Hello! I thought the Overclocked Remix forum might be interested that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press just published my book, A Composer’s Guide to Game Music. I wrote the book in order to help music makers better understand the art and craft of game music composition.
The Amazon.com page describes the book as follows: “Music in video games is often a sophisticated, complex composition that serves to engage the player, set the pace of play, and aid interactivity. Composers of video game music must master an array of specialized skills not taught in the conservatory, including the creation of linear loops, music chunks for horizontal resequencing, and compositional fragments for use within a generative framework. In A Composer's Guide to Game Music, Winifred Phillips -- herself an award-winning composer of video game music -- provides a comprehensive, practical guide that leads an aspiring video game composer from acquiring the necessary creative skills to understanding the function of music in games to finding work in the field. Musicians and composers may be drawn to game music composition because the game industry is a multibillion-dollar, employment-generating economic powerhouse, but, Phillips writes, the most important qualification for a musician who wants to become a game music composer is a love of video games. Phillips offers detailed coverage of essential topics, including musicianship and composition experience; immersion; musical themes; music and game genres; workflow; working with a development team; linear music; interactive music, both rendered and generative; audio technology, from mixers and preamps to software; and running a business. A Composer's Guide to Game Music offers indispensable guidance for musicians and composers who want to deploy their creativity in a dynamic and growing industry, protect their musical identities while working in a highly technical field, and create great music within the constraints of a new medium.”
Endorsements for my book have included the well-known film and game composer Harry Gregson-Williams (the composer of the Shrek and Narnia movies), who said that the book is “not just compulsory bedside reading for budding games composers, but a fine achievement in itself. Bravo!”
David Jaffe, the video game director of God of War and the Twisted Metal games, called A Composer’s Guide to Game Music “an important, deep, and rare exploration of video game music by one of the medium’s smartest and most talented voices.”
You can order the book from this page on Amazon: http://amzn.com/0262026643
In the next few weeks, I’ll be uploading a bunch of free educational videos that elaborate on content in my book. If you follow me on Twitter (@winphillips) or on my blog (winifredphillips.wordpress.com), you’ll get notified when those videos become available. Thanks!
-Winifred Phillips
