How Video Game Music Supports the Story

Author

Abstract

While facets of video games like mechanics and story are incredibly important, music and sound effects support, emphasize, or reveal aspects of the story other ways of storytelling can’t. Through examining the sound effects and music of two video games (The Witch’s House and The Legend of Zelda series), this presentation strives to present the story telling power of audible sound. The Witch’s House uses sound effects to inform the player of important items or happenings in the house, while emphasizing horror elements that make the game scarier. The Legend of Zelda uses motifs and instrumentation between songs and games to show how characters grow and how they are connected to people or places. While a game can achieve its story goals without music or sound, an audible aspect in a game emphasizes the emotions or story a game presents that words can’t. 

Project: How Video Game Music Supports the Story