ABSTRACT
Music is a fundamental channel of communication in games, with the potential to effect player performance and experience greatly. However, the nature of the relationship between player and music and the process of communication, in particular from composer to player, has been relatively neglected. This chapter presents a two-part study investigating the processes and outcomes of musical communication from composer intent to player perception, performance, and experience. Emphasis is placed on communication of emotion and the role of music attributes in this process. The results shed light on the processes applied by the composer in order to communicate emotion, which have a resultant impact on the game-play experience and performance, communication of context, navigation, and functional reference in the game.
