Show Notes
Louise Blain reflects on this week’s 2021 Bafta Gaming Awards, talking with the nominees and featuring the music - considering them as a possible litmus test on the shape of gaming in the 2020s. Music featured in the programme is taken from the nominees for the Best Gaming Music category, which are: GHOST OF TSUSHIMA by Ilan Eshkeri, Shigeru Umebayashi, Peter Scaturro; HADES by Darren Korb; THE LAST OF US PART II by Gustavo Santaolalla, Mac Quayle, Scott Hanau; MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES by John Paesano, Scott Hanau, Alex Hackford; ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS by Gareth Coker; and SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE by Jay Waters, Joe Thwaites, Joanna Skorupa. Nominees for the Game of the Year include ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS which has proved such a hit during a year of lockdown. Louise looks at these, and more, listing the winners. In Louise’s words: "Gaming was such a lifeline for so many people over 2020 and the 2021 British Academy Games Awards nominations reflect that. I don't think many of us would feel quite as connected to friends if we hadn't spent months fishing together in Animal Crossing: New Horizons or sharing the emotional web of The Last of Us Part 2. Vitally, 2020's games are a clear indicator of the diversity possible in this industry. I can't wait to explore the incredible scores nominated in the Best Gaming Music category. From the heroic joy of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales to the indie sword-spinning action of Hades, these are soundtracks to define a year like no other."
More from Sound of Gaming
Elle Osili-Wood guides us through the soundtracks for the best robots in video games as well as exploring how AI is being used as both a story-telling device and gameplay mechanic in gaming. Featuring music from Halo Infinite (by Gareth Coker) with themes around human-AI bonds, NieR: Automata (Square Enix Music) which asks what counts as being alive, and Detroit: Become Human (Philip Sheppard) which explores the idea of civil rights for robots. Producer: Barnaby Gordon
Just as it is in the real world, food is a fundamental to many games. It isn't just points, like Pac-Man's cherries, it looks delicious, it sizzles temptingly and it brings people together. Maybe you're Link in Zelda Breath of the Wild - knocking up seafood paella - or Venba, the south Indian mother connecting with her son through the language of cooking, or maybe you are Wilson in Don't Starve trying, well... not to starve. Whatever you play, grab a plate and join Elle Osili-Wood to sample the music of the tastiest games around.
Elle Osili-Wood's guest is composer Wilbert Roget II to talk about his music for the brand new Star Wars game - Star Wars: Outlaws. Along the way we encounter all sorts of other rule-breakers, from the games that challenge our preconceptions about what they are (Dave The Diver, an action adventure which becomes a role-playing game and then a management simulator!) to games that ask the player what rules they are prepared to break (Papers. Please) and Metal Gear Solid, which challenges you to question its own rules. Producer: Barnaby Gordon
Video games have come a long way from the pixels of Pong and Pac-Man. From games based on medieval manuscripts like Inkulinati and Pentiment, to hand-drawn wonders such as Cuphead, games have become works of art in themselves. Some even ask the player to create that art. Elle Osili-Wood dusts off her easel and to illustrate the best of them. Elle's guest on the programme has been involved with a number of such titles - "Chicory: A Colorful Tale" and "Ori and the Will o'the Wisps" - she is the go-to woodwind soloists for game and film composers alike: Kristin Naigus. Producer: Barnaby Gordon
Not only are many games inspired by some of the world's great mythologies, they also set out to create rich mythological type narratives themselves. Elle Osili-Wood reflects this as the latest iteration of the Prince of Persia franchise reaches our screens. Her guests are the game's co-composers - the ground-breaking Iranian musician, Mentrix, and celebrated video game composer Gareth Coker. To listen on most smart speakers, just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Sound of Gaming."