Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 3, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
It goes without saying that graphic design and gameplay must be ‘state of the art’. But sound design is now also considered an integral element of games, with a significant role in game development. In terms of quality, many game soundtracks are no longer in any way inferior to those of films: the industry is increasingly turning to renowned film composers and sparing neither expense nor effort in production to create a cinematic soundscape. However, games and films require fundamentally different approaches.
“The biggest challenge in creating sound for games is that their progression is largely co-determined by the player,” explains Pierre Langer, Managing Director of Dynamedion. “Just as we do not know the course of the game, which we can only approximate through test runs, we never hear the course of the final soundtrack either,” Langer continues.
Soundtracks for games must therefore fundamentally take account of the fact that, unlike films, for example, there is no Director’s Cut and thus no clearly defined final version. This places particular demands on composers of this kind of soundtrack: their works must be modular and flexible in structure, entertaining and high-quality, while fitting dynamically and unobtrusively, and always harmoniously, into the individual course of the game.
Dynamedion is currently regarded as the continental European market leader in the composition and production of soundtracks and sound design for computer games. The company has won several awards since its foundation in 2001 and was most recently honoured at the ‘German Developer Award’ for the music and sound design of “The Settlers – Rise of an Empire” (Bluebyte/Ubisoft). The Mainz-based company was also responsible for soundtracks including “Anno 1701”, “Ankh” and “Spellforce”.
Together with composer Axel Rohrbach, Dynamedion Managing Director Pierre Langer will guide attendees through the GAMEplaces evening on March 14.
With accreditation by March 5 at the latest, admission to the Musikmesse is waived.
Further information:
- GAMEplaces
