A Study of Musical Characteristics Across Game Genres

Abstract

This study aims to explore the characteristics of music across different game genres, both theoretically and in the context of actual game music, with the goal of providing insights for the planning and design of game music. A literature review examined the evolution of the game content market and game music in Korea and studied the musical attributes of seven game genres (Arcade, Shooting, Action, Sports and racing, Adventure, Strategy and tactical Simulation, and Role-Playing Games). It also analyzed how these attributes were reflected in games such as 'Crazyarcade,' 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2', 'Street Fighter 2', 'Starcraft: Brood War,' and 'Aion: The Tower of Eternity'. Based on this analysis, the music for the 'Night Crows' Tronenetel field was designed, leading to the following conclusions: First, the Korean game market has significantly grown post-pandemic, with a shift in platforms from PCs to mobile games. Game music is now globally recognized as an independent genre, and in Korea, it serves as a source of revenue through performance content. The evolution of game music has aligned with advances in hardware technology, enabling diverse sound implementations today. Second, game music displayed characteristics unique to its genre. In actual game soundtracks, genre-specific universality and individual games' uniqueness were evident. Third, while planning the music for 'Night Crow's Tronenetel field, the game's strength in hyper-realistic graphics and the musical traits of the role-playing genre was considered. The spatiotemporal background was represented as follows: blending orchestral sounds with metallic electronic sounds, incorporating elements of medieval music (church modes, polyphonic forms), using instruments with specific timbres. Additionally, the music for the master craftsman's city and the flashback was designed to be played in a contemplative and solemn, majestic atmosphere, with playback se to use techniques like fade-in/out and crossfading. In future game music research, addressing the theoretical consensus on game genre classifications and finding solutions to the absence of primary sources, such as scores, should be a challenge to overcome. It is hoped that this study, which planned the music for pre-existing games, can provide a new perspective and serve as a foundation for generating creative ideas in producing game music.