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bestnarryever's review
3.5
Usually, I don't review academic or college books, but I thought it was important to comment on this one, as it is a subject that many people can be interested in without even studying / working in the area, as it is a very small field of study. And nowadays, it's a very relevant topic (video game music).
Karen not only gives us an overview of the history of audio in video games, she also explains the technology behind it. Both sides are not so deeply explained that you learn everything in this book without any other references, but these days, many people understand the basics of computers (technology), so it becomes understandable. To add to Karen’s ideas and explanations, I suggest looking for the infinite YouTube videos of enthusiasts demonstrating the sounds and changes in videogames.
I like the book, it’s great, don’t get me wrong. I just think that Karen isn't as objective when it comes to separating her texts. The (very) long text format per chapter is a little difficult to understand, considering she’s a pioneer in her field of study and we have no other reference when reading her. So I suggest looking for other basic texts or even posts from videogame enthusiast blogs. The Red Bull Music Academy series “Diggin’ In The Carts” is recommended here as a supplement (available for free on YouTube).
Also, I find the order of the chapters very unhelpful to the rookie crowd. And considering that it is a very small area in terms of research, and Karen Collins is the number 1 reference in the world on ludomusicology, she could have paid more attention to this fluidity. She seems like a wonderful teacher who knows a lot, but whose class is a bit all over the place due to her clear enthusiasm, haha, so you need to have a little patience.
So regarding that there is no literature on ludomusicology in my country, I thought this book was great!
Karen not only gives us an overview of the history of audio in video games, she also explains the technology behind it. Both sides are not so deeply explained that you learn everything in this book without any other references, but these days, many people understand the basics of computers (technology), so it becomes understandable. To add to Karen’s ideas and explanations, I suggest looking for the infinite YouTube videos of enthusiasts demonstrating the sounds and changes in videogames.
I like the book, it’s great, don’t get me wrong. I just think that Karen isn't as objective when it comes to separating her texts. The (very) long text format per chapter is a little difficult to understand, considering she’s a pioneer in her field of study and we have no other reference when reading her. So I suggest looking for other basic texts or even posts from videogame enthusiast blogs. The Red Bull Music Academy series “Diggin’ In The Carts” is recommended here as a supplement (available for free on YouTube).
Also, I find the order of the chapters very unhelpful to the rookie crowd. And considering that it is a very small area in terms of research, and Karen Collins is the number 1 reference in the world on ludomusicology, she could have paid more attention to this fluidity. She seems like a wonderful teacher who knows a lot, but whose class is a bit all over the place due to her clear enthusiasm, haha, so you need to have a little patience.
So regarding that there is no literature on ludomusicology in my country, I thought this book was great!
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