WaveGroup principal composer Scott Dugdale
gives games a pulse with his musical talents

I had to meet the fam-damily the other night for my Dad’s birthday and, as usual, I was running late. I was already on the freeway before I realized I’d left my iPod charger at home, but it was too late to turn around, so I flipped over to the CD player and hoped for the best. The music was good. Actually, it was really good, but I had no idea what CD it was. Fountains of Wayne maybe? Hmm ‚Ķ I skipped to the first track. That one sounded Avril Lavigne-esque. The next track started like the typical crank-it-up-while-you-cry-into-your-pillow-because-he-didn’t-ask-you-to-
the-dance kind of song. What the heck was this? I ejected the CD to see what it was and suddenly, everything made total sense. It was a CD I’d gotten from WaveGroup’s principal composer Scott Dugdale with the soundtrack he’d written for Brooktown High – a sim game for the PSP. I gotta give Scott props. I didn’t realize there was a CD that could completely embody high school through sound, but apparently, it was in my CD player.

Listening to Scott’s music out of the context of the game made me think how cool it is that video game technology has advanced enough to provide us with so much more than the 4 bar, 8 note loops we heard back in the day. Not that there’s anything wrong with classics like the theme to Super Mario Bros. or the amazing artists it has inspired, but you’ve got to admire the composers like Scott who can create radio play-worthy tracks for our games. These are the people make our gaming experiences more immersive and memorable.

Scott also sent me a disk with the soundtrack for Online Chess Kingdoms – another PSP title. This soundtrack is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the indie-pop, makin’ out in the hall before the bell rings kind of sound he created for Brooktown High. In Chess Kingdoms, tracks vary from glow stick-demanding techno-ish stuff to complex orchestral arrangements that seem unworldly when partnered with the ethereal voice of Sheida Ansari (who can not only sing, but ‚Äì as you can see over there on the left ‚Äì is also really, really, really ridiculously good-looking).

Video game music is consistently getting better. I haven’t met a single person who played God of War 2 who won’t admit (although usually sheepishly) that they sang along to the operatic theme at least once. Now, games are enhanced with music recorded by huge orchestras and choirs instead of being limited to beeps and boops. Is this a trend we should keep our eyes on? I sure think so. Video Games Live founders Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall developed a world-traveling symphonic show honoring an ever-growing list of complex video game scores like those found in World of Warcraft, Halo and Kingdom Hearts – finally validating to so many miseducated non-gamers that video games can be art – not only visually, but musically. That’s important.

And can we talk about video game music without mentioning the awesomeness of the Guitar Hero series? I think not. Scott Dugdale was one of the peeps with WaveGroup who made it possible for us to wail like rock stars in living rooms across America. You can click the image below to take a look at this 6-minute long making of Guitar Hero II RAWKumentary:

So, the next time you pop in a game, take a minute to listen to the way it sounds. Scott, WaveGroup and all the other musically talented folks out there work their butts off to make sure that your games offer a complete sensory experience, and I say they’re doing a fine job of it. Cheers to all the folks who suffered through middle school band nerd jokes and continued your musical education to bring us the amazing scores we have today. I salute you.

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A bit of Scott Dugdale’s history:
Music has always been a part of Scott’s life. His parents actually met in their high school band (aww) and they both became professional musicians. Following suit, Scott began piano lessons at age 7 and drum/percussion instruction at age 8. His first professional gig was at the ripe old age of 10 (YES, TEN) with his dad, and he has been performing and composing ever since. In addition to games, Scott has composed music and themes for film, television, commercials, and documentaries, including scores for The Travel Channel, PBS, Konami, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Cisco Systems and is currently the principal composer at WaveGroup. For music samples, make sure you visit Scott on MySpace at: MySpace.com/ScottDugdaleMusic