Pointer to a symposium in the Netherlands:
VIDEOGAME MUSIC: PLAY, FANS, SPACE
13 September 2011
Utrecht University, NL
Music is vital to videogaming. A game soundtrack draws players into the game space’s atmosphere with heroic melodies, exotic drums or spooky white noise; it enables them to identify characters and situations through leitmotifs; it warns them for imminent danger and helps them navigate through fights with 3D sound clues. Videogame music is also very popular outside the direct gaming context. Game soundtracks are commercially successful and are performed by full orchestras at game music concerts. Fannish engagement with videogame music has led to worldwide communities creating game music remixes, mash-ups and parodies.
With internationally renowned speakers from the fields of game studies and game music research, game designers and students, this one-day symposium at Utrecht University seeks to outline an agenda for videogame music research. The symposium investigates music’s contribution to three important domains of videogaming: Play, Fans, and Space. In addition, a game music workshop will enable researchers, students, designers and gamers to join forces in the development and study of videogame music.
Keynote speakers
Karen Collins (Waterloo University, Canada).
http://www.gamessound.com/
Mads Haahr (Dept Computer Science at Trinity College Dublin, Haunted Planet Studios)
http://www.hauntedplanet.com/
Joost Raessens (Utrecht University, Center for the Study of Digital Games and Play (GAP))
http://www.gamesandplay.org/
Where and when
13 September 2011, 9:30-17:00
Sweelinckzaal, Drift 21, Utrecht, Netherlands
Admittance free
Edit – a day report written by Maria Koomen can be found here:
http://newmediastudies.nl/magazine/videogame-music-symposium-play-fans-space-overview