Adaptive Music in Video Games and How It Impacts Player Satisfaction

Author

Scott Lloyd, California State University, Monterey BayFollow

Date

12-2021

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Music & Performing Arts

First Advisor

Lanier Sammons

Abstract

Adaptive and interactive music has been a key feature in the history of gaming since the conception of gaming. In this project, the main genres of target will be RPGs, Hack and Slash, and Adventure games since there are a good variety of genres and uses of adaptive music. Adaptive music can range from fading in and out instrumentation as the player progresses through a level or transitioning to the chorus of a song if the player is performing well in combat. This feature can have a positive impact for most players since it’s a sense of progression, however, in other cases it can be negative due to how wooden the transitions in the songs are, thus, taking the player out of the immersive experience. This feature can make a player’s experience very different from some other player’s experience which is what developers try to strive for: uniqueness. It’s an immersive tool to make the player lean in rather than equating their experience to “just another video game.”

Recommended Citation

Lloyd, Scott, "Adaptive Music in Video Games and How It Impacts Player Satisfaction" (2021). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 1186.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/1186