{"id":18577,"date":"2021-11-01T19:46:21","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T23:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=18577"},"modified":"2022-02-11T15:20:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T20:20:35","slug":"adaptive-music-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/adaptive-music-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"The history of adaptive music in video games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Nhung L\u00ea<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popularity, scale, and complexity of adaptive music in video games have increased dramatically in recent years.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That said, although adaptive music practices are often only associated with the current era of gaming, the tools and techniques used to create music soundtracks that evolve with player interaction date back to as early as the late 1970s. In fact, the techniques developed in this early generation of digital gaming were what laid the foundations for the very principles used in today\u2019s games. In this article, let’s take a look at video games from the ’70s to today that feature soundtracks shaped by adaptive music techniques that have truly left their mark in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The early techniques of adaptive music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Space Invaders<\/em> (1978)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Space Invaders<\/em> arcade game, which came out all the way back in 1978, has the simple premise where players must destroy a fleet of aliens that are creeping ever closer to their spaceship. As the player progresses through the game, the aliens increase their movement speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the sound effects and music for this game are generated utilizing procedural techniques,<\/a> using synthesizers that exist within the physical hardware for the game. However, these technological limitations didn’t stop developer Tomohoro Nishikaro from creating a soundtrack that adapts to the player\u2019s gameplay experience. As seen in the gameplay clip below, the ostinato-based musical loop continues to increase in speed and intensity as the player destroys more aliens. Often, this coincides with aliens reaching the bottom of the screen (which leaves the player themselves in danger of being destroyed), greatly increasing the tension of the experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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