Soundtrack and gestures

As I sit here with the comforting knowledge of graduating from university life, I am left with a problem: What do I write about on this blog? With the deadline of Wednesday coming, I guess I will be pondering about the combined effect of soundtrack and gestures have in enhancing one's experience in gaming.

Having started playing Witcher 3 and watched some cutscenes on Youtube, I can say that Witcher 3 has quality in terms of crafting characters and their stories. [MILD SPOILER WARNING HERE] One cutscene (depicting Geralt (the main character) and Ciri (his adopted daughter) in their reunion) is particularly well-done, almost making me tear up with how heart-rending the first sections are. The soundtrack was able to bring up the despair and sorrow of the moment with the second half being uplifting and heart-warming. The silent gestures of Geralt enhances the moment with the hesitance and eventually clear despair at discovering the apparent death of Ciri along with how he rocks back and forth in his tearful embrace of an apparently dead Ciri. [SPOILERS OVER] I actually felt genuinely sad as I watched the moment. The animators and sound directors did a brilliant job in that moment which got me thinking about the relevance of good soundtrack and silent gestures in conveying the emotions of the moment and making it something that the player can experience. (If you can, go watch the cutscene if you don't mind some spoilers)

While Witcher 3 is the only video game example I can think of right now that uses both soundtrack and gestures to enhance one's experience in gaming, I do recall the effect of good soundtracks on other mediums. Soundtrack like Morrowind and Silent Hill 2 are able to enhance the gameplay by having the soundtrack that flows well with the visuals around. For Morrowind, the soundtrack conveys the sense of mystery and adventure in a visually alien land that makes a player seek to explore the world around. I have used the Morrowind soundtrack as music for walking around in real life (though the combat music is jarring music for a morning walk). As for Silent Hill, the soundtrack itself is absent for a majority of actual gameplay, allowing for the conveyance of isolation and entrapment as you wonder a fog-covered town that is populated by inhuman abominations. When it does play, it is able to convey the emotions of the moment (see True and Theme of Laura Reprise) with the hope spots and eventual fall into despair appearing. It is melancholic in its essence and well-executed in the actual game. I have used Silent Hill 2's soundtrack as evening walk music (though the soundtrack titled Betrayal has caused me to flee in terror from the sight of other people in those short walks). In my opinion, a good soundtrack enhances the experience as the emotions conveyed in a moment are expressed audibly and when it is not jarring, it is more likely to bring up the intended emotions. Games with jarring soundtrack (a horror game with pop song) may not do so, unless the game is intended as a parody of the genre or is plainly bad.

When it comes to gestures, I can't really think of any video game examples right now so I will instead elaborate on why I think gestures play an important word. While it is nice to know how a character feels in a particular moment through vocal expressions, there are times when too much is being expressed vocally. Take the Star Wars Prequels for instance with shoddy writing due to George Lucas having difficulty in writing dialogue. Some lines spoken ("I am truly, deeply in love with you") are too long-winded and in execution, are cringe-worthy at their very least while at their worst, they make fans rage in disgust (for examples of the latter, search the Internet). A silent gesture, conveyed through body language, has just as much impact as a mouthful of exposition and in some cases, it conveys the emotions of the character better. In the original version of Return of the Jedi (SPOILER WARNING HERE), Vader's emotional conflict is conveyed by the actor's silent movements with only his body and head moving, showing that the Sith Lord is struggling with the man he had been previously. In the sequence where the Emperor is torturing Luke to death, the struggle within Vader reaches it's boiling point whereby it is conveyed by his body turning to face the Emperor and Luke who is pleading for aid. When Vader finally chooses to save Luke, it is made even more powerful by the lack of dialogue making it as though Vader is already certain of his decision and has no need to affirm in vocally. (SPOILERS OVER) The latest versions however have him shouting big NOs repeatedly, that weakens the whole moment for me and makes me think that Lucas's favourite word is "NO". As I previously mentioned, gestures (silent ones included) can enhance one's experience in a game as the emotions are still being conveyed and sometimes, it is more powerful due to a lack of dialogue (with the potential of enhancing the experience beyond the intended level). It works in other visual mediums as well and can be used to avoid the line from being an overly exaggerated mess.

Now, I have to wonder on how to pack my bags for the return journey.

P.S: I recommend listening to Theme of Laura, Dimensions (from the soundtrack of Her), the Ending Theme of To the Moon. Each one worth a listen (except for To the Moon if you dislike melancholic themes)