place, but not so much when it comes to explosions etc.... I guess games are being approached in a more filmic manner, which can only be a good thing.
Post a Comment