Ive noticed the increasing trend of everyone using orchestral music in their games, especially in rpgs. The "building strings to an epic" has been done countless times. While it sounds alright, im starting to find it overdone. Is there any possibility at all of using electronica at all in games more prominently. Some ambient tracks could really make a change in atmosphere, or some really funked-up industriel for a darker, gotich setting. Why not hip-hop beats either? Without lyrics. It would be interesting to hear some of hip-hops producers do some stuff for a game.. Why not even country/bluegrass? Some of it is really good, a good folk song could fit really well with a lot of the themes in games. Some games do diversify their style a bit, and its those games music which stick most prominently in my mind. I would love to hear different kinds of songs done using the same chrod progression/scales of another genre. Imagine some sort of song, standard celtic song, where the flute is swapped for something else, say slide guitar, or a synth of some kind, with a rhodes sound, or whatever. I mean the possibilities are endless.. Why the fixation on orchestral music? Or am i missing something, or not understand something? Any thoughts?

I'd say that orchestral tracks fit with the theme of most RPGs. And I wouldn't say that it's the only type of music in games, just the kind you most recognize. Orchestra comes off as much, much better than the regular music in games that you don't recognize, because there has to be something damned big for all the money you'd have to shell out to get it.

Generally, RPGs tend to have epic themes, and with epic themes come epic tragedies. It's a proven fact that music incites emotion, so if you want a character to be hated, cared for, or just to make a battle more epic (look at the opening movie for Final Fantasy 8...which I soooo want to play, right now).

Also, it'd be very, very difficult to rap in Latin.

Quote: Original post by Laroche
Why the fixation on orchestral music?

Because of the people who traditionally make these games: White or Asian heterosexual males. I'll never forgive Andre LaMothe for having written "Heaven forfend a rap game!" in Teach Yourself Game Programming in 21 Days. Racist *censored*.

As for why not this, why not that... no reason. Once someone does it and does it well, everyone'll be doing it.

Well, orchestra has been around for hundreds of years, as accompanying music to pretty much everything. It might go out of fashion for a while, I guess, but it'll be back soon enough. :)

Quote: Original post by Boku San
Also, it'd be very, very difficult to rap in Latin.

No, it wouldn't. It's proven to be straightforward to rap in any language, provided the rapper is competent.

I suppose this highlights the truth: rap is a foreign language, still, to most non African Americans. They don't understand what it is or what it's about, so they don't understand how it can be used.

Quote: Original post by Oluseyi
Because of the people who traditionally make these games: White or Asian heterosexual males. I'll never forgive Andre LaMothe for having written "Heaven forfend a rap game!" in Teach Yourself Game Programming in 21 Days. Racist *censored*.

As for why not this, why not that... no reason. Once someone does it and does it well, everyone'll be doing it.

I don't understand why this is reasoning behind the...question. And as for the rap music, look at Def Jam. It came out great, with rap music, with lyrics.

Why does race or sexuality matter? Do gay people turn out games like Baten Kaitos? (...I'm really sorry for that one, please, God, spare me)

I didn't read the book, what'd he say? It seems like this whole post is a closed-context thing...because you lost me.

Also, since I didn't say it before, grats on getting Staff.

EDIT:

Quote: I suppose this highlights the truth: rap is a foreign language, still, to most non African Americans. They don't understand what it is or what it's about, so they don't understand how it can be used.

Also, FYI, AFAIK I am "African American". But hey, let's just use black. Or American. Because I didn't immigrate from Africa, I'd say I am an American. People see color too much after they grow up.

EDIT AGAIN:
I edited myself to not say this, but the poster below me said it, so I guess I will to: you're getting way too sensitive with this color thing. It is, in fact, the intarw3b, and nobody cares if you're black, white, brown, or freaking purple. What you say and what you know is what matters...and also how you sound if you have a microphone.

Well, as a white or asian heterosexual male, I have to say that I'm beginning to get thoroughly sick of rap. I don't mind rap music in general, but it's beginning to be so ubiquitous that you can't get away from it. Believe me, if you had orchestra (or any other genre) played at you 24/7 you'd hate it just as much.

I'd say LaMothe was being a little insensitive with his comment, but I'd fully agree with a rewording: "Heaven forfend an entire bloody shop full of rap games, because someone decided they were cooler than every other kind of game, and heaven forfend every single damn game I buy having a soundtrack exclusively of rap music because it 'speaks to the people' or some shit". Oh, and disliking rap is not racist. You seem to have a bit of a chip on your shoulder about that, Oluseyi - trust me, this is the intarweb, we don't care what colour you are.

Quote: Original post by fractoid
Oh, and disliking rap is not racist.

No, it isn't. Intimating that it is an invalid artform, however, is because of its ties to ethnicity. It's not a chip on my shoulder; I'm just tired of people dismissing it and saying things about it that are ignorant or just plain untrue.

I don't comment about things I don't know. You wanna give analysis? Inform yourself first. That's all I'm asking.

Quote: Original post by Boku San
I didn't read the book, what'd he say?

He was talking about musical styles in a game, saying things like it'd be cool to use heavy metal in an industrial setting, etc. He then said, and I quote literally, "heaven forfend a rap game!"

A few years later PaRappa the Rapper was a massive hit. The moron.

Hmm...interesting. I completely know how you feel about rap-bashing (people that don't listen to it say it sucks...but then again, I haven't heard all of Punk Rock, and I h8z it).

But there's one thing there I don't agree with.

Quote:
A few years later PaRappa the Rapper was a massive hit. The moron.

That makes a bigger statement about the [potential] possibility of the genre's popularity than it does about the music. I mean...seriously, I don't want PaRappa the Rapper representing the entire genre of rap. Not that it was bad, but that damned last level pissed me off so much that I don't associate it with myself anymore (:P).

Look at Dance Dance Revolution (and the StepMania/Flash Flash Revolution) and their popularity. Cross-genre, in the same button-timing style of PaRappa (and DDR was out first, right?). Look at Um Jammer Lammy, FreQuency, or, to a much, much, much, much, much much much much much lesser extent, American Idol the Crappy Videogame that based itself on a crappy, crappy genre of untalented people trying to get their 5-seconds of fame and jump-start their acting careers by going on television and reducing their abilities to "show" instead of sing.

EDIT: Oh, and yeah, that statement was short-sighted and ignorant (LaMothe's statement about for...fending a rap game).

Quote: Original post by Oluseyi

Quote: Original post by fractoid
Oh, and disliking rap is not racist.

No, it isn't. Intimating that it is an invalid artform, however, is because of its ties to ethnicity. It's not a chip on my shoulder; I'm just tired of people dismissing it and saying things about it that are ignorant or just plain untrue.

I'm sorry, I'm still not quite following how LaMothe's obvious dislike of the genre has anything to do with its ties to ethnicity. I dunno about you, but I would heartily back up "heaven forfend an opera game", and I neither think opera is an invalid artform, nor have anything against Italians. I admit I haven't read the book - is there more background to that quote that you haven't posted, which changes his intent from "I don't like rap" to "I hate black guys, so I never want to see their ethnic music in a game"?

Quote: I don't comment about things I don't know. You wanna give analysis? Inform yourself first. That's all I'm asking.

What topic was I 'giving analysis' on? I merely stated how you come across to me, and evidently some others, on this forum. What further information should I have to make this statement, apart from being a forum regular?