Tim Summers provides an engaging introduction to video game music aimed at gamers, music enthusiasts, budding composers, music professionals, and anyone with an interest in the topic.
Pixel Soundtracks
explore a wide variety of topics, including:
the history of game music
sound technology and chip music
interactive and generative music composition
how game music tells stories, creates worlds & characters, and evokes emotions
classical and pop music in games
battle and boss music
nostalgia, remakes, and fandom
game music concerts and albums
Summers dives deeply into twenty beloved games across the decades to illustrate crucial concepts. These games include
Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., BioShock Infinite, Dark Souls III, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda,
and more
.
The book is separated into five stages and a “final boss,” and sections build off each other into increasingly broader topics—starting with the specifics of computer chips and ending with questions of game music’s engagement with identity. The “final boss” brings together ideas presented throughout the book.
Based on the latest research, this book will allow readers to better understand the fantastic experiences and meanings that arise when games and music fuse together.