The Game Device as Instrument: Chiptune, VGM and Beyond

Catalog description

This course will present students with the scholarship and practice regarding the increasing use of game systems and game consoles to compose and perform music. From Nintendo, Atari and Commodore 64 to Playstation, Minecraft, Unreal Engine, and more, we will cover home-brewed software, hacks and circuit-bending. We’ll look at the large communities that have sprung up on every continent since the early aughts, dedicated to spreading the knowledge and appreciation of chiptune and VGM (Video Game Music). We will interview the BAFTA nominated, award-winning Northern Irish artist Chipze, on her personal experience in chiptune. And we’ll talk with hip-hop “nerdcore” artist, Raheem Jarbo, aka MegaRan about how he grew his career internationally. We will examine the sharing ethos and loyalty in these communities and how this can create opportunities and evolve for some into a functioning business model. Lastly, we will have hands-on sessions in class and learn the basics of how to make music with game systems. Students will be encouraged to connect to the learning in a variety of ways, depending on their focus: Possibilities include workshopping their own creative projects, developing business plans and community models and writing about the work of a particular artist, demographic within the community.