Music Video Games: Performance, Politics, and Play

Description

Music Video Games takes a look (and listen) at the popular genre of music games – video games in which music is at the forefront of player interaction and gameplay. With chapters on a wide variety of music games, ranging from well-known console games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band to new, emerging games for smartphones and tablets, scholars from diverse disciplines and backgrounds discuss the history, development, and cultural impact of music games. Each chapter investigates important themes surrounding the ways in which we play music and play with music in video games. Starting with the precursors to music games – including Simon, the hand-held electronic music game from the 1980s, Michael Austin’s collection goes on to discuss issues in musicianship and performance, authenticity and “selling out,” and composing, creating, and learning music with video games. Including a glossary and detailed indices, Austin and his team shine a much needed light on the often overlooked subject of music video games. Cover Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction—Taking Note of Music Games PART ONE Preludes and Overtures 1 SIMON: The Prelude to Modern Music Video Games 2 Mario Paint Composer and Musical (Re)Play on YouTube 3 Active Interfaces and Thematic Events in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 4 Sample, Cycle, Sync: The Music Sequencer and Its Influence on Music Video Games PART TWO Virtuosi, Virtues, and the Virtual 5 Consumerism Hero: The “Selling Out” of Guitar Hero and Rock Band 6 Beat it!—Playing the “King of Pop” in Video Games 7 Virtual Jam: A Critical Analysis of Virtual Music Game Environments PART THREE Concerts, Collaboration, and Creativity 8 Guitar Heroes in the Classroom: The Creative Potential of Music Games 9 Rocksmith and the Shaping of Player Experience 10 Rhythm Sense: Modality and Enactive Perception in Rhythm Heaven 11 Pitching the Rhythm: Music Games for the iPad Afterword—Toadofsky’s Music Lessons Glossary of Music and Gaming Terms About the Contributors Author Index Game Index General Index