GAI-201: Music For Games

COURSE DESCRIPTION

GAI-201 introduces the creative, technical, and structural principles behind composing music for interactive media and games. You will learn how to write adaptive, non-linear, and emotionally responsive music that integrates seamlessly within gameplay environments across console, mobile, and XR platforms. Through a balance of lectures, case studies, and hands-on composition, we’ll examine the parallels and contrasts between traditional scoring (film, television, concert) and the dynamic world of game music. By the end of the course, you’ll have produced and implemented original compositions inside an actual game environment.

This course emphasizes applied learning through projects that move from concept to implementation. You’ll compose interactive loops, orchestrate music for in-the-box recording sessions, mix and master tracks, and integrate them using middleware and game engines such as FMOD and Unity. Working in teams, you’ll develop pipelines for collaboration, recording, and delivery – culminating in a final implemented build inside the Music Maze game project.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn adaptive and interactive music design
• How to compose for non-linear media
• Music as gameplay and emotional feedback
• Technical workflow in Unity and FMOD
• Recording, mixing, and mastering game music
• Score preparation and live recording sessions
• Collaboration and implementation pipelines
• Comparative study of film vs. game scoring aesthetics