Undergraduate Name: Andrew O Grady

Title of Dissertation: Exploring the role of identity invideogame music, with relevance to theplayer, the composer and the in-gamecharacter

Degree Title: Bachelor of Arts in Irish and Music

Subject Title: Music

Undergraduate Name: Andrew O Grady

I.D Number: 10140921

Title of Dissertation: Exploring the role of identity invideogame music, with relevance to theplayer, the composer and the in-gamecharacter

Internal Supervisor: Dr. Michael Murphy

External Supervisor: Dr. Paul Everett

Degree Title: Bachelor of Arts in Irish and Music

Subject Title: Music

Date: 27/01/2014

Word Count: 9,489

ii

iii

Acknowledgments

Firstly I would like to thank my family for their continuous

support over the past year in preparing this dissertation.

Without their support this would not be completed.

Secondly I would like to thank Dr. Michael Murphy, Mary

Immaculate College Limerick, for all his help, criticism and

continuous questioning which helped me think outside the box

and to re- examine different aspects of video game music.

Finally, I would like to thank my friends for keeping me

motivated when times got tough and they were able to provide

support to encourage me to keep going. Thank you.

iv

AbstractThis dissertation will examine the role of identity in video

games with the player, the composer and the in-game character.

This work will show how video game companies try to get the

players to immerse themselves in the games. Firstly it will

demonstrate how the player is able to interact with the music

and how their identity is shown through video game music. It

will show us how even though with the addition of the player’s

personal music it can change the overall mood and emotion of

the game. Secondly, it will show how the composers use their

identities to compose scores for these games. It will show how

composers learn techniques and various styles to create a

particular theme for these games. Finally, this work will

highlight how the identity of the in-game character is

reflected through the music and how it is related to both the

player and the composer. It will show how the characters are

related to the music, whether it is by the title of the song,

or the compositional techniques the composer uses.

v

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments..................................................iiiAbstract..........................................................iv

Table of Contents..................................................vDeclaration.......................................................vi

Literature Review................................................viiIntroduction.......................................................1

Chapter 1: Exploring the identity of the player through video game music..............................................................3

Chapter 2: Exploring how Identity is expressed through the composer...........................................................9

Chapter 3: Exploring how video game music relates to the identity of the protagonist................................................16

Conclusion........................................................20Bibliography......................................................21

vi

DeclarationI hereby declare that this dissertation represents my own work

and has not been submitted, in whole or in part, by me or

another person for the purpose of obtaining any other credit/

grade. I agree that this dissertation may be made available by

the College to future students and research purposes.

Signature: ____________________

Date: ____________________

vii

Literature Review

Many resources provide information about identity with Role

Playing Games. There is not a lot on how identity plays a role

in the video game music and that is what this dissertation

will prove using valuable resources. This dissertation will

use scores to outline how the composers created the music.

This dissertation will examine how players are looking for a

deeper immersion and how they are able to express their

identity through the music they play. This dissertation will

also prove how the identity of the in-game character is a

combination of the player and the composer. This dissertation

will use books, websites and interviews to prove this

statement. Below are the more valuable resources used.

A. Wharton and K. Collins (2011) examine the role of immersion

in video games. They aimed to investigate how interaction in

video games plays an important role when creating video games.

They revealed in through study different application for the

addition of personal music into video games. They were able to

prove that music plays an important part in video games. This

case study will prove to be a valuable resource as it will

help explore immersion and identities in video games.

The work of W. Gibbons (2011) will prove invaluable throughout

this dissertation as he examined how the music of Bioshock (2K

Games,2007) was a mixture of original scores by Garry Schyman

and licensed popular music and as this dissertation analyses

Bioshock in detail, the work of Gibbons shall be consulted. Heviii

explored how the original scores not only provide a deep

interaction and immersion level to the game but the licensed

music can also add to the idea of a narrative element. He goes

on to declare that the music is depicting the demise of the

city and that ironically, popular music is able to maintain

the dystopian atmosphere that is recognisable throughout

Bioshock.

Collins, K. (2008) explores many different aspects related to

video game music such as commercial uses to spatial uses and

so forth. It also investigates how it can be become the

product of pressures from cultural, economic and ideological

situations. This book has raised many questions as to how the

implementation of music in video games can help to give the

player a deeper immersion and express their identity in a

number of ways. It explores what happens when the music and

the image are played together but have two different meanings.

It also focuses on future possibilities for video game music

and the production and distribution of popular music in video

games. This book covers a wide range of aspect rekated to

video game music for those who are just interested in playing

games or for others who are studying video game music. This

book is a helpful source for a general overview of video

games.

Gee. J. P (2007) explores numerous relationships between video

games and learning using electronic resources. He dives into

the world of First Person Shooters and reveals how players are

able to relate to their characters. He points out how we are

all able to lose ourselves in video games because we becomeix

attached to this fictional character. He investigates various

means of identity like virtual identity, real-world identity

and projective identity. He demonstrates the difference

between each one, and how they differ from each other, by

playing these games and trying to show his identity in the

games. He also suggests the techniques to integrate identity

work in a classroom environment as it helps to develop active

learning for particular situations. He compares different

experiences, identities contexts etc. to how a student would

assess different problems in the classroom. The work of J.P.

Gee is a significant point of reference when analysing the

integration of video game use in a school environment.

This dissertation is important because game producers are

always looking at new ways for players to interact with the

games they play. It also proves that the identity of the

composer plays a major role in scoring these games. It will

prove that the identity of the in-game character is a

combination of the player’s identity and the composer’s

identity. There is very little information about identity in

video game music and that is why this dissertation will be

valuable for further research.

x

Introduction

Expressing identity through video game music is a topic that

has not been widely researched. In today’s culture where

identity is to do with everything around us, it can shape who

you are as a person and can often prove to be very significant

towards companies promoting their products to get the customer

to buy them. It helps to differentiate between more than one

identity in a particular situation. For example the music a

person listens to, this music is made available worldwide, yet

not everyone will appreciate it. This is all down to identity

and how people react to it. It is the exact same with video

game music and how a person can tailor the music they listen

to in the game to represent them and also to bring them on to

another level of playing. Composers not only create music for

video games but also films, TV etc broadening their career

opportunities. They spend years learning different styles and

techniques to which they can incorporate into the music they

have been commissioned to write. They begin on small scores

and slowly become recognised by production companies. They

then become confident in their abilities and begin to create

fully integrated scores which are used worldwide on various

media formats.

The 70’s saw the beginning of a new era which was “heavily

influenced by developing technologies associated with audio,

video, and data storage” (Grimshaw, Tan, & Lipscomb, 2013).

When we look back over the past 40 odd years, many

1

developments have occurred and video game producers and

designers are always looking for ways to break boundaries and

push the technology to new levels. The role of identity has

always played a role in video games as games companies want

players to be able to connect to the characters in the game

which eventually led to the First Person Shooter (FPS) and

Role Playing Games (RPG) we have today.

Chapter 1 will explore the relationship of identity within

videogame music and how the player can express their identity

through the music they play and through character

customisation. This will be demonstrated through the means of

a study that allowed users to incorporate music they listened

to daily into the game. It would also show how the gaming

experience was altered because the music didn’t match how the

character responded in the game. This chapter will also show

us how players are able to interact on a deep and personal

level to video games. The music written for games was

commissioned for a particular purpose which is meant to

release certain emotions. When the music is altered or

changed, different emotions are expressed, and these are not

always the intentions the game producers wanted.

Chapter 2 will explore how the composer expresses his identity

when creating the music for the video games. What styles he or

she has studied, researched and used and how they implemented

these techniques in the music they composed. This will be

explored through an examination of the pieces the composer

wrote and how they resemble/share similar characteristics to

other composers. This will show how composers are able to come2

up with ideas and work around them with full scale orchestras

and high quality sound effects to help create the musical idea

the game producers are looking for to apply in the video game.

Chapter 3 will explore how the music in the game represents

the identity of the characters in the game. It will

investigate how the cues in the game tell the story and the

way the story is related to the character. It will demonstrate

ways in which the music is directly linked to the character

and how the music changes to coincide with the characters

developments in the game. This chapter will demonstrate how

the player and the composer’s identity combine to give the

identity of the in-game character. This will illustrate how

the player and the composer are able to create one unique

character with each and every play of the game.

Overall, this dissertation is to demonstrate how gaming

companies emphasise the role of identity in video game music

in order to sell games and generate profits. It will

illustrate how identity plays a major role in immersion and

interaction of video games. It will show us how identity can

be expressed and the outcome these expressions have on the

overall gaming experience.

3

Chapter 1: Exploring the identity of the player through video

game music.

Identity in video games is a very prominent feature now days.

Most games on the market today have one way or another of

showing or expressing Identity. From First Person Shooters

(FPS) to Role-Playing Games (RPG) for example allow for

complete immersion. This is also made even more recognisable

with the perfect score to help bring out the identity of the

player. The music for these games has to be written to

coincide with a particular storyline or cut scene or a pre-

programmed event. This is the consideration taken before the

player even buys the game and loads it into their device. This

part has to be thought out thoroughly otherwise the music

would not have an effect on the character. The composers in

charge of writing these pieces take note of what they are

writing and also listen to each step of the process to make

sure they get the right response and right reaction from the

producers. Another consideration is what particular emotions

the player is experiencing, whether they are sympathetic

towards certain characters or are they just playing it because

they are bored. This is a tough section as music can bring

about different emotions in people. Not everyone will have the

same reaction to the same piece of music but generally they

will all be thinking of the same idea or theme. Some of these

ideas have to be thought about in order to understand the true

meaning of identity in video game music. Another consideration4

for the player and how he or she is expressing their identity

is what effect it has on the player after they have completed

a particular scene or even the game for that matter. These

entire components combine together to give us one whole form

to which we can study video game music through identity.

Some studies have been carried out in the field of video game

music and identity but they generally focused on “sociological

aspects of identity formation as resistance rather than

passive consumption, and on the role of the media in fixing

meaning and value” (Beard & Gloag, 2005)

But the main idea that was not mentioned or studied was how

the player finds himself or herself in the music. Another

theme than can be found within identity in video game music is

subject position. This is a term generally found in film music

in which the composers create certain pieces directly related

to the main character to try and get a closer bond between the

player and the main character within the game. Composers have

been trying to examine how they can link popular music and

identity together by analysing instrumental and vocal styles,

production techniques and other forms of identifying music.

Microsoft allows users to create their own playlist on the x-

box and play their own music while playing the video game of

their choice. (Collins, 2008) This allows for freedom with

identity allowing each player to customise the way they play

the game while their own music is playing in the background.

Even though the music doesn’t coincide with the storyline nor

has any major significance with the characters in the game, it

5

gives the player more choice as to what they want to listen to

and it may even bring out a response of emotion that was not

programmed to happen. In some instances when playing a game of

your choice and listening to your own custom playlist, the

music will stop to allow a cut scene or a particular event

happen in the game and then continue on after the cut scene is

over.

Sony came up with an idea similar to that of Microsoft, with

the PS2 (Playstation 2), which also allowed players create

their own playlists and add CDs to certain games. These games

allowed the players to pause the game mid play, open the tray

and insert a CD of their choice. This only worked for certain

games which became problematic. Every time a player would open

the tray to load a disk, the game would freeze, and inserting

a new disc causes the PS2 to read CD thinking it to be the

game disc thus resulting in loosing game footage and having to

start over at your last save point.

Another major development in the video game music industry

would be that of Ubisofts increasingly popular game Rocksmith

(Ubisoft, 2011). This game allows the player to directly plug

in to their gaming device via a jack lead their own guitar.

Whether it is a semi-acoustic guitar, electric guitar or even

a bass guitar, Rocksmith teaches the players how to play certain

well known songs. From beginners to the more advanced and even

expert, Rocksmith has challenges every step of the way so that

you are learning. Even though it is catered towards those who

have base their identity or have an interest in rock music, it

6

is still a great way of learning how to play the guitar and

maybe even gaining an interest in a different genre of music.

The pilot study was released in 2011 and covers various

obstacles and barriers with immersion and identity in video

games. Each participant, ranging from 19 to 30, was asked to

be involved in the study. There were mixed experiences as some

people had never played with this particular console or never

played with the particular game and others had spent a

significant amount of time playing this game and games like

it. Some of the participants brought their own music players

and one volunteer said she “found it unsettling when there was

no music at all” in particular fight scenes. (Wharton &

Collins, 2011)

Players are able to insert their own music into the console

and were given the opportunity to do this. This was to

experiment with different sounds and emotions that playing

non-scripted music would have on each participant. For the

study the researchers had pre-selected a group of 25 songs

from different genres to cater for everybody’s personal

interest. The volunteers were asked to reflect after each

checkpoint on how the music they selected affected them. This

also gave the volunteers the option to change their music

selection if they wanted. (Wharton & Collins, 2011)

This pilot study was created to examine how customization can

be used in video games. This would allow the players to

experience a deeper immersion and involvement in the game.

When the player selected their song to be played through the

7

console, this allows their identity to be created through the

music. This is music they would have listened to everyday and

would be fairly tuned into what they were listening to. One

particular volunteer in the study listened to the music of the

game used even when he was at home. Was it the music in the

game that persuaded him to do this? What is to say this person

only listens to video game scores? This is his identity, it is

what he has grown up doing, playing and all the time listening

and learning.

The music chosen had a wide range of solutions on each of the

players. Their immersion and emotional state were analyzed to

truly understand what was happening to them during the video

game. Some of the volunteers found it difficult to engage with

the game because their music could be playing something happy

whilst in the game there were scenes of total mayhem. Emotions

were conflicted and did not allow them to reach the desired

level of immersion the researchers were looking for. The

players were looking for the desired music that helped them to

relate to the game, to create meaning and to understand what

was happening in the game. Many different outcomes were found

when these players were looking for this interaction. They

wanted a dynamic range of emotion, to be able to reduce their

anxiety levels and to help to improve their game play

experience. It did not help them to understand what was

happening. Moreover, a perfect quote to demonstrate this is

“One cannot imagine removing Howard Shore’s score from such a

fully integrated work as The Lord of the Rings movies and

replacing it with user defined content” (Wharton & Collins,

8

2011). This completely throws the players off and their

identity and immersion is thrown into question. They try to

find a reason for this problem but fail to find any solid

proof.

There are three main types of identities when discussing

immersion and interactivity with video game music. There is

virtual identity, real-world identity and projective identity.

This is the identity of the player and how they are developing

with the in-game character. In BioShock (2K Games, 2007), the

character of jack is portrayed through the eyes of the player.

All the decisions are helping develop the outcome of the in-

game character. For example, the player gets to choose whether

he or she decides to “harvest” the little sisters in the game

and use different power-ups to personalize how they play the

game. Each decision is entirely down to the player. They

decide how to do things their way to achieve a particular

outcome in the game.

Secondly, real-world identity is that of the player themselves

and how they manage to portray themselves outside the game

with a resemblance and reference to the character they play in

the game. A non-virtual person playing a computer/video game.

This is emphasising the real world character of the character.

In the real world, the player can have many different

identities which make them who they are. The player can be

varied from a teenager who has a particular style and taste to

that of an elderly person with completely different taste and

objectives in life. This means that it could be a teenager

looking for a new hobby or for a person with a College degree9

researching this topic because they have a keen interest in

video games or other ideas on the study of video games. These

identities become visible only when the player implements them

in their playing of the game and in fact any of these real

world identities can be portrayed through BioShock. What

identities were in question when the player decides to work on

the characters strengths and only use the wrench (used as a

weapon to kill)? What identity was clearly visible when the

player decides to spend time exploring the game and killing

splicers (game characters) even though it was not part of the

main story? When the player decided to upgrade his weapons to

the max instead of the ADAM for his special abilities? A lot

of things are going on when this happens.

Thirdly, the idea of projective identity, with two different

meanings of the word projectivity, both meaning “to project

one’s value and desires onto the virtual character” and

“seeing the virtual character as one’s own project in the

making, a creature whom I imbue with a certain trajectory

through time defined by my aspirations for what I want that

character to be and become (with limitations of his or her

capacity, and within the resources the game designer has given

me” (Gee, 2007). Games like BioShock allow players free

decisions in the formation of their virtual characters

throughout the game. This is where the player begins to wonder

what type of “person” he or she would like their character to

be and in the case of BioShock there is one perfect example. As

the main character progresses through the game, he comes

across Little Sisters and their Big Daddy. After the player

10

has beaten the Big Daddy, he or she then has the opportunity

to either harvest the Little Sister or save them. This is

where morality comes into perspective and whichever choice the

player chooses can and will affect the outcome of the game.

There are two different sequences if the player saves them and

harvests them. A really good role playing game (RPG) would

make the player think about their decisions and consider the

values of what to do and what not to do.

Immersion in video games is something game companies are

always trying to improve on. Good designers and writers have

the ability to create a world that is very well put together

so that players can have no problem losing themselves in the

virtual reality. This can be tricky as sometimes the player

just wants to escape to another world without having to be

reminded of a particular event or situation. Anything that

tells the player over and over again ruins the immersion

experience for him or her although some gamers prefer cut

scenes as “it is an obvious reminder that this is a game

rather than an alternate reality” (Marx, 2007) which gamers

require

The kind of person the player wants the character in the game

to be is his or her means of projective identity. Although

these are the goals the player wishes to produce with their

character, the projective identity is the players and that of

the in-game character. Towards the end of the game, the

objective with identity is that the player should be

comfortable with their decisions in developing and creating

the in-game character. 11

“While good video games offer players ample opportunity to

practice and even automatize their skills at various levels,

they also always build in many opportunities for learners to

operate at the outer edge of their regime of competence” (Gee,

2007, p. 68). This can cause the player to rethink their

choices and maybe even come up with a new route, thus giving

the opportunity for even more variable identities throughout

the game. It is all down to the identity of the player and how

they wish to play the game that gives it that sense of

immersion that the video game companies were trying to

achieve.

A lot of the music for BioShock was designed to help drag the

outside player into the world of the in-game character. The

composer and the game producers have done this in such a way

that every time the player picks up the controller, he or she

is transported into a new world within a matter of minutes.

The use of sound effects like the musique concrète (the

coughing, and the water) assists on another level to help the

player connect to the in-game character and also to the music

that is played.

12

Chapter 2: Exploring how Identity is expressed through the

composer.

The world in which our music is based in today has changed

greatly over the past century. Yet, there still remain hints

and particular references to those who have come before us.

Performers these days play the music of those who are deceased

in order to better their musical ability and to get an

improved understating of the music that was played around that

time. Composers themselves learn their abilities and

techniques by studying works from the past and put these

techniques and stylings into the music they create. When asked

about how they came up with a particular theme or idea,

composers would say where they got their inspiration from and

what type of techniques they would have used when creating the

music. Scholars dedicate enormous amounts of time and effort

to study these musical masters in order to better their

understanding of the piece. The game producers give the

composers a set of guidelines that they wish for them to

follow. For example in an interview with Gametrailers.com,

Garry Schyman told us the producers and directors asked him

not to use any computer generated audio. Everything he had to

create was to use a full orchestra and different techniques to

get the desired effect (Schyman, 2013). The past is ever so

evident in the world today which brings up the question of, do

composers today feel like they have to compare their work to

those greats dead and gone? Should they be compared to these13

composers even though it is their own work? Should they even

be considered in the same category of these composers? These

are the questions that will be resolved in this section.

With regards to anxiety of influence, a lot is to be

considered. Even though these composers and musicians are

trying to create something different, they are still

incorporating aspects of the past composers because they are

the influences that have helped them to become who they are in

the world today. This basically means that in order to create

a new idea, something that has never been seen or heard of

before, one must resist all the temptations of the past and

focus on what you, as a composer/ artist, are trying to create

without trying to borrow ideas from previous composers. If

you take the two words separately, a better meaning is

understood. Anxiety is defined as “a feeling of worry, nervousness,

or unease about something with an uncertain outcome” and

influence is defined as “the capacity to have an effect on the

character, development, or behaviour of someone or something,

or the effect itself” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013) When we

combine these two words together we get an overall sense of a

crushing weight which must be resisted and protested to make

space for a new idea or vision.

With regards to video game music, it is a harder subject to

talk about. Do we compare these composers to the greats even

though the music they create is for video games and not for

open air performances? In the beginning of the 70s and 80s

there was recognisable difference between the music over a

hundred years ago and that which was being played through the14

video game consoles. The music of video games was based on 8-

bit and 16-bit formats and the music was specifically written

in that format for these particular games. Now that video game

music has become more involved with the use of full orchestras

and a wide range of instruments, one begins to see an

overlapping of ideas from music that was composed over 100

years ago and the music one can see in video games today. One

of those pieces is Cohens Scherzo no.7 from the game BioShock.

Written by Garry Schyman in the year 2007, it incorporates

different styles and techniques. In his interview for

Gamefront.com he says “a piano solo that I wrote in the style of the late

romantic composers with a touch of modernism from the early 20th century”. (Game

Front, 2007) He does say that he incorporated styles and

techniques from specific composers but does not state what

composers and from what era.

Composers like Schyman have tried to reconnect with these

thoughts but they cannot escape their past. Composition

becomes a struggle which leads to composers taking ideas and

motifs from other composers and swapping them, mixing them, or

even as little as changing the rhythmic pattern, but no matter

how many changes they make, the main idea can still be heard.

This further reinforces that this older form is getting harder

and harder to move away from. We see a lot of composers these

days implementing techniques of composers from the past, but

saying that they are unable to produce music due to anxiety of

influence from these composers is too extreme to tell. For

example, that is like saying musicians these days are trying

to create something different to what has not already been

15

created. Another example would be the king of pop Michael

Jackson. He invented the dance pop video and to see where it

led his is career is extraordinary. These days, new artists

coming into the spotlight are trying to do all these fancy

moves in their videos but are still unable to match his

artistic capabilities. The same can be said about composers

for film and general music. Some would be of the opinion they

are reproducing what composers have used in the past but just

in different ways. Even though music for video games is still

in its infancy, there are a lot of techniques composers can

use to try and emulate new styles whilst incorporating

different computer generated sounds and styling’s to produce

different effects.

Even though we can see Schyman used similar techniques to

Chopin, it is still considered an original piece. He did not

directly copy the piece; one could say that it is a variation

of the original with added 20th century techniques to create

something different and unique for the game. Schyman did say

that he did use techniques from older composers and techniques

from the 20th century to create this piece but to say that it

is a complete copy is not true. Schyman has studied 20th

century composition and knows a lot about it to try and write

in that particular style. So does it bring in to question that

fact he suffers from anxiety of influence? Maybe, we just

don’t know. He has set out to create a piece from a certain

period to replicate within the game that coincided to what the

producers of the game wanted. So does it make it fair for us

to call it a replication or a copy?

16

Perhaps the most memorable piece of music to come from BioShock

is “Cohen’s Masterpiece” This piece appears halfway into the

game. Schyman drew ideas from composers such as Rachmaninoff

and Chopin to create and use different aspects of their

compositions. He used Rachmaninoff because of who he was as a

composer and the music he wrote. Considered the last romantic

composer of his time, almost like a ghost of those before him,

Rachmaninoff always looked for ways to get people more

involved in his music. Schyman used these particular struggles

when he was writing the music. The idea behind it was if

anyone was to play it, it would sound as if they were

struggling to play it and that the frustration would take over

and win. Schyman took a couple of days it was very intense,

complex let alone hard to play. Schyman drew inspiration from

Frederic Chopin’s etude.

Fig 1: Frederic Chopin, Etude Op. 25. No. 12.[Online]

17

Fig 2: Garry Schyman, Cohen’s Scherzo No. 7 “Andante con

Fuoco”[Online]

If we compare pieces, Cohen’s Masterpiece is similar to

Frederic Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 No. 12. These are similar

because both pieces are ascending in a rapid arpeggio

movement. Cohen’s masterpiece was written for its complexity

because the idea behind it was that whoever tried to play it

was meant to struggle and suffer and never always to strive

for perfection. Schyman was looking for a piece of music that

was highly virtuosic yet still playable for those who wished.

When we compare the two titles, we learn a lot more about why

Schyman wrote in such a similar style. Over the years Chopin’s

Etude has received the nickname “The Ocean” as it is to

resemble the waves in a storm and mimicking their movement

backwards and forwards. Schyman used this idea because it is

similar thematic idea to create the movement of waves. If one

takes another look at the titles and we can see two different

things. For the tempo marking of Chopin’s etude, we see

18

“Allegro molto con Fuoco” which means lively and furious. In

stark contrast to this we have Cohen’s Scherzo with the tempo

marking of “Andante con Fuoco”. This in itself is odd as when

we translate the meanings, we are met with slow but in a fiery

manner. This is probably meant to be a joke as the title of

the piece is Cohen’s Scherzo. Scherzo in Italian means joke

but generally it is a piece that is lively almost to that of a

playful character. This resembles the identity of Sander Cohen

in the game. He is this playful character with a sick sense of

humour.

When looking at each of the pieces we see the key signature

which can also tell us a lot about the composer. Chopin’s

piece begins in C minor. This is a very dramatic key as it can

be related to tragedy and heroism all within the same key. The

Scherzo is in B flat minor which is very close to C minor.

When writing the music, Schyman was looking for some way to

connect to the character. The key represents the type of

character Cohen was. He was a character who made some

exceptional work yet made some pretty disturbing stuff. It is

a reflection of him as a character and this could say that

this is a reflection of Schyman’s identity. Always composing,

struggling and having to rewrite and re-imagine.

When writing the score for this game, Schyman tried to connect

to other composers and they would have researched and

influenced him. He used various aspects of notation and

thematic ideas to write the entire score. Leitmotifs are also

used in BioShock but in an unusual way to how they are usually

used. A leitmotif is a particular theme that repeats in19

various songs or on a different instrument. It is usually

associated to one particular character and idea or in some

cases a problematic situation. Generally in film and TV

scores, composer’s right leitmotifs to represent these ideas

and characters throughout the film or TV show, but in the case

of BioShock, the main theme, “The Ocean on his Shoulders”, is

not used again in the entire game. The techniques the composer

used are prevalent the whole way through. Interestingly

enough, this theme later on became the “Eleanor’s Lullaby” in

the sequel game BioShock 2. This second theme is used to portray

the little sister and also end the game.

Another useful technique Garry Schyman used in creating the

music of BioShock was the technique of musique concrète which

in English is known as “concrete music”. This is a technique

where the performers, composers and musical producers use

sounds from musical instruments or voices and also use

electronic synthesizers or sounds that have been recorded from

natural surroundings. The composers and musical producers pick

out what effects they want and try to use them in the project.

Possibly the most recognisable sound in BioShock is that of

flowing water. The composer and musical producers used

recordings of water to help immerse the player into a further

level of game playing. In an interview for Gametrailers.com,

Schyman said that for one particular case in the game the

character would be walking around amongst corpses and people

with physical disabilities. One of the sound effects they used

to create this was recorded elements of sick people coughing.

20

This added an eerie element to the game as it un-nerved the

player when that particular scene came into play.

Schyman took most of his musical influence from Bernard Herman

and began experimenting with different sounds and techniques.

He began experimenting with aleatoric music. This particular

technique involves chance and probability where some sections

are left up to the performer where a second section is then

written to contrast the other melody. This term became know

when lecturer Werner Meyer-Eppler used it in his teachings at

in the 1950s. He wrote “a process is said to be aleatoric...if

its course is determined in general but depends on chance in

detail” (Meyer-Eppler, 1957)

There are two different types of music used in BioShock. The

first is underscoring and the second is source music.

Underscoring is music that is heard by the player and not the

character in the film, TV or game etc. This is usually to draw

attention to particular actions or sequences happening in the

scene. Source music is music the character in the film or game

can hear. It is environmental music where either the character

interacts with something and sets it off or the character is

watching a bad play. There are many examples yet both these

musical sounding provide different experiences in the game.

This is what gives it the feeling and emotion that the game

producers are looking for.

Schyman used this technique as the music he was asked to write

for the games was music that was never written before for

games, TV or film. This was a new style which slowly crept

21

into the music industry. Every player is asked to do very

specific techniques with a wide range of latitude which can be

very frightening and he added a solo violin which became the

right style he used.

Fig 3: Garry Schyman Dancers on a String. (Only the instrument that

play the main melody)[Online]

“Dancers on a String” is a perfect example of Schyman’s use of the

aleatoric technique. The piece opens with a full ensemble

orchestra which gradually resolves to the piano and the cello

while the rest of the orchestra uses the aleatoric technique

to give it that eerie feeling of submerging underwater, that

feeling of being lost and unsure. This technique is used quiet

22

effectively in the game to draw a response from the player; it

makes the player feel uncomfortable, yet, intrigued about what

is going to happen next.

The Composers identity is prominent throughout the game from

beginning to end. He has used different styles and techniques

that he would have learned and used them in his writing. He

was also able to experiment with different techniques like

aleatoric music and musique concréte to try and give the

player a deeper immersion when playing the game.

23

Chapter 3: Exploring how video game music relates to the

identity of the protagonist.

The music which embodies the characteristics of the main

protagonist can have a varied impact on how we as players see

the character. These emotions can evolve from just listening

to the music the composer has written to try and encompass

what the main characters traits are. These emotions and sounds

can also change as the game goes along to follow a particular

storyline where the main character has a personal re-

adjustment, where they must come to terms with their new

situation and try to overcome their previous failures. They

must also make amends to those they have wronged. The previous

chapters explored how the composer was able to show his

identity in the music he created and the game chosen was

BioShock. So it is only fitting that this chapter explores the

overall music of the game to interpret what kind of character

the protagonist is.

When we first begin to play the game the music cues us into

what situation we are based in. We find ourselves as the

character floating deep underwater and we come upon a city.

The music sets an eerie scene in the beginning and gradually

builds up to a tense moment where the main character is in a

particular situation. We find the character swimming in the

ocean surrounded by debris from the plane that crashed. His

only hope of survival is to go to the lighthouse that appears

24

in the middle of the ocean exactly where the crash site is

located. With no other choice, the protagonist can only go

into the lighthouse in search of rescue and shelter from the

wreck. This is where the story begins to unfold and we learn

more about the underground city known as Rapture. We find out

who created it and for what purpose. We also learn the

downfall of the city and why it was a failure. This is where

the music becomes more prominent because it is linked to the

main character and as the story unravels so does the mind of

the character. He begins to question what is happening to him

and why it’s happening. The main theme of the game (The Ocean

on his shoulders) is prominent as it gives us a quick snippet

of what is ahead. It gradually becomes less dissonant until

the character reaches the bathysphere (under water

transportation device similar to a submarine except much

smaller) where a video begins to play in the game and tell us

what Rapture is. At this stage the music opens up, just like

the mind of the main character, together with the music the

storyline of the game unravels.

At this stage we are able to see the complexity of the main

character, as we do not know much about him; we slowly start

to uncover what kind of person he is and his true reason for

arriving in Rapture. The player slowly finds out that he

himself was a native of Rapture but was rescued and saved from

those who stayed true to the meaning of Rapture. His arrival

back to Rapture is all part of the antagonists plan to truly

control Rapture and the people still living there. This is

where the song “The Ocean on his shoulders” comes into view as

25

it represents the characters identity from the steady to the

unsteady moments. This piece gives us a true view of the type

of character the protagonist is.

The original scores for this game are very dissonant. This

shows us that it is meant to be in the game so that the player

and the protagonist question things and ponder outcomes. The

dissonance is part of the game. The player is expected to

relate to the dissonance. They are meant to hear it. It helps

the players to engage with the character and the decisions

they make together to complete the game. The dissonance

portrayed in the game helps us to evaluate what type of

character the main protagonist is and the emotions he goes

through. The ups and downs, the decisions, all end up coming

down to one particular ending. It is entirely down to the

player, the way he or she wishes to play the game and the

choices he or she makes to bring about the required ending. No

matter what choice you made in the game it all lead to the

same two endings and there was nothing the player could do to

change it.

The music in this game progressively dives into the identity

of the main protagonist and the type of character he is. The

music is very dissonant and it can be found in a wide variety

of situations and and events that alter the main characters

abilitys. For example, when the character first gets injected

with ADAM, his body is not used to it and he ends up crashing

and hitting the floor. This was an adjustment to the type of

character he is and in that, his identity changed too. He was

no longer this normal human being, he was now able to harness26

the power of electricity thanks to his injection thus changing

his identity.

The identity of the main character in the game is that of

uncertainty and unease. He is a complex character to

comprehend and in order to truly figure out what type of

character he is, the game must be played with both endings.

There are two different ending for the character to choose

from and this all comes down to the player and his choices in

the game. This is where the identities are linked together as

whatever choice the player chooses to make the in-game

character will choose and together they are linked. The scores

played when these cut scenes are shown relate to the outcome

of the character and what type of person they will become at

the end of the game. For example when the player has a moral

decision to either rescue or harvest the little sisters, which

ever path he or she chooses, a different cue will play. If the

player rescues the little sister, a happy and melodic cue will

be played. However, if the player decides to harvest the

little sister for the ADAM, a release of angry, hateful music

is played. Each decision is entirely up to the player but

whatever choice they make will affect the end result of the

game. The lead up used to either harvesting or rescuing a

little sister is “This is where they sleep”. The build up gets

louder and louder with very fast movements on the string,

getting faster and faster in anticipation. Then the music

stops and we are left with what decision the player has

chosen.

27

Identity in BioShock can be found in various aspects of the

game. When we look at the player we see how the player is able

to connect to the in-game character to express their identity

through that character. The composer is showing his identity

by writing the score for the game. He shows that by writing

the music, he is linked to the in-game character. Each action

has a sound to which the composer specifically wrote to

connect to the character. The identity of the character is

shown in reverse when analysing the player and the composer.

The character is in full, a combination of the player, the

composer and the game producers’ ideas to create one being for

a particular purpose. All of these identities are explored

through the medium of music to help connect yet contrast the

identities each player, composer or character has with each

other.

The identity of the in-game character is also shown

exceptionally well buy the use of the composers techniques and

styles. “The Ocean on his Shoulders” is an extremely suitable

title for the opening scene as it can truly tell us a lot

about the character. To suggest that everything is left to

that of the character and for him to discover the world of

Rapture is an enormous goal. Everything is left to the

character to uncover the truth about Rapture and why it failed

as an underwater utopian society for the rich and famous. The

role of identity is reasonably clear to see in BioShock and

even though all three sections of identity were researched

separately, they complement each other in different ways

through various connections.

28

The song that opens the games “The Ocean on his shoulders” is

a perfect example of the identity of in-game character. Even

the title alone tells us that the main character has this

weight on his shoulders that he must live up.

Fig. 4: Garry Schyman, The Ocean on his Shoulders, Solo Violin.

[Online]

This is the single line melody while there are other

instruments playing in the background. When played it gives

the sense of being lost, confused and alone which is exactly

how the in-game character is feeling at the time. He is coming

to terms with his situation and learning to adapt in order to

survive. He is met with challenging obstacles that will test

him as a human being and ask him to question his morality.

Then the morality of the character comes into question as the

game plays on. The in-game character is left with the choice

to either kill or harvest the little sisters. The outcomes are

different in two ways. One outcome is that the character has

overcome the mental conditioning that was placed on him as a

young child. The second outcome is that of his mental

conditioning has worked so perfectly that he has managed to

destroy Rapture, return to the surface and to take over the

world.

29

Over all the in-game character is a reflection of the identity

of the player and the identity of the composer. When the

player is in control of the character, he is updating and

customising the in-game character how he would like him to be.

The identity of the in-game character is part of the composer

because he writes the score that relates to the identity of

the character. The role of identity is pretty clear to see in

BioShock and even though all three sections of identity were

researched separately, they complement each other in different

ways through various connections.

30

Conclusion

This dissertation discussed how identity plays an important

role in how video game companies influence players to buy

games and create characters. They are looking for more ways to

encourage players to become more involved within the games.

They are always looking for possible outcomes when it comes to

immersion and identity in video games.

Chapter 1 examined how the gamer/player was able to portray

themselves through the game in their choice of music and with

their character customisation. This shows us that gaming

companies spent time in developing these ideas so that they

could express identity though a virtual means. This chapter

also discussed how the player, the in-game character and the

two combined, co-exist as one sub characterisation of the

player/gamer. This proved it was the identity of the gamer in

ways he or she though fit yet they may not have like that in

person.

Chapter 2 investigated how the composer wrote the music for

the games and how he used his influences and identity to write

the music. He/she was given a storyline which they had to

create music which flowed with that of the main character in

the game. This was shown through the music of BioShock and the

way Garry Schyman created the songs to resemble the in-game

character using the techniques he learned, that formed his

identity, through the pieces.

31

Chapter 3 explores how the player and the composers identity

combine together to give us the identity of the in-game

character. This chapter explored how the identity of the in-

game character is shown through the music scored for the game.

It shows the titles of the songs are able to relate to the

struggles of the in-game character. His identity is

represented through the music, the techniques and styles the

composer used and the attributes the player has made to the

in-game character. All these come together to give us the true

identity of the in-game character.

32

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