Game Music 101 – CFRC Podcast Network: Recent Episodes
CFRC.ca Podcast Network
Video game music is more than just bleeps and bloops: players expect game music to significantly contribute to their immersion and enjoyment of the game experience. In this podcast, the Game Music at Queen’s research team discusses how music effectively communicates narrative and other elements of gameplay, featuring music from your favourite game series.
On this week’s edition of The Corridor, CFRC’s Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Christena Lawrie, provides a story about a $25 million dollar donation to Queen’s University. Dinah Jansen reads a story from the LJI Reporter for The Kingstonist, Michelle Dorey Forestell, that provides an update on the Napanee cyber-security breach that originally occurred in January, 2024. Jesse Bell reads a story from the LJI Reporter for YGK News, Owen Fullerton, about MP Mark Gerretsen’s response to a proposed piece of legislature related to the Nutrition North Program.
In other regional news, the LJI Reporter for CJPE Prince Edward County, Brenda Little, presents a story about Prince Edward County Council’s plans to address the harassment of municipal staff. Jesse Bell with the Environment Canada weather report for the Kingston region. Paige Lang with CFRC’s Community Concert and Events Calendar. The Corridor is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
Professor David Skillicorn, Professor in the School of Computing at Queen’s University joins us in this segment. Dr. Skillicorn discusses the province’s announcement on Tuesday October 20th that it will launch a new ‘digital wallet’ plan to move provincial identifications and services onto a cellular virtual platform. He highlights anticipated issues as 25% of Canadian do not have cell phones and underscores ‘smart cards’ as a viable alternative.
https://podcast.cfrc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-Scoop-David-Skillicorn.mp3
Jazz is a distinct genre that is often overlooked when we think of music in video games. For this episode, we uncover and dissect the world of jazz in video game music – from ‘live’ music to creating historical authenticity to establishing the genre of ‘film noire’ through its connection with jazz. Each member looked […]
Women have been composing music for video games since their inception and yet their stories can often be forgotten amongst a male-dominated industry. Today’s episode looks to focus in on a selection of women who are behind the sound we hear in video games, both past and present. From Yoko Shimomura’s iconic Street Fighter II soundtrack to […]
Mental Health awareness has become a global topic of discussion – and the video game industry has been getting in on the conversation. In this episode, the research team explores the impact and role that music plays in video games recognized as part of the mental health conversation. From The Last of Us to Gris to Hellblade to Celeste, the Game Music […]
From Stardew Valley to Animal Crossing to Harvest Moon, the game genre commonly known as the “Farming Sim” often features calm, relaxing music. Farming Sims music often makes explicit reference to musical elements associated with rural environments, such as Country and Folk music styles, but also incorporate subtler elements rooted in the concept of the […]
This bonus episode focuses on composer Trevor Morris’s work on DragonAge: Inquisition. Research assistants Brooke and Andrew tackle a variety of questions ranging from the controversy about switching composers mid-series, what harmonic factors distinguish the music, and how the music does (or does not) reflect Morris’s Canadian-ness. Music Tracks (all from DragonAge: Inquisition) · The […]
Video games often take influences from real-world cultures, sometimes to reflect particular eras and locations in historically-based games, but in other cases as a ‘shortcut’ for suggesting particular cultural norms. From Nordic influences in Skyrim to Middle-Eastern instrumentation in Assassin’s Creed and The Legend of Zelda, this episode will present a number of examples. The […]
TFirst-person shooters often feature driving, pulsing music meant to propel the player onwards. However, not all games evoking war follow this model! In this podcast, the hosts will examine the music from games that evoke regret, grief, and sorrow in their attempt to create game worlds that more accurately depict the horrors of war and […]
The first episode in our podcast series will present the four hosts – Stephanie Lind (project supervisor) and undergraduate research assistants Brooke, Andrew, and Kaitlin. Stephanie will outline how video games, and more specifically their music, often reference stock concepts derived from TV, film, games, and other pop culture references – known as “tropes” in […]