ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Rachel Wattanarungsikajorn
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Anyone can benefit from a fictional world, as it serves as a temporary escape from reality. People indulge in fiction through media such as books, TV shows, movies, and video games. Though negative stigma often surrounds video games, the worlds we explore in these games are just as enriching of an experience.
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Originally, this Capstone project was focused on the composition of video game music, with an emphasis on the cognitive associations with storytelling. I take most inspiration from Masayoshi Soken, a video game composer for the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, as he has won a Guinness World Record for most composed pieces for a video game. Each piece he has composed serves a specific purpose in-game, and I intended to analyze what exactly made a piece suit a purpose like that. I wanted to create a survey asking people to guess what they thought pieces were for in a video game using solely the music, with no context whatsoever. If they can correctly guess the function behind the music, it supports the idea that music can be cognitively paired with storytelling. (Hershenson, Schweitzer) Video games would be half the experience without the music that was composed to guide the emotions the player should be feeling while they are immersed in an unfamiliar and familiar world.
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Because of the pandemic and a broken laptop, I had to change my Capstone to something I could create using an old PC I have back at home. I plan to showcase the multiple art forms required to create a video game, and their effects on the gamer. As the conductor of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra at UMD, I aim to show that video games have the same artistic values and benefits as movies, TV shows, books, and other things that are held in higher regard. The art forms required to make a typical video game include: music, digital/visual art, literature/story-building, etc.
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I will focus on and create the aforementioned forms. The goal is to create a website showcases the world I created, similar to the online exhibits video game companies create to promote their game.
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Because many other parts of pop culture, such as movies and TV shows, utilize the same art forms as video games (concept art, soundtrack composition, storytelling, etc.), anyone who is a fan of movies, TV, and video games alike can relate and understand this project. The original plan of creating a survey remained (which can be taken here), and I have already gained a lot of data that supports my hypothesis. I plan to continue to gain data from people who have no experience with video games and organize my data in a cohesive way that shows the amount of correct guesses per piece.
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This project couldn't have been completed without the encouragement and feedback from the Arts Scholars community, including my advisors and peers. And especially Heather.
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