GDC: Koji Kondo and making music
- March 09, 2007 11:32 AM PST
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Famed games conposer Koji Kondo talks publicly at this year's GDC about the process of putting memorable audio into games.
By Frederick Cannon
Koji Kondo, exalted for his audio work in such franchises as Mario, Zelda, and Star Fox, made his first American appearance at the Game Developers Conference today. He was greeted to the standing ovation of hundreds of cheering spectators who were honored to listen to his lecture on what made gaming audio special.
At the core of his talk was the emphasis on three major points crucial in creating good game-based audio.
Rhythm, to provide gamers with an immersive sense of being part of the gaming environment, was the first essential. The beat shouldn't just be repetitive, but should "reflect the rhythm of the game," and draw the player into the atmosphere, says Kondo. If they don't, the music "might as well be piped in from a source outside the room."
The second subject Kondo elaborated on was Balance. The importance of a cohesive beginning, middle, and end is one of Kondo's stylistic elements. Kondo submits his work to his director four or five pieces at a time so that they won't have equal weight, but will instead be balanced in the right way.
His last point on the subject was Interactivity, the major factor that seperates game audio from more traditional forms. When you're trying to beat the clock and bring Mario to his last checkpoint, sound is essential to that intense rise in heartbeat, to the emotional attachment of the players actions in gaming. Kondo expresses that this element "is not possible with CDs, movies, etc." and "is a very interesting and unique feature" to gaming.
