Back when games like Pong were still all the rage, the ’soundtrack’ production was an afterthought. All video game developers needed was a keyboard that could made midis, and they were all set. But with the innovations that have been made with graphics, developers realized that they needed soundtracks to match. The makers of the new Disney video game, ‘Epic Mickey,’ decided that they need an over the top soundtrack, so they hired a well known composer named Jim Dooley. You may not think that you know who he is, but if you own a television, you have heard his work. Although he was up for the challenge, Dooley admits that coming up for the soundtrack to a video game means taking a different approach.
If a composer is not careful, he or she risks creating a soundtrack that will end up going a predictable loop. Gamers may end up liking the songs a great deal, but only shortly before getting sick of hearing them altogether. Dooley decided that the perfect soundtrack for Epic Mickey would need to be played according to the main character’s actions and emotions. Instead of creating a song list, he had the game developers code the game so that the soundtrack would be cued according to what Mickey does. While Dooley didn’t change how he normally writes, he did test out his songs on targeted gamers to see what their reactions were. Once he was able to ascertain their overall opinions, he began to create a system that matched individual songs to parts of Mickey’s personality and trademark characteristics.
