Generative music in video games: State of the art, challenges, and prospects

Abstract

Abstract Music is a common element in almost all video games. Most music in games is written by a human composer, and played as a linear piece behind gameplay. Adaptive and/or Generative music systems can be used to extend the musical content or create new musical content using algorithms and AI. While there is research into these systems, there has yet to be an organized examination of their architecture and use. We present a taxonomy of generative music in games, to allow for examination and discussion of generative music systems. In doing so, we also present a survey of the current state of the art of generative music systems in games, and discuss challenges and prospects of generative music for games.