The Evolution of Audio in Interactive Entertainment; Creating Music with Limiting Technology
DDC 228
Fall 2024
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01
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In the creative world, introducing limitations demands incredible innovation from an artist. Nowhere has this been truer than in video game audio. An entire generation has grown to hear complex worlds in just a small combination of oscillators and noise generators, and the lengths composers and sound designers went to craft those worlds is nothing short of astounding.
In this course we will examine and emulate compositions which used the iconic sound architectures present in home consoles, taking us all the way from the implementation of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony in "Smurfs: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle" (1982), through David Wise's implementation of octave displacement in the NES classic "RC Pro-Am" (1988), the string of composers who all had to create homogeneous yet individualized soundtracks for the "Rockman" game series (starting in 1987), and landing in the nostalgic implementation of these architectures in the practically polar opposite games of SUDA 51: "Killer 7" (2005), "No More Heroes" (2007), and Toby Fox's "Undertale" (2015). Along the way we will cover sound design and emotional impact outside of chiptunes, one big example being the work of Akira Yamaoka in the "Silent Hill" (1999) series. This course will both serve as a survey of these games as well as contain practical projects, where you will be using tools to create work in a similar vein and where you will be presenting and dissecting the sound design of interactive entertainment which carries a particular meaning to you. |
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| Credit: .5 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA DDC |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 - 1st Quarter |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
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Examinations and Assignments:
The workload in this course will consist of two short presentations and two practical projects. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course will be held in DDC 100.
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| Instructor(s): Praznik,James John Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 12 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 2 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 1 | 4th Ranked: 1 | Unranked: 0 |
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