UCLA Extension Adds Music for Games Course

The University of California, Los Angeles Extension has announced it has added a course on composing music for video games this fall. According to UCLA literature, the course will explore the challenges of creating music for games: “The goal of the course is to provide each student with a basic understanding of the distinctive qualities required to compose music for games and give them hands-on experience creating content for this medium. “Topics include in-game versus cinematic scoring; budgeting and project management; contracts; technology tools for asset creation and processing; music engines and compositional techniques specific to video game music; electronic music creation versus using live musicians; mixing; composing for different game genres (MMOG, FPS, RTS, educational); and audio formats and delivery of assets for different console formats (SKUs), such as Xbox/Xbox 360, PS2/PS3, PC, GameCube, and handheld devices (GameBoy, Nintendo DS).” Students will also learn about audio hardware and software technology used to create and process audio assets, taking on weekly composition assignments that will test their skills in creating adaptive music. The nine-week class will be taught by Lennie Moore, a music composer for video games, film, and television, whose game-related works include Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring, Outcast, and others. The course begins September 22, and has a very limited number of available seats. MP3s of Moore’s work are available for download from his web site. For more information, contact UCLA Extension via the school’s web site.