MUL 362 - Music and Meaning in Video Games, 2 credit hours

Prerequisite(s): ENG 131
How do we engage with music in video games? What does this music mean- both in a game and beyond? And what is the status of such music within broader notions of modern music culture? This course will answer these questions by engaging directly with video game music through play and listening, discussing the design and functions that define this repertoire within this media form. We will also step outside of games to discuss contextual and sociocultural issues that surround such music and those who engage with it- particularly in ways that traverse the spectrum of serious to trivial. Students will be given the opportunity to engage with the emerging field of “Ludomusicology,” the study of music and/in/as play, and to create trade level sound design documents for a video game concept of their own creation using art provided by the professor.

Crosslisted: MUC 362