As I think more about what makes a good game I got to the music aspect of games. For me a good game has music that fits the style of the game. If it is an adventure game then usually it will have nice peaceful music to guide you on the path. If it is a sports game then usually it has upbeat music that raises the overall mood of the people playing the game. Music in games ranges almost every genre and it is something that a game designer needs to think about in order to make their game complete. I find that some games however don't really put much effort into their music or at least they don't listen to their fans. One of these is the games in the madden series. Madden is known for having music on all their menus and this music is a lot of the time rap music that is very upbeat. I don't have a problem with the actual songs they play but the problem I have is that when playing the game you don't get to listen to all the songs. This is because it always starts the game playing the same song and follows the same pattern. This is something that the madden community has expressed as a change they want but it is always the same. While the music isn't perfect in some games, when it is perfected it makes the game so much better. When I think of good music I always go back to Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii. This game has good music on all the menus and it is not overpowering. They also designed the game to have different songs on every track and they all match the style of the track. For example the coconut mall song is very upbeat which resembles the track in that there are a lot of turns and jumps. In contrast with this, the music for the map grumble volcano is slower and deeper which matches the gloomy and scary theme that the track has. Nintendo does a really good job in their games with the music and it ties the whole game together. Music in games is one of the most important pieces and bad music can almost ruin an otherwise good game. Music is something that usually isn't thought about a lot when creating a game for me but I now realize how important it is to the overall experience especially in a game that is more adventure and less pure action.
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Recently, as I have gotten back in to some of the games that I haven't played in awhile, I began to think more and more about esports in our society. It seems like anyone who has played video games feels like esports are worth while and are good for our society as video games become more and more popular. Others however, have almost the opposite view. There are a lot of people who feel like esports is a waste of time and that it encourages kids of all ages to play more video games. I recently watched a short interview with two players from the Overwatch League. In the interview they brought up some really good points about their particular esport but also the system as a whole. One of the main points I took from this was when they were talking about how they got into esports and how they had to get their parents approval. This really spoke to me because they mentioned a lot about managing your time like any other sport and how it should be the same that if you have bad grades you should not be able to play video games until they improve. They talked a lot about this topic and I truly realized how much it related to me. I am someone who loves to play videogames but just like them, I have learned to manage my time with school work as well. I think that this is a big problem that society has with esports. People generally think that playing video games is a waste of time and that it could be focused more on school or other more worthwhile activities. I however disagree with this. I believe that once all your work is done for the day that you should be allowed to do what you want to do. You shouldn't be forced to go do something outside like soccer or any other sport when video games give you the same sense of pride and accomplishment. While I am one who loves to play sports and go outside, I realize that it is not for everyone and that is a major factor to consider when trying to limit screen time for kids and teenagers. Going back to esports, I think that it will not only continue to grow but I hope that it will be a more accepted activity than it is now. I am one who loves to play video games and I wish I was good enough to play them competitively. I think that esports and video games in general needs to be accepted into our society because it is very interesting for some people and it is a good paying job if you are good at video games.
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AuthorHi, my name is Nick Bayer and I will be posting blogs about every 1-2 weeks in the 2020-21 school year. I am doing this for my Advanced Game Design class at Durham School of the Arts(DSA). The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools. Categories
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