Genre in Genre: the Role of Music in Music Games Ben Aslinger, Bentley University 175 Forest St., AAC G75 Waltham, MA, 02452 USA [email protected]
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Genre in Genre: The Role of Music in Music Games Ben Aslinger, Bentley University 175 Forest St., AAC G75 Waltham, MA, 02452 USA [email protected] ABSTRACT frustration that the visual culture of the game and its The first academic researchers of music and dance games embrace of rock culture militated against the inclusion of focused their primary attentions on ethnographic country music. Likewise, many gamers and critics were observations of game play, how the shift from arcade to bewildered by Band Mashups, a game that simulated a console play affects game play strategies, defining battle of the bands and a battle of musical genres. Even the embodied aesthetics, and analyzing the rise of a competitive deceptively simple Dance Dance Revolution franchise play circuit in Dance Dance Revolution fan culture [Chan; illustrates the difficulty of managing the track list for each Demers, 2006; Smith, 2004; Behrenshausen, 2007]. The title. The need for genre diversity and for a range of songs Dance Dance Revolution franchise has attracted the with varying numbers of beats per minute to satisfy attention of both academic researchers and members of the inexperienced, intermediate, and advanced players education and medical establishments, who wish to harness illustrates the need for designers to have at least an the power of exergaming in physical education classes to elementary knowledge of musicology and/or musical form. combat rising levels of childhood obesity. Less attention Perhaps the most interesting example of a music game’s has been by academic researchers to the economics of the failure is Flow! Urban Dance Uprising. This game, production of these games or the ways that the management developed by Artificial Mind and Movement and published of track lists, genres, and artists in music games affects by Ubisoft, illustrates the difficulty of mapping hip hop gamers’ opinions of these titles and their evaluation of the onto a DDR style game. The biggest problem with Flow relationship between a game’s core mechanics and in-game wasn’t the paucity of A-list artists and a track list that outcomes. privileged lesser known songs that were hard to groove to, This paper analyzes the ways that game publishers and but the ways that game designers made few significant developers create and license the music for games such as modifications to the core mechanic of the dancing game. In Flow: Urban Dance Uprising, Band Mashups, the Guitar Flow, it is a stretch to think that the diegetic operator acts of Hero, Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution franchises, the player bear any “realistic” relationship to the “machinic and the forthcoming titles Scratch and DJ Hero. Critics’ embodiments” of the onscreen avatar’s breakdancing moves and gamers’ complaints about the use of “soundalikes” to [Galloway, 2006]. Players seem willing to suspend replace the master recordings by original artists along with disbelief that the scrolling arrows in DDR match up exactly recent attempts from Warner Music to push for increased to the movements of the player on the pad and the licensing fees point to ongoing controversies over in-game movements of the onscreen avatar, but the complicated music and the industrial relationships between the gaming breakdancing moves performed by the avatar in Flow industry, the recording industry, and performance rights substantively challenge the relationship of action and organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. This outcome that Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman [2004] posit paper also examines how particular genres of music create as critical to designing meaningful play. difficulties for game design, constructing the relationship between on-screen content, the player, and game peripherals, and for players working to make sense of the Author Keywords Games, music, licensing, genre relationship between their musical and gaming tastes. Examples I discuss include blog reactions to the INTRODUCTION introduction of country music as downloadable content in The first academic researchers of music and dance games Rock Band, the lukewarm reception given THQ’s Band focused their primary attentions on ethnographic Mashups, fan and critical ruminations over the potential observations of game play, how the shift from arcade to success or failure of the turntable peripheral in Scratch and console play affects game play strategies, defining DJ Hero, and the difficulties of mapping hip hop into the embodied aesthetics, and analyzing the rise of a competitive dance game in Flow! Urban Dance Uprising. Reactions to play circuit in Dance Dance Revolution fan culture [Chan; the introduction of country music in Rock Band ran the Demers, 2006; Smith, 2004; Behrenshausen, 2007]. The gamut, with many bloggers and online fans expressing Dance Dance Revolution franchise has attracted the Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory. Proceedings of DiGRA 2009 © 2009Authors & Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). Personal and educational classroom use of this paper is allowed, commercial use requires specific permission from the author. attention of both academic researchers and members of the Perhaps the most interesting example of a music game’s education and medical establishments, who wish to harness failure is Flow! Urban Dance Uprising. This game, the power of exergaming in physical education classes to developed by Artificial Mind and Movement and published combat rising levels of childhood obesity. Less attention by Ubisoft, illustrates the difficulty of mapping hip hop has been by academic researchers to the economics of the onto a DDR style game. The biggest problem with Flow production of these games or the ways that the management wasn’t the paucity of A-list artists and a track list that of track lists, genres, and artists in music games affects privileged lesser known songs that were hard to groove to, gamers’ opinions of these titles and their evaluation of the but the ways that game designers made few significant relationship between a game’s core mechanics and in-game modifications to the core mechanic of the dancing game. In outcomes. Flow, it is a stretch to think that the diegetic operator acts of This paper analyzes the ways that game publishers and the player bear any “realistic” relationship to the “machinic developers create and license the music for games such as embodiments” of the onscreen avatar’s breakdancing moves Flow: Urban Dance Uprising, Band Mashups, the Guitar [Galloway, 2006]. Players seem willing to suspend Hero, Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution franchises, disbelief that the scrolling arrows in DDR match up exactly and the forthcoming titles Scratch and DJ Hero. Critics’ to the movements of the player on the pad and the and gamers’ complaints about the use of “soundalikes” to movements of the onscreen avatar, but the complicated replace the master recordings by original artists along with breakdancing moves performed by the avatar in Flow recent attempts from Warner Music to push for increased substantively challenge the relationship of action and licensing fees point to ongoing controversies over in-game outcome that Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman [2004] posit music and the industrial relationships between the gaming as critical to designing meaningful play. industry, the recording industry, and performance rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. This LICENSING MUSIC FOR VIDEO GAMES paper also examines how particular genres of music create Together, declining sales (or at least the myth of lower CD difficulties for game design, constructing the relationship sales figures), increasing difficulties in promoting artists via between on-screen content, the player, and game radio and music television, and the rising threat of the web peripherals, and for players working to make sense of the supplied an economic rationale for pursuing music relationship between their musical and gaming tastes. licensing. The industry, however, had more than just Examples I discuss in the larger project (of which this paper economic concerns to worry about. Aggressive litigation is an excerpt) include blog reactions to the introduction of driven by the desires to curb piracy and enforce copyright, country music as downloadable content in Rock Band, the along with a discursive construction of consumers as the lukewarm reception given THQ’s Band Mashups, fan and enemy of the industry, angered the public and broke the critical ruminations over the potential success or failure of “contract” between the industry and consumer. Music the turntable peripheral in Scratch and DJ Hero, and the licensing became a way for the industry to conduct business difficulties of mapping hip hop into the dance game in behind the scenes and to work with other media industries Flow! Urban Dance Uprising. Reactions to the instead of a disconsolate public. Licensing agreements were introduction of country music in Rock Band ran the gamut, seen as a way to revitalize the industry and a way to with many bloggers and online fans expressing frustration conduct business with other media firms rather than with a that the visual culture of the game and its embrace of rock public that had been constructed as the enemy. culture militated against the inclusion of country music. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SECA) executive Likewise, many gamers and critics were bewildered by VP Jack Tretton argued, “With the music industry suffering Band Mashups, a game that simulated a battle of the bands at retail, the games business presents an opportunity, as its and a battle of musical genres. demographic fits ours quite nicely” [Traiman, 2003]. In this paper, I address the basics of video game music Widely reported in the trade press in early 2003, consumer licensing before analyzing the ways that the Dance Dance research done by ElectricArtists found that video game Revolution franchise and Flow! Urban Dance Uprising soundtracks had a positive effect on CD sales, with hard work to incorporate music. The first section of this paper core gamers saying they were 40% more likely to buy CDs defines some of the terms and outlines the basics of how of music they had heard during game play.