Event overview
The Unit for Sound Practice Research presents Hiroshi Yoshida "Epistemic Sound in Video Games"
Abstract:
Sound and music in video games are, to a certain degree, comparable with those in movies and animations. In those cases, we can generally classify acoustic elements in video games in a traditional manner as background music, sound effects including so-called “mickey-mousing,” leitmotif, and so on. But at the same time, we should not bundle up with them the most unique feature and function of sounds in video games that are considered to be tied up with the nature of video game as interactive media. In this paper, I would call it ‘epistemic sound.’
In playing video games, players are acting as an explorer of a world, that is, the game world, by discovering its original rule and specific physical law. Music and sounds therein usually help the players doing so, by offering them important clues for percepting the mechanism and state of the world, for identifying what they have done and what they are doing, and for choosing the next actions. Such epistemic sounds, unlike the simply imaginary or fictional sounds often used in other media, should be counted as acoustic complements to the visual constituents of the game world.
Biography:
Hiroshi Yoshida is professor of aesthetics and studies of culture and representation at the Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto, Japan). He has published a number of books and articles on art, music, and, recently in particular, game studies. Since 2010, he has been a member of the advisory board of the Royal Musical Association Music and Philosophy Study Group. He founded and has been organizing as director Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies (RCGS).
The Music Research Series is designed to help postgraduate students advance their research and careers. The events stimulate exchange, hones skills, facilitates the creation of professional networks and helps to consolidate the department’s postgraduate community. Attendance is strongly recommended for all postgraduate students (MA, MMus and PGR) in Music but of course undergraduates, music researchers, and visitors from across the college and the community are also most welcome to these public lectures.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 2015 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm |
Accessibility
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