Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
MORE OR LESS
The history of sound in video games is the story of doing more with less—it's also the story of
unforgettable themes and creative ingenuity. How can an orchestra i t in 36KB? How much music can
i t on a CD-ROM? How can a PC game make any sounds at all? These are all real-world problems that
needed to be solved at one time or another.
Just like the i rst movies, the i rst games were silent and had no sound at all. Gradually, however, creative
hardware engineers i gured out ways to make the earliest computer chips generate primitive sounds and
ef ects in the 1970s. The sophistication of the hardware and software, as well as the methods involved in
composing for this new medium, changed accordingly.
The development of game audio solutions follows a repeatable loop that keeps regenerating. Even today,
we see the same thing. These days, consoles with DVD-quality sound and orchestral soundtracks sit on
the shelf side-by-side with handheld devices that can only trigger small banks of sounds and compressed
low bit rate audio. Composers and sound designers for this medium once again i nd themselves having
to work within signii cant limitations.
Because of the rapidly changing formats that are used in creating games, as well as the pace of
technological development, the development of sound for games has been and continues to be a lot like
the Wild Wild West.
Screenshot from the arcade game
Gun Fight
(1976 Taito/Midway).
Nevertheless, we will bravely venture forth and try to make sense of the jungle of game audio history.
You might be surprised to i nd out what's old, is new again!
