David Emery Online

Arts

7 April 2013

Permit me, if you will, to wonder out loud for a moment.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the “arts” and how they intersect, join and influence each other. Music and films and art and theatre and videogames. Videogames are probably the easiest to isolate and look at the influences; as a young industry they’ve cribbed their ideas and concepts from what’s pre-existed, most obviously from movies.

Compare not only the release of a big franchise game like Grand Theft Auto to that of, say, a new Tarrentino flick – with the vast marketing campaign, launch events née premieres, reviews, et cetera – but also the content itself, overflowing with cut scenes, known actors voicing key roles, and story lines half-inched from things you’ve watched before. Not to say this is a bad form of entertainment, of course, but it’s doesn’t major well for new experiences.

A good argument could be made that maybe now, with the rise of the burgeoning indie game scene and the popularity of platforms such as the App Store with their low barriers to entry, we are starting to see the games industry find its true feet and step out from the shadow of mediums that have preceded it. But maybe again, that scene could actually be more like the equivalent of TV; smaller, bite size – different, not worse or better, with traditional “blockbusters” remaining successful in both art forms.

Music plays something of a vital role across both movies and games. Their potential power is possibly even greater when placed in an interactive context; you can’t help but be more alert and concentrated. There’s a very memorable example of this in the game Red Dead Redemption. You play a cowboy, and you’re on a mission of revenge after your wife and child are taken hostage. After about 20 hours or so of gameplay you finally make it over the border into Mexico, chasing down the person you need to bring to justice. It’s a big moment, after investing all the time you feel you’re right on the cusp of succeeding. As you ride through the desert on your horse, sun starting to set in the background, for the first time in a game that has only up until this point had instrumental background music, a Jose Gonzalez song “Far Away” kicks in. It’s breathtaking in its impact.

Finally, a related thought. If you’re like me you find songs that “soundtrack” your life, that specifically tie in to moments and memories. My question is this: do we do that because of movies? We’re bombarded with imagery of such life moments on a daily basis, always accompanied by a score of some kind, so it’s only natural that we would associate moments with a soundtrack; that’s what culture is teaching us.

Do we now see memories through the lens of a mental film camera? Scored by a mix tape in our heads?