Learning strategies of video game music makers: Informal and school-based learning for online publication

Abstract

Music is an integral part of video games and the cultures that surround them, and the sound of video games enhances the user’s immersive game-play experience. Video game music (VGM) inspires performance and the creation of derivative music in both online and offline contexts. This study was conducted to explore how musicians perceived how helpful various learning strategies were for gaining the skills to publish VGM online. A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire was conducted at Super Music and Gaming Festival™ (Super MAGFest), an annual convention held near Washington DC, to capture data from respondents (n = 137) who were adult musicians who published VGM online. The questionnaire captured the perceived helpfulness of learning strategies at school, other educational institutions, and informal approaches. Descriptive and inferential statistics analyses were made. Respondents found music theory courses in school and informal music learning strategies were among the most helpful learning approaches for attaining the skills they needed to publish VGM online. This article provides a starting point for the further exploration of VGM and informal music learning in the age of the Internet.