MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR GAMES

You’re entering a new level — and like any great game, you need the map before you explore. In this kickoff session, we’ll align on how the course unfolds, what you’ll build, and how each quest (assignment) powers up your final boss battle: a polished, game-ready composition. Meet your instructor, your party, and the creative campaign ahead.

• Meet your instructor
• Course structure
• Assignments/final project overview

Let’s take the 30,000-foot view. What is game music — and where did it come from? We’ll trace its evolution from opera to film to interactive worlds, because ignorance of your culture is not cool. You’ll begin to see music not as background, but as dramatic architecture inside gameplay.

• The dramatic role of music in games
• Roots in opera and film
• Game music vs traditional music
• Milestones in game music history

Assignment #1: Music Analysis (Optional)
Write a short analysis of a game excerpt, focusing on either its dramatic role or its adaptive function.

Yes, it sounds like total bullshit. But creativity is sine qua non — essential. We’ll strip away the mystique and treat it as craft. I’ll share my own process (with the caveat that you must find yours). Like Karate Kid, creativity is a muscle. And every composition begins with an essence — for me, that’s melody.

• Creativity as craft (not magic)
• Building sustainable creative rituals
• Melody as musical language
• Types of melodic construction
• The elusive main theme
• Melody feedback workshop

Assignment #2: 3 Melodies
Compose three distinct melodies inspired by visual artworks (raw or produced).

Know your tools. DAWs operate on different metaphors — tape machine vs. sequencer — and that shapes how you think about music. We’ll cover plug-ins, MIDI, compression, EQ — not as tech trivia, but as the mechanics that translate your ideas into sound.

• DAW paradigms: tape vs. sequencer
• Industry standards & workflow
• Core plug-ins (EQ, compression, reverb, delay)
• MIDI fundamentals
• Groove vs. linear composition
• Live DAW demo

Assignment #3: Scratch Track (Optional)
Bounce audio with one of above melodies & submit scratch track.

From Wagner to modern games, the leitmotif has been one of storytelling’s most powerful tools. If a theme is a slogan, a leitmotif is a meme — adaptable and alive. We’ll explore how music serves narrative in interactive worlds, where environment often is the story.

• Music in long-form storytelling
• The evolution of the leitmotif
• Theme vs. motif in interactive media
• Environmental scoring
• Narrative integration workshop
• Student work feedback

Assignment #4: The Environment & The Motif
Create a 30-second environmental piece weaving a reduced leitmotif into a chosen world and narrative.

The loop is the atomic unit of game music. The goal? The listener shouldn’t hear the loop point. We’ll break down structural and harmonic tricks that make repetition seamless — so your music sustains immersion without revealing the seam.

• Anatomy of a perfect loop
• Intro vs. loop body design
• Harmonic & metric techniques
• Disguising the loop point
• Demo: Looping
• Share examples from Assignment #4

This is where games diverge from film. Horizontal and vertical adaptivity allow music to respond in real time. We’ll explore layering as your primary tension-building tool and unpack how composers think inside interactive systems.

• Horizontal vs. vertical adaptivity
• The art of musical layering
• Tension building in gameplay
• Middleware overview (FMOD/Wwise concepts)
• Demo: Advanced DAW techniques
• Interactive layer workshop

Assignment #5: “Sneak” Layer
Create a sneak layer for one of the melodies created previously.

Not every cue is a battle. Menu and interface music must connect instantly and loop gracefully without fatigue. This is subtle world-building — defining tone with restraint and precision.

• Main menu
• Character design
• Examples from PVZ: Garden Warfare, Psychonauts 2

Assignment #6: Front-end Splash (Optional)
Write a front-end splash that goes into a main menu loop (15 seconds).

Action scoring isn’t just about speed. Often, tempo is fixed — intensity comes from orchestration, density, and layering. We’ll explore how to build propulsion without clutter, especially when multiple energy states must coexist.

• Not all of them are tempo!
• Layer-based action design
• Demo: Action layer
• Examples from Assignment #6

Assignment #8: Course Project
Extend your environment piece to 45+ seconds, loop it, add a sneak layer, and incorporate at least 20 seconds of action layering.

Looping works in-game. Outside the game, it needs shape. We’ll “unloop” your material and turn it into a cohesive listening experience — focusing on structure, equilibrium, and polishing your tracks for soundtrack release.

• “Unlooping”
• Level equilibrium and mastering
• Demo: Turning the looping music into a demo

Composing for games means supporting someone else’s vision — while still bringing your own. We’ll talk about communication, creative flexibility, and how to become the composer developers want on their team.

• Supporting vision without losing voice
• Communication with developers
• Feedback loops (the good kind)
• Creative flexibility in games
• Professional workflow & etiquette

Your demo is your argument. You have five seconds — front-load it. We’ll break down real pitch examples, discuss positioning yourself as a composer, and cover the often-overlooked power of a well-crafted email.

• The 5-second rule
• Pitching
• Demo: Examples from Peter’s previous pitches
• Writing well-crafted email
• How to give and receive feedback

Assignment #07: Peer Review
Submit works in progress to the group folder for peer review. Provide feedback for others on their pieces.

AI is here — and contracts may require you not to use it. We’ll discuss legal realities, ethics, and where AI can genuinely assist rather than replace your craft. The goal isn’t fear — it’s strategic clarity.

• AI in music: risks & realities
• Legal & contractual implications
• Ethical considerations
• Practical AI use cases
• Navigating the gig market