Isolating Game Elements: Listen to the Music

Unless a game is all about music and has music as protagonist - like Guitar Hero - usually music and sound effects has just auxiliary function in games. Isolating music is easy because it kind of have independent life apart from belonging a game. A game without music isn´t boring at all, but has the impression that something else is missing there. Gradually hardware evolution allowed most games to play some sound effects here and there. Finally a level was reached where playing music wasn´t that hard in computers and consoles although it wasn´t possible to play any instrument. Nowadays music and sound effects has no limits anymore.

Beyond all this ease, it seems to be harder to a generalist person to understand music rather than producing some random graphics. Most of people enjoy listening music, and that´s all. Mainly because music, like any form of art, has some inexplicable points that can either seduce or cast you away from a product. However, there are some points that can be learned or, at least, trained in order to make this process of choosing music easier.

Music causes an immersive experience on games that separates you from real world. It helps players to be closer to game reality.

Are you listening to me?

Hearing is a sense that helps people to understand reality around them. Humans are conditioned to react according to some sound effects and even to change mood according to some music. Being that said, it is natural that game should cause same effects through music and sound effects. In fact, music acts like a reality separator, getting player immerse on game experience. Similar experience is found on cinema: music gradually invites your audience to join the movie same way as game does.

Matching points

Which music is the best to be used in a game? It obviously depends. And depends on a countless factors. However, a rule that can be mentioned here is: the music has to do with the game at some level. We will not be able to find best level where a game should be related to its own music - but a well aware game designer are able to find it easily. If your game is based on Egyptian culture, it would be wise to find some good references on instruments and musics they used to play, watch some movies about Cleopatra.

Can music be used freely at games? What are the rules to find appropriate music?

Yes, it can. However it is wise to follow some rules. Music may cause countless reactions on people. Each moment ask some type of music: expectation moment should have music that cause expectation on player, if a boss´ level must be killed, find a music that stimulate player to do so. If princess was saved, let´s celebrate the event accordingly. In fact, finding out what´s the game designer intention at each relevant moments helps a lot to find appropriate music. According to that intention, a list of potential music can be written and pick one of them will be easier.

In this video, you can watch and feel how things might change suddenly if we use different music style in a movie. It works same way for games. And it shows precisely that music doesn´t have to match only movie style but also director intentions. Although it is easy to watch and feel, it isn´t that easy to explain music effects on audience. Lots of listening exercises are advised to get you sharp on this matter.

Learning music

If you have time enough and intentions to go deep in music, there are lots of music schools where you can get to know a little bit more. Also, there might be tutorials and online courses available to help people on learning music. When you find out how music can cause some feelings to people, it will be easier to identify and match appropriate music to occasion on games.

Listen music is one good hint. It doesn´t matter if you like it or not: listen music of all kind, all origins. It can´t be learned at school and is very important. Build relations between music and names, sensations, dates, events, composers, singers, bands because it can get your sense of music sharper. Try instruments out there even if you don´t want to play is important to know the kind of sound each instrument generate. Once you try a couple of instruments and get to know music styles, it is easier to extend this knowledge to musics you haven´t listened yet.

Once you get yourself identifying music style, instruments and all sort of things related to music, next steps are easier and quicker to do. This trainning process might be long and pay attention to things that you like and dislike. It is important to the whole process and will be discussed later. For now, try to identify music style from favorite games, find their relations and take note of everything. Try to get some references of music style and be a open minded professional. It will surely be useful upfront, mostly when you have to work on projects that doesn´t match your personal preferences.

Isolating Game Elements: Screenflow

Games work as any ordinary application available at any app market out there. Most people think about making games like an exotic adventure leading where no other human has gone before. And it is true somehow! However, to discover all creative activities a game project might offer, first we have to stick to reality and see games like any other application. What is creative and innovative might be beyond the basics of game production.

The Isolating Game Elements series brings to you everything about game design as independent elements. Gameflow is part of it and provides consistency to your project. Analyzing general game screenflow helps you think about a game from a most remote point of view possible. Suggested structure presented at Figure 1.0 introduces a basic game screenflow.

Figure 1.0 - Although it isn´t something new, this is a General Game Screenflow
proposition to help designers involved in a game project to visualize
whole general screens.

The Company Logo screen (1) is well known by most of gamers. This screen usually displays the company´s logo for a few seconds, plays some music and game flows automatically to next screen. Konami has always the same company logo screen displayed for years. Remember that the function of this screen is to present information about companies involved in the game production process. Inserting more than 2 logos, unless carefully thought, might result on a crowded screen where no information is absorbed.

Main Menu screen (2) is, well, the center of unplayable things at a game. You can go to any screen, configure things and get things ready to start the game itself. Usually, this screen provides a little bit more information and is thematic. As a designer, you must convince players that they are entering into a new reality and it might involve character fonts, colors, textures, patterns, sounds and a convincing logo. The player must get excited to see what happens next, even in a screen that was supposed to be not so cool. Options´ screen (5) includes everything related to configurations and purchases before the game starts including sound and special effects volume, color configurations and specific things. Also, from Main Menu screen (2) player might have option to leave the game.

Games usually have similar menu
screens.

Either arcade machines, video games or mobile games,
main menu has to be simple and intuitive to help player
start interaction.

Main menu is also a place to invite players to try the game,
it is a chance to show what´s coming next and why player
should press start.

Main Game screen (3) is where all party happens. Game´s core runs exactly there and because of that, it is not subject of this article. However, we must pay attention to always leave some options for the player to leave this match after it gets started (9). Also from that screen, if the player has to configure anything else that hasn´t done at previous screen and anything specific from the game while it is running, it has to be available at Game Options screen (6). Main Menu and Main Game Screen are the Gameflow´s Hub and almost every screen might run around it.

Show clearly to player that the match is about to begin.

Use sounds, graphics and animations to know that from

this point, the focus is on the game.

When game´s core is running leave a quit option easily
available to player.

After the game gets played, there will surely be a result of this match: either positive(4) or negative (10). Even if a game seems to have no end clearly, it must have. Usually, player is complimented if some goal is reached or gets some regret message if this goal isn´t reached at all. Although "Game Over" message comes to our minds when we talk about Screen #10, most of recent games try to avoid this term to not be so aggressive to the player.

When game ends and player reached some goal, some compliment is needed.

The same way, make it clear that the player hasn´t reached the game´s goal.

Of course you’ll have to invite him to play again afterwards. Don´t be rude. =)

Pay attention to inform player´s performance. It´s important to catch
player´s attention and keep him coming to play again.

There might be lots of variation from this gameflow screens. As a designer, pay attention because details really make difference when we talk about games. And from this basic gameflow, you can do your homework faster and find some time to spend with innovations, Proof of Concepts (POC) and things with a different approach.