I notice some of the top Games (Angry Birds...Fruit Ninja) do not use music in the actual gameplay and instead rely upon "background noise" to fill the void.
What is opinion on this? Do players not respond well to music on this platform? I can see it becoming repetitive. I just submitted my first game in for review (which does use music with an option to turn it off) but was curious what your experience was with this.
Background music on iPhone games is not so important as on the other gaming platforms (xbox, pc,...). Why?
1. More than half of gamers play theirs games on MUTE.
2. 90% of gamers play without Headphones.
3. More music mean more megabytes.
To add: those that do play with headphones tend to be listening to their own music anyway.
For the games I develop, I tend to choose music that just provides background noise more than anything -- a subtle few beats, but nothing overpowering.
Background music on iPhone games is not so important as on the other gaming platforms (xbox, pc,...). Why?
1. More than half of gamers play theirs games on MUTE.
2. 90% of gamers play without Headphones.
3. More music mean more megabytes.
All very valid points. We spent quite a bit of time developing the music such that it would fit with the atmosphere we were shooting for - a quirky, exploratory feel that encouraged players to enjoy the character and the environment. It was a quality we felt would differentiate, and one that we personally wanted.
The music also is used as a cue for when the enemy appears in our game, but because of the points stated above, it's not an absolutely critical cue - we pair it with visual cues that alert the player.
I notice some of the top Games (Angry Birds...Fruit Ninja) do not use music in the actual gameplay and instead rely upon "background noise" to fill the void.
What is opinion on this? Do players not respond well to music on this platform? I can see it becoming repetitive. I just submitted my first game in for review (which does use music with an option to turn it off) but was curious what your experience was with this.
It depends on the game.
I love the music inside "cut the rope".
But not all games can use real music. I think it's better to search for a group of games in the same area of the game that you are working on and see what others are doing in the same topic games
I think most games should have music, but it depends, some can have little or none, and for mobile games I believe is less important than consoles/PCs, while on other games, no matter the platform, it is a must, like RPGs or adventure and platform games. I think adequate Music helps the game to be more enjoyable.
Yeah the most of games have music but if music is very good than it is ok and it can be listen and if it is worst than it may be disturb and you take it as a noise.
It depends on the game, the overall design and how much the music complements the game. But I do have to agree with the others, as a customer I couldn't care less for music, I listen to my own music. But again it depends on the game, no music on an RPG type game is disastrous.
It really depends on the game. With some games, silence is just much more appropriate. I must say I disagree with the comment about music vs. ambiance being a battle of file size. What's the difference between a 60 second ambiance/environment loop vs 60 secs of music? It's more of a battle of what is appropriate, how can you give the best experience to the player? Sometimes, ambiance just makes more sense. Really just depends on the game.
You can't deny that the right music will always make the experience more rich for the player. Mobile shouldn't be any different than PC or console games. The reason most players hit mute is probably more of where they're playing than them not wanting to listen.
Take this into consideration:
We'll use angry birds as an example since that was one of the starting examples from the OP. Check out youtube, just search "AngryBirds Theme" and you'll see hundreds of videos of covers, and remixes. People love that theme! And no wonder, it's fantastic. When someone plays that theme, you snap up "oh hey, Angry Birds!" Thats all part of the magic. People attach to these themes! The right music, can only benefit you, and your players.
just wanted to throw that out there. There's tons of other opinions and factors to consider, but don't write off music alltogether just yet!
while it is a fact that many people play mobile games with the music turned off, there are still people who appreciate the ambience when playing games.
So don't write off music as it is just as crucial as the graphics of the game
music in the games is so necessary because without it a man is bore and with a great music the game become a popular jogos online you have shared with us so thanks for you
Background music on iPhone games is not so important as on the other gaming platforms (xbox, pc,...). Why?
1. More than half of gamers play theirs games on MUTE.
2. 90% of gamers play without Headphones.
3. More music mean more megabytes.
I completely agree with you! Personally i play my iphone games on mute and just do not like those music sounds. Most of the sounds are very irritating. I love to listen only mp3 songs but I would say that only few iphone games music is really good to listen.
As a writer, I am amazed at the low quality and poor writing in general with mobile music. So much of it sounds like elevator music. I can get that the developer wants their user engaged and calm, but I think its gotten out of hand.
Backgrounds sounds are great, but I do agree with what has been mentioned in this thread that at least 50% of users mute or listen to their own music when a game allows them to. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have good music!
if you are looking for custom music let me know. But to answer your question, it depends on the game play and what is happening in these scenes or moments of the game. Let that drive the audio. Id be happy to take a closer look adn give some advice if needed.
What games specifically do you see a quality increase? I havent noticed it shift much. Some of it is quality, but I dont get the feeling the music matches the game play in over 50% of games I play.
In my experience i listen song and play game. i enjoy this moment , i don't any other people like music when play the game. They all listen to "repetitive" music , and some other listen to metall rock - which i think were effected by the war games/boxing/fighting games
Well, I'm biased, because I've composed music for a few games now and it was generally treated as a serious business by the developers; it had to match what they had in mind. Obviously I kept up with reviews and while the music wasn't always mentioned, often it was, in regards to fitting the mood or driving the action. You could play any game and listen to your own music, but it's close to playing the game after hacking and changing the graphics. If the dev has music in, it's probably to enhance some aspect of the gameplay, and that decision should be respected as much as decisions regarding art or gameplay narrative. "Should", of course, is not the same as "will".
But hey, like I said - I'm biased. I don't want you guys to turn off the music, because it might be mine
i think it's great to have a BG sound but usually people don't notice it cause they're so focused on playing but it would be better to have BG sound so you can play with the music's mood
Well, I'm biased, because I've composed music for a few games now and it was generally treated as a serious business by the developers; it had to match what they had in mind. Obviously I kept up with reviews and while the music wasn't always mentioned, often it was, in regards to fitting the mood or driving the action. You could play any game and listen to your own music, but it's close to playing the game after hacking and changing the graphics. If the dev has music in, it's probably to enhance some aspect of the gameplay, and that decision should be respected as much as decisions regarding art or gameplay narrative. "Should", of course, is not the same as "will".
But hey, like I said - I'm biased. I don't want you guys to turn off the music, because it might be mine
As a writer myself, I feel you here. However, music does not play that big of a part in mobile games. That comment is based off of what every single person that plays games has said about the importance of music, not so much my opinion.
The majority seems to just not care. It is what it is. Its the masses deciding this collectively. That's just how they see it. However, I always feel like someone can do an amazing job in sound design for a game and have it be effective. Just because most people feel a certain way, doesn't mean there aren't games that are an exception. I personally feel most of the music in game is really soft and bland. I dont get why the popular style of music is so poor, especially when its apparent people dont like it! Maybe time to try something new eh?
People may not care much, but if music and sounds can emotionally help move someone during game play, then mission accomplished for the sound designer.
Any examples from games you can point me to? I haven't heard that yet. Would like to though.
I wouldn't be surprised for music quality to increase gradually over time. One reason I suspect it isn't as great as one would imagine is the file size. Console games have the luxury to put everything on a disk which has much more capacity compared to an iphone. Considering the over the air limit and how much of a pain it is to update/dl large apps, I'd say it's a factor.
But obviously the bigger factor is how the ROI on music isn't nearly as high as graphics.
I believe that music should be a big part of apps. Usually games have annoying soundtracks and that is why most people prefer to listen to their music! We definitely should look at music seriously!online poker machines
Music In Games?
just wanted to throw that out there. There's tons of other opinions and factors to consider, but don't write off music alltogether just yet!
I think it used to be that way but now I'm starting to see the increase in quality of music.
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