Adaptive music-soundtrack: a bibliographical study on music for video games
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2447-7117.rt.2025.234186Keywords:
Adaptive music, soundtrack, musical score, composition, video gameAbstract
This bibliographic study aims to provide an overview of the practices used in adaptive music for video game soundtracks. Adaptive music, unlike traditional static soundtracks, adjusts in real time to reflect the events, environments, and player actions in the game, creating a personalized listening experience. The main methods discussed include horizontal re-sequencing, vertical layering, and dynamic mixing, each allowing for seamless transitions and variations in tone, rhythm, and harmony. These techniques are complemented by algorithmic processes to adapt musical elements, such as tempo, timbre, and leitmotifs, to different game scenarios. The theoretical approach emphasizes the interaction between diegetic and non-diegetic audio, as well as the integration of user-centered design to ensure intuitive interaction between music and game mechanics. The work also addresses the challenges of achieving coherence in nonlinear narratives, showing how adaptive strategies contribute to emotional depth and narrative alignment
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