Library Scope
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Below you will find minor restrictions and additional information on what pieces are the best fit for our library and in what direction we plan to develop.

Musicality

Help us be neutral as for what is music or what is good music. Let’s also not venture into whether music games should be “high art” or “entertainment”, or whether such a distinction is at all meaningful.

Yet, the game in the library needs to result in new sounds produced (not only cause a shift of attention towards existing ones or provide knowledge about music). Games may, but don’t have to involve a performance within an established tradition, may or may not have easily recognizable organization or expressivity, but they should let players have the agency over the sound result.

General authorial intent: player’s experience

Shaping a distinct performer’s experience should be considered the most important result of an in-library game. A rich concept or a spectacle are here secondary.

Playtesting — Part of game development process where you check what the actual game experience is. Key phase of iterative design.

We believe that achieving the above aim is impossible without playtesting. If your game was not tried out by a diverse group of players, our forum is a great place to look for playtesters.

The character of a game experience might be diverse (even “merely” educational), but here at G4M no instructional score should put a performer in any risk of harm. As a rule of thumb think that children, although not our main target group, should not be excluded from participating.

Technical matters, to some definitions

We encourage the usage of the least demanding solutions as for equipment (pen and paper, hand gestures, etc.). Consider using such at least as a variant to broaden the player base.

Linear, fixed activities are not excluded from Games for Music but make sure these are complemented with other playful features, for example challenge or social interaction. Graphic scores (without an explicit system of rules) may be added, but in time might form a separate sub-section of the collection.

Let’s stay in touch

If you don’t find a match with musicgames.wikidot.com (for example if you are a professional composer, who expects to get payed for every input), just have a look around, maybe something will inspire your future work, and let's connect through social media, G4M is on Mastodon: http://tabletop.vip/@gamesformusic


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