BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Composers, rejoice: you don’t need to play video games to write music for them.
That’s what Greg Morrow reckons. And he should know — after all, he’s the Manager – Film, Game and TV at APRA AMCOS and produces High Score: Composition for Sound Art and Gaming, which unites leading game music talent from across the world in one mega-event in Australia.
Now, let’s return to our lead, for a moment: it’s okay not to play video games. But at this point, it’s also worth acknowledging that the gaming industry is a massive one — to the effect of $2.2 billion in Australia alone. And it’s growing.
Close to half of this digital industry stems from Victoria (its capital Melbourne also being the home of High Score) — the state itself boasting more than 130 game development studios.
So, in this interview, Greg tells us a bit about High Score, a bit about his love of the music, and a bit about why all artists should respect the industry as a major avenue for a career in composition. (Yep, whether you choose to play the games or not.)
Greg, terrific to chat with you about High Score. You’ve produced all the High Score events so far. Talk us through the background of this games music event and what it means to you.
Personally, I’ve always had a real interest in music in video games. Like many people my age, I grew up playing computer and console games that featured memorable and emotive soundtracks — the type of soundtrack that, when re-listened to, takes you back to a sleepover at your friend’s house on a Friday evening, where you stayed up too late and ate too much pizza.
Producing High Score for me has been an opportunity to support my love of music in games, and to provide an opportunity for people interested in music in games to engage with, and hopefully contribute to, the medium.
What sort of audience does High Score attract? Have you observed more musicians or game enthusiasts?
The great thing about High Score is that it attracts different people for different reasons.
We have a really diverse mix of attendees — people who are developing video games, people who are pursuing music, and people who are interested in both. We have players, composers, designers — and just regular punters who attend High Score.
With this in mind, we try to curate our event to appeal to attendees from a wide variety of diverse, and creative backgrounds – so that everyone enjoys the conference and learns something, and hopefully meets some new people from this really dynamic community.
We don’t often hear about the avenues the Australian games industry affords its local emerging composers. How do you feel classically trained artists approach or feel about the games industry?
I think that to a certain degree, composition for games still feels like something that is somewhat foreign, or out of reach for classically trained writers and composers.
The games industry is increasingly expanding, with Australia’s games industry income accounting for $2.2 billion […] Interactive gaming is one of the biggest platforms for the general public to consume music through. However, it’s not purely composing and designing the music in the games that offers work — but, increasingly, musical performances separate from, or that complement, the gaming experience is what fans are consuming. Online game streaming, e-sports, and in-game live performances all come to mind.
I think that in order for music creators — both upcoming and established, classical or electronic — to become truly business savvy, composing for video games should be a consideration.
At [the 2018] High Score, we had screen composer Kevin Penkin as the keynote speaker, who composed a beautiful score for the BAFTA-winning game Florence; as well as composer and violist Biddy Connor, who created a really memorable score for the Paperbark game. They both shared how collaboration and working in teams is key to what they do. It’s about being able tell a story with music – across varied styles, genres and mood – which is a topic that Hollow Knight composer Christopher Larkin, who is classically trained [covers in his 2019 workshop at] High Score.
In past conversations I’ve had with artists and readers, I’ve heard a lot of debate about the “seriousness” of music for screen, when compared to music composed purely for orchestra (such as the “classics” like your Beethoven and Mozart). How can consumers develop a healthier relationship with screen composition, without attaching any stigma and judging one artform as superior to another?
In my personal and professional experience, comparisons have never been something that I’ve found to be beneficial. Whilst the classics have a cemented worth and value, there must be a flexibility when it comes to future compositional opportunities. As an artistic and technical challenge, creating music for games can be extremely rewarding.
How many opportunities for games composers in Australia really exist, compared to other countries with heavy games development such as Japan and the United States?
It’s fair to say that opportunities for game composition in this country are currently limited in comparison to other territories, due our population, and shortage of big game studios. There were more than 9,000 games released [on Steam alone] in 2018, and [very few] were from Australian studios. Having said that, much of the talent that has been coming out of Australia, in both game creation and composition, is world class.
Promoting your work, and networking locally, as well as internationally — such as attendance at international conferences — is also pretty critical for anybody wanting to make a sustainable job out of composing for games.
You’ve said in a statement: “Composing music and sound for games requires a unique skill set, and the programming of High Score is a reflection of that.” Tell us a bit about this skill set — why it’s unique, and how you’d define it.
Writing for games demands a certain compositional mindset. Composers must be able to score dynamic and interactive pieces of music to accommodate the ever-changing action and environments within a game, whilst also being able to create a soundscape and musical palette that gives the game an identity and, ultimately, will keep people playing it.
Creativity aside, there’s also a requirement for composers to have a solid business foundation, and to be aware and informed of agreements, contracts, and of course, networking opportunities.
I’ll leave you with a final question that hangs everything in the balance…do composers need to be gamers to write this music? 😉
Absolutely not.
Regardless of whether you regularly play video games or not, writing music for games — like the games themselves – means exploring new ideas, taking on tactical challenges, and, often, having a great deal of creative freedom.
High Score is an annual Australian event hosted by APRA AMCOS in partnership with Creative Victoria. It’s part of the Melbourne International Games Week.
The 2019 High Score event takes place from October 5-6.
Images supplied.
