Dr Brent Ferguson is a Lecturer in Games Sound and Music at 明星八卦.
One of my clearest musical memories is playing the video game on the Super Nintendo in the winter of 1995. When my character first entered the forest where the game is set, I stopped immediately on hearing the musical theme written by the Japanese composer . Despite knowing it was a loop, I sat listening for almost an hour, completely transfixed.
The following year I was playing the Sony Playstation game – translated from Japanese as Water Margin, which is a loose adaption of the of the same name.
Again I stopped when I heard Beautiful Golden City, composed by . This music affected me so much that it inspired me to begin my own composer’s journey. I wanted to know how this music was made and how I could do something similar.
There are several courses in game audio that include music, such as the one I now teach at 明星八卦 University in London. The academic study of explores the relationship between music and play, and much has been written about the influence of video game music, especially those from the 1990s.
Academics such as KC Collins have documented the , and the most recent issue of the is dedicated to the music of – a game released 26 years ago.
Final Fantasy VII is remembered as the first 3D instalment in the series, as well as for its distinctive use of the PlayStation sound technology by composer .
Uematsu made several custom synthesised instruments for the soundtrack, as well as utilising sampling technology to record a choir for the final battle cue, One Winged Angel. The game is still popular today, and the in a trilogy of remakes of the original game is released on February 29.
Strong female influences
Like much of the game world, the music side is a male-dominated arena, but there are a swelling the ranks of the industry. Interestingly, the Japanese composers that primarily influenced my love of music are women: besides Higashino, there is , and .
These four women played a large role in fully immersing me in the game worlds that I explored as a teenager. Kanno is one of the earliest composers who created scores for historical simulation games such as and in the 1980s, and she became one of the leading (Japanese animation) composers from the 1990s to the 2000s.
Shimomura remains at the top of her game, creating scores for the game franchise in addition to dozens of other hit series. Yamane is best known for her franchise scores, but has also been working on its spiritual successor, . Higashino retired in the mid-2000s after being a pivotal part of the game developer Konami’s music team, and is best known for her epic music in the first two iterations of the Suikoden franchise.
The UK and Ireland are also rich with astounding female talent in sound and music, and I watch the careers of , and with great interest.
Game music beyond the game world
The has helped the music industry by creating a new audience for the classical orchestra. Popular concert cover albums of game music have generated dedicated fandoms and conventions, such as the US – a large game convention based in Maryland focusing on game music cover artists.
Other US gaming events, such as and , work with existing orchestras to put on entire game music concerts, and they have often been with sold-out performances.
Big cities such as Washington DC and London are homes to video game orchestras such as the and the . There are many popular video game music cover artists such as and performing the time-tested classics.
Besides my work composing music, I am also entering the world of game music performance with a new album of flamenco-styled game music by the Japanese composers who have been my own great influences.
A darker side
Despite flourishing academic study and performance, the commercialisation of games and their music has a more downbeat side. While the industry made in 2023, it saw a in the very same year, and audio teams are no exception. Additionally, music streaming giant Spotify is of streams before they are eligible for payment.
However, I am optimistic for the game audio community. New talent is setting wonderful precedents by and communities such as . Cover labels and promoters such as and are helping video game cover artists reach a wider audience.
Organisations such as Video Games Live and Distant Worlds are continuing to tour the globe to sold-out audiences. The field of audio in the games industry creates the soundscapes gamers and fans enjoy, and now it is moving beyond that sphere to take its place in the world of music concerts to reach a wider audience.
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. .
Video: Yasunori Mitsuda - Schala's Theme
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