1.
Immersion into Fantasy: Compositional
Techniques of Video Game Music from
the Late 80s and Early 90s
● A Presentation for the American Musicological
Society
● By Dr. Christopher Hopkins, Five Towns College
Faculty

2.
Goals
● This presentation explores the extent to whichvideo
game music promotes fantasy-play through
dynamic shifts in mood and tension caused by
player actions.
● The diversity of sonorities and musical patterns
within the scope of primitive sound chips is a
result of technical ingenuity through
collaborations of composers and sound
programmers.
● This aids in the total immersion of the player in the
game-generated world.

3.
Dissertation
● Chiptune Music: An Exploration of Compositional
Techniques as Found in Sunsoft Games for the
Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom
from 1988-1992
– How did the composers at Sunsoft overcome the
limitations of the sound chips to create compelling
sounds and effects?
– This dissertation defines and acknowledges the
compositional tradition of this genre during the 8-
bit gaming era.

4.
Video Games
● Fantasy through graphics
– Hardware limits color choices, amount of visual
content on-screen at any given time
Final Fantasy 2
Contra

5.
Video Games
● Fantasy through audio
– Memory and hardware specifications limit timbres,
volume gradients, simultaneous sounds
● NES/Famicom
– 5 sound channels
● 2 pulse, 1 triangle, 1 noise, 1 sampled
12.5% Pulse
25% Pulse
50% Pulse
Triangle
Sampled
Noise

6.
5 Sound Channels

7.
Compositional Techniques
● Focus on melody
● Reuse musical motives
– Rhythmic
– Melodic
– Harmonic
– Micro & Macro
● Variation through
– Duty cycles
– Tempo
– Key
– Meter
– Dynamics
– Articulation

8.
Artificial Reverberation
● Simulate a more convincing physical soundscape
with two sound channels desynced
● PROS
– The part has a denser tone more indicative of
acoustics
● CONS
– Instrumentation is sparse

9.
Batman (1990)
● Takes place in the world from the 1989 movie with
Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson
● “Ending”
– Top of cathedral to street level
– No more actions from player required
– Relief, inner peace, completion, no fanfare
Melody w/ reverb Melody w/o reverb Full

10.
Batman (1990)
● Video of Ending Scene

11.
Looping
● Compose music such that sections transition
smoothly at the loop point
● PROS
– Good balance between memory and musical content
– Accounts for music of variable length in gameplay
● CONS
– Limits amount of musical development
– End of track dictated by player action

12.
Ufouria: the Saga (1992)
● Bop-Louie is in search of his three friends who
have amnesia and were abducted by an alien and
a robot
● “Boss 1”
– Arena setting
– First large enemy fight with endurance and attack
strategy
– Danger, excitement, agitation
Melody
Full

13.
Ufouria: the Saga (1992)
● Video of First Boss Fight

14.
Arpeggiation
● Cycle through 2 or more notes on one sound
channel
● PROS
– Frees up other sound channels
● CONS
– Needs to be moderate to fast as harmony
– Not as effective for slow tracks

15.
Mega Man 9 (2008)
● As Mega Man, a robotic man, fight through a robot
army to prove your creator's innocence
● “Galaxy Man”
– Takes place in outer space
– UFO enemies, teleporters
– Futuristic, technological, digital, out of this world
Arpeggiation Alone Full

16.
Mega Man 9 (2008)
● Video of Galaxy Man Stage

17.
Samples
● Record and use original sounds
– Sound effects
– Grunts, moans,
– Percussion hits
● NES/Famicom can repitch samples on the PCM
channel
short voiceovers
Sampled bass Sampled orchestra hit
Sampled percussion

18.
Shovel Knight (2014)
● Chiptunes are still used for a game-infused fantasy
backdrop
● Armed with only a shovel, dig and battle your way
against creatures, dragons, and knights to find and
rescue your fellow knight
● “Plains – Stage 1”
– Outdoors, nature, thematic
– Needs to be engaging to encourage play

19.
Shovel Knight (2014)
● Video of First Stage

20.
Conclusion
● Video game music, specifically chiptunes, enlivens
and supports the fantasy world of the game
● Composers and sound programmers worked out the
best practices to simulate a more realistic aural
world
● Player interaction with audio responses promote
immersion and continued play

21.
Questions?
● Dr. Christopher Hopkins
– www.christopherjhopkins.com
– chopkins@liu.edu