Xbox Solution recently had the opportunity to speak with Acclaim Entertainment's Composer and Audio Producer Nelson Everhart in his Cincinnati, Ohio studio on such topics as children, music, ESRB Ratings, parenting, and more.
Nelson Everhart at "work."
Xbox Solution: When you compose your music, do you think of the type of game you are composing for? Or do you play a preliminary version of the game and the music comes to you?
Nelson Everhart: Ideally, I play early versions of the game and develop the sound of the game as the game progresses. Occasionally, necessity dictates that I write "blind," without seeing the game, but I try to discuss the sound with the producers and designers before I start to get a really solid idea of what they're expecting. Many times, that will be way too many influences to weave together, so I'll pick the direction I'm most comfortable with and try to show everyone my way is the best way.
Xbox Solution: How does the music creation vary when composing music for titles rated E versus M, and so on?
Nelson Everhart: If you compose interesting exciting music, both kids and adults will respond to it. Many M-rated games use licensed music, tunes from bands you hear on the radio, so often the M material is in the lyrics, but I think there's a lot of freedom with music to not be tied down by a rating. The controversial GTA [Grand Theft Auto] used licensed tunes from the eighties, and though the gameplay was mature, the music was what you would hear on the radio at the time. Music creates an atmosphere for a world to exist in; it colors the world and fills in the gaps, but doesn't necessarily play a direct role in the gameplay.
Xbox Solution: How proactive is Acclaim in the use of ESRB Ratings and do you personally play a role in it?
Nelson Everhart: Our CEO, Greg Fischbach, served as Chair on the board of the IDSA (Interactive Digital Software Association, now the ESA) that created the ESRB in 1994. Acclaim has been a member and practiced its ratings guidelines since the beginning. Our Web page has link on the front page called "OK To Play?" that links to a description of the ratings system, and all of our online sales clearly note the rating. I'm occasionally asked to make "radio edits" for some licensed tunes we use in our games.
Xbox Solution: Could you tell us a bit about Red Star and what type of music you are working on for this upcoming title?
Nelson Everhart: The Red Star game is based on a great comic book by the same name. It's a totally unique world where a parallel-universe Russian military uses magic in combination with industrial warfare. So you've got huge warships, tanks, and magical weapons all at your disposal. The game itself is a third-person action, and it has this old-school gameplay feel ... it sort of brings Contra into the future. But behind it is this epic tale of heroes and their destiny. I had the opportunity to meet the comic's creator, Christian Gossett, and aside from being a great guy (he signed my comic!), he had a great vision for what the Red Star world should sound like. The soundtrack is always big, but it combines elements of epic movie score, the patriotic overtones of a national anthem, and the adrenaline-pounding pulse of some guitar-driven industrial techno. It took awhile to find a way to combine all of that.
I'm using more guitar in my music since I just recently learned to play. Writing with it is an excellent way to improve playing. If anyone wants to learn to play an instrument, I'd recommend recording yourself and hearing what you need to do to improve. Often, if your brain is busy making your fingers or lips or hands or feet do things, it can't hear the problem areas.
Xbox Solution: What genres/titles have you composed for recently?
Nelson Everhart: I got to work with Michael Giacchino, the composer for the Alias TV series, on ourAlias game. The game is a mission-based action-adventure combining combat and stealth. I only did some incidental composition, but getting to emulate Michael's sound was very educational, and a rare privilege, given how few people get to write music on a hit TV show. It was also a cool process where Michael would compose tunes for a level, send them to me over the Internet, and I would record amazing live soloists (some from the Cincinnati Symphonic Orchestra ... the bassoonist played for John Williams!) and send them back to him for mixing. The Internet is a fabulous tool for music collaboration!
I also wrote the title track for NBA Jam, which is an amazingly fun little arcade-style three-on-three hoops game. What was amazing was that funk legend Bootsy Collins, who does the commentary for the seventies era in the game, actually contributed to my tune and wrote a couple of tracks for the game! Having been a funkateer since the way back, I was honored beyond belief! He's a crazy nice guy.
All-Star Baseball 2005 was just released. I got to have some fun with that ... there are four countries represented, so I got to arrange each national anthem. The development team also got bored of the same old “Star Spangled Banner” playing before each game, so I started thinking that in real Major League stadiums they get big name music acts to come and play or sing the anthem. Garth Brooks, Pavorotti, a great guitar soloist ... so I made a list of different groups and performers who might play and tried to emulate that performing style in the anthem.
Xbox Solution: We know you make music for all types of games; what is your personal favorite and why?
Nelson Everhart: I generally like writing for larger action games. The longer form means you can work some dynamics into your music (building up tension and releasing it as the game progresses). The months of work involved also mean you really get to evolve a concrete sound, a vibe, for the game. The music starts sounding less like a collection of tunes, and more like one long piece, with different movements. But in practice, if you spend too much time hanging out in one style, you get a little redundant, so I like having multiple projects to bounce back and forth to. I get to write serious orchestral music, and then a little pop tune, and then arrange the Japanese national anthem!
Xbox Solution: Do you personally feel the ESRB ratings are effective and useful for the gaming industry and parents?
Nelson Everhart: They are as effective as the parents who enforce them. Parents who complain about objectionable content in video games only have to turn over the box and look at the ESRB rating to be informed enough to make the judgment call on whether their child should play a game. Even rental stores have the ESRB rating printed on the spine of the box!
I think the most effective strategy, though, is for parents to sit down and play games with their kid, not use it as a babysitter. Games are increasingly social these days, so what perfect opportunity to get to interact with your child and learn about the games!
Xbox Solution: How do you feel about how some industries and political arenas perceive the gaming industry?
Nelson Everhart: Most of the industry feels the same way about it. It’s a convenient target for politicians looking for a vote from parents who aren't as involved in their children's lives as they should be. The way we look at video games needs to be the same as the way we look at movies: There are some appropriate for children, and there are some appropriate for adults, and there are a bunch in between that need to be judged on a case-for-case basis. The average age for a gamer is now 29, so it can't be viewed as just a children's domain anymore.
Xbox Solution: Do you generally think about the audience as you’re composing a piece?
Nelson Everhart: I don't believe that I'm consciously focusing on one audience when I write. I'm usually trying to serve the mood of the game, to create an appropriate vibe. Having said that, I don't often get a chance to write lyrics, which is where most objectionable musical content seems to be. Instrumental music (without lyrics) is a very expressive art, and it's also very interpretive ... it "means" what the audience translates it to "mean", so I'm a little more free to write what I feel is right for the game.
Xbox Solution: What are your thoughts on early childhood gaming?
Nelson Everhart: The current state of gaming is very engaging. You can appeal to sight, sound, and touch (force feedback, rumble pads). I think it's an excellent opportunity for fully engaging a young child's attention, and therefore creating a more memorable experience, which is what teaching should be about. It shouldn't be the only way kids learn new material though. Learning is a life skill, and they have to be able to learn from all kinds of media.
Xbox Solution: Are you a parent? What are your thoughts on parental controls, and should all consoles and platforms support some sort of parental control within the games?
Nelson Everhart: Yes, I have two boys ages 10 and 15. I support parental controls for when a parent can’t be there, but I think being involved in your child's gaming is much more effective.
Xbox Solution: Do you feel that your music helps youngsters and adults become more involved and get more out of a game?
Nelson Everhart: My favorite Simpsons moment was when Groundskeeper Willie saved Homer from an awkward situation. At the end of the episode, a tabloid news show on TV plays a segment about Willie, targeting him as the bad guy instead. In typical fashion, Homer goes right along with it. Marge chastises him for it, reminding him that Willie had saved him. Homer replies: "But listen to the music! He's evil!"
That lengthy example is what I love about writing music. Music works on such a subconscious level. It creates such diverse feelings as dread, elation, excitement, sorrow ... it's such a flexible and effective medium to impart information to your audience, and it works almost imperceptibly! Dollar for dollar, it's probably the most inexpensive and effective method of communicating a feeling to your audience. In combination with visual media, it's even stronger.
I think kids probably get more out of it than adults do because kids generally let an experience wash right over them, whereas adults have all sorts of filters we've picked up through life.
Adult: "Oh, that monster is so fake! I can see the wires!" Child: "Whoa, scary!"
The adult's reaction is based on facts, and the child's on gut-level emotion. So to appeal to both of them, music needs to be appealing both intellectually and emotionally. I think that's something you're always striving for as a composer ... something that elicits a strong emotion while also being good music.
Xbox Solution: Well no interview with a composer would be complete without a couple of music tunes, so sit back and enjoy some of these tracks from Nelson Everhart!
Nelson Everhart: This is the demo I wrote for Vexx, when it was a little more child friendly. The sound darkened more in the final, but this demo remains a favorite of mine.
Nelson Everhart: This is the NBA Jam theme, complete with vocals that aren't featured in the game. Bootsy Collins lends his talents toward catching that P-Funk party vibe.
Nelson Everhart: This is a demo I did for Red Star. It captures the nationalistic sound we wanted for the game while also retaining that epic movie score thing. The soundtrack of the gameplay is much more industrial techno, but the cinemas have this orchestral thing going on.
