Music in Video Games: the newest addition to the Fine Arts program
St. Thomas University (STU) students can expect to find a unique course being offered for the first time.
Called “Music in Video Games,” the class is open to everyone and focuses on the different styles of tunes gamers hear while playing.
Professor Zachary Greer is teaching the Fine Arts course. Apart from the classroom, Greer is also a film and television composer.
According to Greer, the course covers the “evolution of video games.”
From early game consoles and arcade systems to a focus on the music itself.
He said video games are a “product of technology,” and that music composers feel influenced by it.
“Music plays such a big role, especially nowadays. It creates a deeper connection with the player to the game too,” he said.
It isn’t the first time Greer has taught a similar course. Last year, he offered Music in Film and TV, which focused on the cinematic world. According to Greer, music can really respond to player actions.
“There’s a different relationship between the audience in video games versus the audience in film and TV,” he said.
Greer thinks music in video games has become a massive part of our culture, even with mobile games such as Angry Birds.
“There’s a whole process in how to create music that would engage with the audience. It's an incredibly detailed and intricate process that requires a lot of intention behind the choices that you make,” he said.
Logan Liberty, a third-year english major, is currently taking the course. He said he finds it interesting how it navigates the "mix between music and games" and brings the two together.
“There’s always the intrigue in seeing the course of Music in Video Games that seems fun, but I also enjoy music and I think that it is a different way to approach learning music than what I’m used to,” he said.
Greer said he'd like to eventually add an advanced course focused on composing music for digital media.
“[It’s] something that’s very much rooted in composition and production … something that's not so much analysis-based or a seminar course, but something that is very hands-on. And the students can really learn the actual practical skills of composing for image and for visuals,” Greer said.
One reason he teaches the course is to inspire students to go down a path they might not have otherwise expected.
“I think the more that you understand the process of how something is done or how something is made ... The more you can appreciate it,” he said.
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