Overview

Analyzing music's contributions to video games' narrative and thematic meanings. This book provides semiotically focused analyses and interpretations of video game music, focusing specifically on the musical representation of three demographic diversity traits. Adopting a narratologist orientation to supplement existing ludological scholarship, these analyses apply music semiotics to crucial modern-day issues such as the representation of gender, race, and religion in video games. An original and welcome contribution to the field, it considers musical meaning in relation to the aspects of gender, race, and religion. This book will help readers develop language and context in which to consider video game music in terms of society and representation and will encourage future research in these critical areas. Containing twenty-five detailed analytical case studies of musical representation in video game music, the book sets out theoretical and conceptual frameworks beneficial for interpreting musical meaning from video game soundtracks. Though players and commentators may be tempted to view a game's soundtrack as mere background music, this research demonstrates video game music's social relevance as a major factor impacting players' cultural attitudes, values, and beliefs. Part I explores immersion, interactivity, and interpretation in video game music, proposing a theory of interpretative interactivity to account for players' semiotic agency in dialogue with their ludic agency. Part II explores musical gender representation in a trajectory from conventional gender construction, alternative femininities and masculinities, and the potential for nonbinary representational possibilities. Part III explores the musical representation of nationality, culture, and race, proposing the concept of racialized fantasy and applying frameworks from race scholarship to connect media representations of race to real-world racial justice movements. Part IV examines religion, introducing the concept of sonic iconography to connect theological meanings to the use of sacred music in video game music.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thomas B. Yee
Publisher:   Intellect
Imprint:   Intellect Books
ISBN:  

9781789389937

ISBN 10:   1789389933
Pages:   294
Publication Date:   21 October 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Enter the Virtual 2. Ludo-Narrative Harmony – Interpretative Interactivity in Chrono Cross and Gris 3. Feminine Themings – The Construction of Musical Gendering in the Final Fantasy Franchise 4. Single Ladies and Herbivore Men: Alternative Femininities and Masculinities in Final Fantasy XIII and XV 5 Damsel No Longer: The Empowered Mezzo-Soprano Voice in Horizon Zero Dawn 6. Racialised Fantasy – Authenticity, Appropriation and Stereotype 7. Antiracist Storytelling: Representation and Diversity in Civilization VI and Overwatch 8. Sonic Iconography: The Sacred Music Topic in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII 9. Battle Hymn of the God-Slayers: Troping Rock and Sacred Music in Xenoblade Chronicles 10. Conclusion: Enter the Real References 

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Author Information

Some composers found their love of music at the symphony hearing Brahms or Beethoven – Thomas B. Yee discovered his from the beeps and boops of the family Super Nintendo. Blending the roles of composer and music theorist, Thomas' research explores music semiotics and representation of identity in video game music.

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