, Brepols - Harvey Miller, 2025 Hardback, Pages: xvi + 313 pages, Size:210 x 270 mm, Illustrations:20 b/w, 5 tables b/w., 14 musical examples, Language English. *new. ISBN 9782503618654.
Summary This book investigates the global histories of video game sound from the perspective of technology. Technology and video game sound are inextricably intertwined, whether through the creation of the actual sounds, their sonic enactment through the games and consoles, or through their reception and performance outside of the games themselves. Technology and game sound have been the focus of several studies, but those studies have generally maintained a Euro-American and Japanese bias. This volume seeks to begin broadening our perspective by opening up the conversation to and with game sound scholars, practitioners, and specialists from around the world. The contributions in this volume thus speak not only to the most commonly told American, UK, and Japanese histories, but also past and present practices in Spain, France, Germany, Latin America, and Africa. The volume is divided into three sections. The first focuses on the relationships between technology and the development of game sound, from early pinball sounds (Neil Lerner) to the interplay between performance practice, notation, and technology in rhythm games (Alex Habeen Chang). The second part investigates the impact of geographical, economic, and political structures on the development and consumption of game sound. Lasse Lehtonen provides a sweeping historiography of Japanese writing on video game technology and sound, while other chapters scrutinize Spanish game development in the 1980s (Juan Pablo Fern ndez-Cort s) and evaluate the use of motion capture in Red Dead Redemption 2 (Barnabas Smith). The final part offers a glimpse into the working lives of industry personnel (developer Eyram Tawia, composers Chase Bethea, Kinuyo Yamashita, and Yann van der Cruyssen (aka Morusque), and translator J r mie Kermarrec), allowing them to speak to how technology couples with geopolitical factors to impact their experiences working in and with game sound. TABLE OF CONTENTS Karen M. Cook, William Gibbons, Fanny Rebillard, Introduction. Local Vistas: Contemplating Game Sound in a Globalized Industry Part I: Technological Perspectives Neil Lerner, Sounds and Music in Pinball?s Transition from Electromechanical to Solid State Machines, 1975-1982 Alan Elkins, The Influence of Optical Media on Music and Sound Design in Video Games James Newman, Fearful Harmonies: Composing (and Decomposing) the PlayStation Startup Sound Mickael Blum, Composing Video Game Music Using FamiTracker: A Case Study of Shovel Knight Melanie Fritsch ? Stefan H ltgen, Boing Boom Tschak: De/Scribing Sounds with BASIC Alex Habeen Chang, Rhythm Games: A Performance Practice of Play Part II: Regional Perspectives Lasse Lehtonen, Histories of Video Game Music in Japan: Technological Change, Creativity Under Constraints, and Revaluation of Early Game Music Juan Pablo Fern ndez-Cort s, Video Game Music Technology in the Golden Age of Spanish Software Lidia L pez G mez, The Technological Development of Spanish Musical Tropes in Street Fighter Ariel Grez, Technological Negotiations and Shared Listening: The Impact of the 1990s on Chilean Memory Barnabas Smith, Battle Hymn of the Republic or Dixie, with Equal Enthusiasm Part III: Industry Perspectives Eyram Tawia interviewed by Ravi Krishnaswami, Building an African Game Industry Chase Bethea interviewed by Ryan Thompson, Music Mediating Technology J r mie Kermarrec interviewed by Fanny Rebillard, From Squaremusic to Salle Cortot: Birth and Rise of a French VGM Fan Base Yann van der Cruyssen interviewed by Andra Iv?nescu, Obsolete Sounds and Playful Futures Kinuyo Yamashita, Looking Back: My Journey into Video Game Music Abstracts Biographies Index of Names