Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538144
50 M PS E . O R G game player's actions and create an interactive mix that changes with each player. If the player is losing, maybe the sound effects pull back a bit to let the emotion of the moment come through. You're not going to make it, and the game knows it, so it dials into the emotional tone. On the flip side, if you are entering a big creature battle or a chaotic shootout, maybe that emotional motif does not belong there. It will just get lost or clash with the action. That is where intelligent, interactive music systems shine. In a way, the music in the game engine becomes like a giant version of Ableton. The system is triggering changes, bringing the melody in or pulling it out, based on the gameplay in real time. That kind of control really enhances emotional interactivity. When the game is set up for interactive music, it is fantastic. When it is not, the composer needs to know what their role is. Sometimes the music just needs to provide rhythm and pace, driving the scene. Think about John Powell. Some of his film scores are brilliant at driving tension within a scene, allowing dialogue and FX to play their roles. That approach can work beautifully in games too. Another example is the opening shot or sequence into a new world or establishing a location for the first time. That is when the music and the visuals carry emotional information. You can be in awe or in dread, creating the emotional establishing shot—cueing the audience what they are getting into. Getting in Early: Laying the Foundation for a Sonic World "We weren't just talking about sound design—we were asking how to make the world feel emotionally grounded from moment to moment." It's exciting to think about how everything is converging, especially as games take the lead in telling deeper, more layered stories. When you were working on titles like Gears of War or The Last of Us, were you brought in early on? What did those early conversations look like in terms of shaping the audio direction? Scott: Gears of War, no. The Last of Us, a little bit. On the first one, I jumped in and brought in Shannon Potter to lead the effort while I took on more of a creative director role. Phil Kovats and I worked closely in those early stages. We had a lot of conversations about our approach: what our team should handle, what the tone should be, and how to bridge the in-game and cinematic moments so it all felt like one cohesive universe. Phil had a great team, and he is a smart and talented guy. We talked a lot about theoretical and philosophical Pinocchio Team L-R: Andrew Vernon, Chris Richardson, Guillermo de Torro, Scott Gershin, Mark Gustafson, 2022. Pinocchio team MPSE Awards: L-R: Andrew Vernon, Scott Gershin, Chris Richardson, Dan Gamache, Masanobu "Tomi" Tomita. 2023