Ambient Ecologies: Environmental Music in Video Games

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In a chapter on ambient ecologies of music in video games, Michiel Kamp argues for including nondynamic musical cues as part of the ecology of the game. Such music, unlike the dynamic music that is typically the subject of much academic discourse and media attention, provides no ludic signals about the gameplay state; it is an ambient cue that is “just there.” Kamp argues that, far from being dismissed as mere background music, this ambient music is a key part of the ecology of the game, providing stability and persistence and a space within which to achieve the game’s goals.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Video Game Music and Sound
EditorsWilliam Gibbons, Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter39
Pages770-786
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9780197556191
ISBN (Print)9780197556160
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Jun 2024

Keywords

  • acoustic ecology
  • ecological perception
  • ambient music
  • background music
  • video game music

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