Developing an Adaptive Music System for Video Games: Enhancing Immersion and Engagement Through Interactive Music

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the development of an adaptive music system for video games that aims to enhance the player's sense of immersion and engagement. The author explores the state of the art in this field, namely the various approaches to generative and interactive music, also delving into the history of music in video games, its role in creating an immersive gaming experience and different methods of evaluating the effectiveness of these systems. The study delves into the different approaches to generative music, including procedural and algorithmic music, and the role of Markov chains in creating musical sequences. Interactive music for video games is also extensively analyzed, with particular emphasis on adaptive music - the most prevalent form of interactive music - highlighting horizontal and vertical layering techniques. The discussion extends to generative music and random music systems adapted for video games, providing a comparative analysis that weighs up their advantages and disadvantages. The dissertation goes beyond conventional studies, introducing several current examples of popular products on the market and innovative approaches that use multiple interactive music systems in a symbiotic way. In addition, the author discusses performance systems designed to automate the interpretation and reproduction of pre-existing music. Subsequently, objective and subjective methods are proposed to analyze the effectiveness of the system and its ability to enhance immersiveness during gameplay. This analysis is done through the analysis of concrete data and a questionnaire based on the Game Experience Questionnaire (Poels, 2013). In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art of interactive music systems for video games and their potential to enhance the player experience.