What does a games music composer do?
Games music composers add mood and excitement to a game. They write the game’s theme tune. They add depth and colour by composing the music which signals impending danger, celebrates the end of a stage or indicates that a certain character is approaching. As well as being good musicians, music composers understand gameplay. They have to ‘spot’ a game, which means going through a game noting the points at which music will enhance the experience of the player.
What’s a music composer good at?
- Music: compose and perform music
- Sound engineering: record, edit, mix and master
- Knowledge of gameplay and platform: spot the game - know at which points music should be heard
- Knowledge of game engines: understand the technical constraints of engines and how to integrate sound files into them
- Communication: work well with game designers, other audio artists and QA technicians
