Can music effect level creation?

[BlahYourHamster]

Can listening to music effect the way your level turns out?

Say if you were listening to up-beat happy tunes, you think your level will turn out all happy and colourful, rather than if you were listening to heavy-rock metal... Which it may turn out to be a dark, scary level!

Or maybe even listening to music you don't like, would that effect your level?

I propose an experiment!, Obviously it'd be hard to do this as you'd have to be completely un-aware that you're taking part in an experiment!...

Perhaps asking a family member to create stuff for an hour or so, with some happy up-beat songs... And then again a few days later with some deep hardcore heavy metal songs blasting away!... And compare the results!

Any volunteers?

[rtm223]

Say if you were listening to up-beat happy tunes, you think your level will turn out all happy and colourful, rather than if you were listening to heavy-rock metal... Which it may turn out to be a dark, scary level!

Not really. One of my projects ATM is a very slow, methodical puzzler, and I created a large chunk of that whilst listening to dimmu borgir*. I didn't even once call upon satan to help me out, or consider murdering anyone either

Honestly, I have music in the background pretty much every minute of my waking life and I listen to all sorts of stuff. I really don't believe that what music I'm listening to has that much effect on my emotional state and in create mode I generally create roughly what I was intending to, regardless of the music playing.

*very heavy, hectic black metal, for those of you unfamiliar with their work

[Syroc]

It has an effect on my creation process that pretty much looks like you described it.

[samalot]

since i dont plan my levels... which i probably should.

I can get inspired along the way, such things as music (and other things).

not sure about the theme but it has inspired fight sets and adventure levels before

[Fallonjam]

I don't think it affects how you create really, I normally create to what I planned to, and I don't change the theme/style in the middle, just because of music xD But I wouldn't really know, the only music I normally have in the background while creating is the level music, which normally fits the style of what I'm creating.. It might influence your ideas and concepts before you actually begin to create the level, because of what mood you are in, sometimes music gives me ideas and changes what sort of style of level I'm thinking about. But once you have started the level and have a basic idea, i dno't think it affects it..

[CCubbage]

Music can affect your frame of mind.... frame of mind can affect creativity.... so could music affect level creation? Sure. However, MOST things surrounding you can affect level creation or anything else in your life.

So........ the point is, everything can affect everything.


For proof.... consult the book "Dirk Gentley's Wholistic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams. Case in point - in the book Dirk Gentley is a detective who believes in the interconnectedness of all things. Therefore, everything is pernenant in the solving of the case. For instance, if he is lost on a mountain road, he will follow the first car he sees. He probably won't end up where he wanted to go.... but he will end up where he should have been going.

[Nuclearfish]

Most of the time I listen to the music that'll go in the level as I'm creating. I don't think Sacky Potter would have turned out the way it did had I hadn't been listening to Cries in the Wind and the Wilderness Int muisc almost the whole time to get me in the right mood. But for other things I can listen to anything and it doesn't makle a lot of difference. Really depends what the level is.

[talbot-trembler]

Well I listen to My Little Pony's Theme Song all the time, my levels are terrifying!

[Ungreth•]

Music definitely influences my creative flow.

I listened to a lot of dark and miserable music while building Tenement, and look how that one turned out.