Gender, Race and Religion in Video Game Music

This book offers semiotically-focused analyses and interpretations of video game music, focusing on musical representation of gender, race, and religion. It adopts a narratologist orientation to supplement existing ludological scholarship and considers musical meaning in relation to these aspects. The book provides twenty-five detailed analytical case studies of musical representation in video game music and sets out theoretical and conceptual frameworks beneficial for interpreting musical meaning from video game soundtracks. It demonstrates video game music's social relevance as a major factor impacting players' cultural attitudes, values, and beliefs.

Format: Hardback
Length: 294 pages
Publication date: 21 October 2024
Publisher: Intellect

This book offers semiotically-oriented analyses and interpretations of video game music, with a particular focus on the musical representation of three demographic diversity traits: gender, race, and religion. By adopting a narratologist orientation to complement existing ludological scholarship, these analyses apply music semiotics to significant contemporary issues such as the representation of these traits in video games. It is an original and valuable contribution to the field, as it considers musical meaning in relation to the aspects of gender, race, and religion. This book will assist readers in developing language and context for considering video game music in terms of society and representation and will encourage future research in these critical areas. Yee's analyses explore the contributions of music to video games' narrative and thematic meanings, specifically concerning the three master categories of identity: gender, race, and religion. The book presents twenty-five detailed analytical case studies of musical representation in video game music, establishing theoretical and conceptual frameworks that are beneficial for interpreting musical meaning from video game soundtracks. While players and commentators may be inclined to view a game's soundtrack as mere background music, this research demonstrates the social relevance of video game music as a significant factor influencing players' cultural attitudes, values, and beliefs. Part I delves into immersion, interactivity, and interpretation in video game music, proposing a theory of interpretative interactivity to account for players' semiotic agency in dialogue with their ludic agency. Part II explores gender representation in a trajectory from conventional gender construction, alternative femininities/masculinities, and the potential for non-binary representational possibilities. Part III explores the representation of race in video game music, examining the challenges and opportunities associated with representing diverse racial identities in the medium. Overall, this book offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the role of music in video games, highlighting its significance in shaping players' experiences and cultural interactions.

Weight: 694g
Dimension: 176 x 252 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789389937