Video game giant supports PhD student’s non-linear time in music research
28th September 2021
Matt Deegan, a Music and Sound PhD student at the University of Gloucestershire, has been awarded $10,000 by US video game giant Epic Games, to support his innovative research on non-linear time in music composition using computer game software.
Unlike in films or on TV, where the musical score is written with a specific scene in mind and will be the same each time it is played back, sound for a computer game is dependent on user input and will be different each time.
This means that music for the gaming industry, now worth an estimated $300 billion worldwide, needs to be interactive and adaptive – in other words, non-linear – because it is impossible to predict how long a player will spend trying to solve a puzzle or defeat an enemy.
Turning the situation on its head, Matt is carrying out research to find out how computer game software can be utilised to write non-linear music as the game is being played, providing the game player with a unique experience every time they play.
Matt’s study has received $10,000 in funding from Epic Games’ $100 million MegaGrants scheme that aims to support game developers, enterprise professionals and media and entertainment creators. Visit the university website to find out more.