Video games are an amalgamation of a huge number of mediums colliding at high speed and requiring unfathomable coordination between people of different artistic backgrounds. Digital sculptors mold 3D models, writers breathe life into the world and characters, and user interface designers control how we interact in a medium that demands it. All of these pieces, and so many more, reach out to the audience in different ways to connect with us. That’s really the goal of art, to move us through the medium and connect us with the human who created it. In this issue of The Rumble Pack we would like to focus on the artistry of music: what it means for our relationship with games, how music can define games, how game music can inspire our own artistic journeys, and at least one scalding hot take sure to give some readers mental third degree burns. We are proud of what we have put together and are thrilled to share it with you. We hope you enjoy the personal explorations, diary entries, amateur journalism, and more that await within!
-Sterling
Here is a list of contributions in a recommended reading order:
Beatmania IIDX is kind of a weird video game by Eric Halin
Arranging Divine's Lament: An Artist's Journal by ChromeEdwardian
I MUTE YOUR GAME AND I’M NOT SORRY by Smatterdoodle
IMAGWZII Essay by Matte
Harmonix: An Informal History by Sterling
Crypt of the Necrodancer by Smatterdoodle
Knowledge is a Thing With Wings by Vince