SSHRC Insight Development Research Project

Triggering Our Collective Memory:  How Tropes in Video Game Music Create Immersion

project summary

Video games are now being embraced as a new art form rather than merely entertainment, and are moving into the scholarly sphere as well as that of popular culture.  As a newer art form, they have changed significantly from their early formats; the music of video games in its current form features a wide range of styles, referential tropes, and interactivity with the player, all of which interact to create a ‘game world’ complete with its own mythology, environment, and history.  Video game music often relies strongly on elements of interactivity, engagement with its audience, and cultural references to achieve this game world.

The project blends research in media studies, musicology, music theory and analysis, and film music.  This research will identify that tropes are an unspoken means of communication within game narratives, impacting player immersion.  Game music uses historical and cultural elements to create trope, but as a result we often re-frame our understanding of these very same references.  For example, musical fanfares rose to popularity in the 18th century, but films of the last century have created such an association between Medieval kings and trumpet fanfares that this music now features prominently in Medieval re-creations.

This approach hopes to bridge the gap between musical structure, visual/musical storytelling, previous approaches from film studies, and the cultural aspects of digital music culture.