If you’ve ever played a video game and noticed the pace of the music change as you’re playing, then you’ve experienced adaptive music. As the name suggests, adaptive music changes based on your actions and what’s happening in the game. That’s quite a difference from static soundtracks, where the sound is consistent throughout.
In a game that uses adaptive music, you might notice the intensity of the music changing as you near a boss fight to build tension. When things calm down, it’s reflected in a peaceful melody. This responsive audio causes players to have an emotional reaction, evoking a psychological response that makes them feel more connected to the virtual world they find themselves in. In this article, we look at how this tailored musical experience improves gaming.
Adaptive Music in Online Games
Before we get into how adaptive music works, it’s good to look at a couple of examples from casual games. While online poker isn’t a traditional video game, its transition to the gaming world has put it into that category for some. When played online, game developers often add music to help create an engaging and immersive atmosphere that replicates the in-person casino experience. Online casinos feature many poker variants, including Omaha. A person sitting down to their first game of Omaha poker online probably isn’t thinking much about the sound effects in the background. Instead, they may be focused on the best starting hands or combo draws and what they need to do to finish the game successfully. Still, the music is there, even if it’s subtle.
The same is true of casual games, including puzzle games like Tetris and Candy Crush Saga, where the music might increase as time begins to run out. This is a cue to the player that they need to try to complete the task quickly if they want to move on to the next level. Depending on the game’s pace and the player’s status, they might hear calm and relaxing music that helps them focus without getting nervous. However, if they win a round or as the stakes rise, the music might change to a more intense or triumphant theme to reflect what’s happening in the game. Not all online games use adaptive music, but it’s likely to become more common in the future.
How Adaptive Music Works
We’ve looked at how adaptive music is used in some online casinos; now is a good time to take a look at how it works. Video game designers want the titles we play to be immersive and engaging, and they understand that audio is a big part of that. Advances in technology have led developers to use various technical methods to create gaming environments that reflect exactly what’s happening on our screens. Techniques like horizontal resequencing and vertical re-orchestration are what make the magic happen.
With horizontal resequencing, the music that has already been composed is rearranged dynamically based on what’s unfolding in the game. This technique depends on a smooth transition between different musical pieces to enhance the flow of the game. In contrast, vertical reorchestration works by adjusting the mix of musical layers in response to what a player is doing in a game. So, if you’re in the middle of a combat sequence, you might notice a change in the intensity or instrumentation of the track playing in the background.
The Evolution of Adaptive Music
The adaptive music we hear in video games today is the result of technological progress that has allowed video game developers to build upon the music in games of the past. Adaptive music in games got its start back in the 1980s and 1990s in games like Frogger and Monkey Island 2, where the music would suddenly change based on what the player did or on the location. Technology like LucasArts’ iMUSE accelerated the development of adaptive music by making smoother transitions between different musical segments possible.
The adaptive music we hear in video games today is the result of technological progress that has allowed video game developers to build upon the music in games of the past. Adaptive music in games got its start back in the 1980s and 1990s in games like Frogger and Monkey Island 2, where the music would suddenly change based on what the player did or on the location. Technology like LucasArts’ iMUSE accelerated the development of adaptive music by making smoother transitions between different musical segments possible.
