Chapter 14. Real-Time Tempo Variation and Synchronization

This chapter focuses on how real-time tempo manipulation and synchronization can affect players’ experiences within games, and how we might use these variations in a game context. It explores different methods and techniques that rely on various gameplay mechanics to control tempo and synchronization within a game, and discusses best practices for composing musical cues with tempo changes.

Immersing the Player through Tempo

In video games, tempo variations based on real-time changes in gameplay have been around almost since the very beginning, with Space Invaders (1978) and Asteroids (1979). Tempo changes can be an exciting way for a composer to build the emotional tension in gameplay ...

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