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Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design [Hardcover]

Karen Collins (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 9 Sep 2008

A distinguishing feature of video games is their interactivity, and sound plays an important role in this: a player's actions can trigger dialogue, sound effects, ambient sound, and music. And yet game sound has been neglected in the growing literature on game studies. This book fills that gap, introducing readers to the many complex aspects of game audio, from its development in early games to theoretical discussions of immersion and realism. In Game Sound, Karen Collins draws on a range of sources--including composers, sound designers, voice-over actors and other industry professionals, Internet articles, fan sites, industry conferences, magazines, patent documents, and, of course, the games themselves--to offer a broad overview of the history, theory, and production practice of video game audio. Game Sound has two underlying themes: how and why games are different from or similar to film or other linear audiovisual media; and technology and the constraints it has placed on the production of game audio. Collins focuses first on the historical development of game audio, from penny arcades through the rise of home games and the recent rapid developments in the industry. She then examines the production process for a contemporary game at a large game company, discussing the roles of composers, sound designers, voice talent, and audio programmers; considers the growing presence of licensed intellectual property (particularly popular music and films) in games; and explores the function of audio in games in theoretical terms. Finally, she discusses the difficulties posed by nonlinearity and interactivity for the composer of game music.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } A distinguishing feature of video games is their interactivity, and sound plays an important role in this: a player's actions can trigger dialogue, sound effects, ambient sound, and music. And yet game sound has been neglected in the growing literature on game studies. This book fills that gap, introducing readers to the many complex aspects of game audio, from its development in early games to theoretical discussions of immersion and realism. In Game Sound, Karen Collins draws on a range of sources--including composers, sound designers, voice-over actors and other industry professionals, Internet articles, fan sites, industry conferences, magazines, patent documents, and, of course, the games themselves--to offer a broad overview of the history, theory, and production practice of video game audio. Game Sound has two underlying themes: how and why games are different from or similar to film or other linear audiovisual media; and technology and the constraints it has placed on the production of game audio. Collins focuses first on the historical development of game audio, from penny arcades through the rise of home games and the recent rapid developments in the industry. She then examines the production process for a contemporary game at a large game company, discussing the roles of composers, sound designers, voice talent, and audio programmers; considers the growing presence of licensed intellectual property (particularly popular music and films) in games; and explores the function of audio in games in theoretical terms. Finally, she discusses the difficulties posed by nonlinearity and interactivity for the composer of game music.

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Product details

Hardcover: 216 pages
Publisher: MIT Press (9 Sep 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 026203378X
ISBN-13: 978-0262033787
Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 1.1 x 22.9 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 344,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Books > Computers & Internet > PC & Video Games > Hardware
- #5 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Music > History of Music
- #18 in Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Programming > Games Programming > New to Games Programming

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Review

"Collins has written a truly encyclopedic work that wonderfully complements books on sound design in film, helping anyone in the audiovisual industry who desires to expand more confidently into teaching, designing, and producing audio in the gaming world. This book provides fascinating insights about how game audio can enhance player involvement in story, environment, and character, with specific examples on creating a more immersive, interactive experience. A monumental contribution!"--David Sonnenschein, author Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema "Game Audio may sound to the uninitiated to be a frivolous pursuit, but it is neither simple or trivial. Game Sound shows that this art/craft/business has an elegance and a freshly blossoming history that allow it to stand with dignity and legitimacy alongside any other human endeavor worthy of academic attention."--The Fat Man, George Alistair Sanger, Legendary Game Audio Guru -- George Sanger "Game Audio may sound to the uninitiated to be a frivolous pursuit, but it is neither simple nor trivial. Game Sound shows that this art/craft/business has an elegance and a freshly blossoming history that allow it to stand with dignity and legitimacy alongside any other human endeavor worthy of academic attention." The Fat Man , George Alistair Sanger , Legendary Game Audio Guru

About the Author

Karen Collins is Canada Research Chair in Interactive Audio at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design (MIT Press).

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3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough Theory or Practice, a little too much History. 19 Feb 2012

By KartoonHead

Format:Hardcover

The quality of the writing and printing is great, but whether or not the content actually reflects the title is questionable. The majority of the book is taken up by history and technical information on how video games of the 70s-90s actually worked. That's all great fun to read, but if you want to learn about sound design for modern video games that's a whole lot of wasted reading time. Spends a little too much time bogged down in the artistic considerations of sound design and not enough time talking about the actual practice of how you go about implementing these ideas. If you're eager to learn how to get sound into a game I'd look for a book written for a specific gaming engine and branch out from there.

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Huge source of Information 21 Feb 2009

By J. Padasian

Format:Hardcover

Collins has done a great job of sourcing a vast amount of information on game sound a fairly new category of study and presented it in an easy to read book.

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Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars 1 review

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This First 25 July 2010

By Stephen Harwood Jr - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Excellent writing. Very thorough research and insightful discussion. This book is appropriate to working game audio professionals and students alike. Also, if you are a game designer/producer and want to understand more about how to best leverage the power of music and sound design to improve the quality of your product - or are interested in learning more about how your audio contractors think, and how to communicate with them more effectively - insert quarter, press start, and prepare yourself for a powerful learning experience!

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