Three piano notes is more than enough for most people to recognize John Carpenter’s theme from Halloween. Whose skin doesn’t crawl at the whispered “ki ki ki ma ma ma” of Henry Manfredini’s ominous Friday the 13th vocal motif? And anyone who says they never flinched at the stabbing strings of Psycho’s shower murder is not to be trusted.
Music’s power to terrify extends beyond these splashy movie moments to video games as well. It helps to sustain atmospheres of fear, heighten feelings of uncanny suspense, or punctuate horrifying events. But the musical needs of video games do not stop at cinematic cut scenes.
An experienced composer for film has no trouble scoring linear scenes. But only game composers carry the interactive know-how to address the needs of developers and gamers with customised, dynamic music that elevates and enhances gameplay. Here are some of the unique strengths that underscore the benefit of tapping tried and true game composers for more terrifying horror games.
Haunting Players at Their Own Pace
With movies, audiences watch from the passenger seat, allowing creators to have total control over how their story is presented. Video games relinquish much of that control to players whose personal objectives and paces of play lend infinite variety to how a game’s story unfurls.
“Music is so much more important in games than in movies because of player agency,” emphasizes Jason Graves, composer for seminal horror games like “Dead Space” and musical lead of Unlock Audio’s Dark & Creepy studio. “In games, music helps influence not only what players feel, but how and when they act.”
Much of a horror gamer’s playtime is spent fighting for their life or sanity in lengthy spaces between narrative beats. Perhaps they are tasked with hunting down clues to dark mysteries or challenged to stealthily navigate their way around life-threatening hazards. The bulk of the journey, with all its twists and turns, is literally in their hands.
Every gamer is going to approach things a little differently and at their own pace. Keeping the game’s progress engaging across this broad spectrum of gameplay requires the flexibility of how, what and when music impresses upon each player – quite different from the more universal viewing experience of TV and film.
Keeping Frights Fresh with Variation
Horror thrives in the unexpected. This is why horror movies are always scariest on the first watch. Games, on the other hand, have the opportunity to tear down the templated experience and constantly shake things up – keeping players always on the edge of their seats.
Some players crush challenges on the first attempt, while others fall victim to the dangers that await them, having to try multiple times or multiple ways to make it to the next stage. But if nothing changes on a repeated attempt or on replay, the fundamental fear factor of a game quickly dissipates.
With movies, even jump scares lose their impact on a rewatch because we learn to expect them, but games can constantly poke holes in a player’s sense of security, causing them to second-guess what lies in wait around every corner with infinitely adaptable encounters.
“A properly implemented music score is a living, breathing entity. It ebbs and flows with a player’s actions,” offers Jason. “An experienced game composer can work with the audio team to create scenes that feel eerily different, no matter how many times they are replayed.”
Seasoned game composers bring an original perspective that’s completely unique from scoring film or television. The music adapts with each player’s choices, resulting in a bespoke, dynamic score that is much more horrifying and interactive than the traditional, linear approach used in film.
Creatively Collaborative Composition
Developers benefit from thinking of composers the same way they would any other creatives in the development process. Just as art and story are developed before coding, the seeds for music are sewn well before final gameplay takes form.
Composing for games is more than writing music. In practice, it’s a combination of all the in-game possibilities and what feels appropriate at any specific time.
The most effective and original scores are a result of bringing composers into the creative process early, allowing them opportunities to soak in the game as it comes together. Early collaboration allows composers to tap into the developer’s vision, shaping moments where music drives game mechanics or even takes center stage.
This is a point of professional pride for Jason. “I’m fortunate to be in a unique position to work directly with developers early in the production process. Over twenty-five years of composing music for games has given me an extensive implementation toolkit and a flexible delivery approach. Ultimately, it’s all about creating a tailor-made interactive music system for each project and taking every opportunity to make implementation as seamless as possible.”
With collaboration as a core focus, Unlock Audio augments developers’ existing workflow with fully integrative audio teams who bring true passion and expertise to specific genres. By tapping into Unlock’s Dark & Creepy studio, developers can avoid dull jump scares and pitfalls by leveraging tailor-made experiences. This includes leading music, sound design, implementation, voice and audio direction, all in one horror-obsessed package.
The psychology of horror is a distinct passion of the audio pros in our Dark & Creepy studio, but the principles of deep collaboration and creative immersion are shared across our other specialized teams. Curated collaboration is how we help games find their seamless audio fit, from Cute & Friendly, and Epic & Magical to Futuristic & Cool and Loud & Intense or the inventive audio smarts of Augment & Amplify. Dive into Unlock Audio to find the ideal audio partnership for your next creation.