music Archives – Nerdy Bear Studios

“Inspiration is a funny thing.”: Interview with Hamsterdamm Composer,…

March 22, 2021

A chance message sent our way on our Twitter account, led to a creative working relationship with Will Dodson, composer for film, television, and gaming. He’s a busy guy! But he took some time out of his schedule to talk with us about his inspiration as a game composer, and what he’s most excited about for Hamsterdamm.

Check out our convo!

What got you started in the video game music composing business?

I’ve been a composer since 2007, and since then I’ve had the opportunity to write music for many different forms of media. This includes films, documentaries, themed attractions, escape rooms, interactive media, as well as radio dramas, podcasts, and stand-alone instrumental album releases. However, l recently made the transition to game music, almost exclusively.

What inspires you in the music creation process?

Inspiration is a funny thing. Occasionally, something as simple as the rhythm of my car’s wiper blades can inspire a new musical idea. Other times it can be a more thought-out process. I do find that the best ideas come quickly.

What is your favorite video game music genre?

This is a hard question! If I really have to pick just one genre, it’s the original NES music, specifically Mario Bros. 1-3, and The Legend of Zelda series. Anything Koji Kondo touched is a work of undeniable genius.

Our team is small but full of inspiration, and every person is really trying to create something unique…

What drew you to the Hamsterdamm project?

I love what Nerdy Bear stands for, and the projects in development are absolutely fascinating. When I read the description for Hamsterdamm, and saw that one piece of game art, depicting the game’s lead character, I knew I had to work on this game.

What are you most excited about regarding the Hamsterdamm soundtrack?

The possibilities. To have the opportunity to bring this type of sound to a game like this is super exciting for me. Our team is small but full of inspiration, and every person is really trying to create something unique and special with Hamsterdamm.

To hear more about Hamsterdamm, and Will’s ideas for the music, sign up for our email list to receive our next newsletter!

What other types of projects have you worked on?

In terms of video game music, I’m also the composer for Exibyte Studio’s Isles of Pangaea, Kova Kreative’s Johnny Pompadouri, an upcoming fantasy RPG called Arcadia, as well as co-composer for Glyde the Dragon, from Valefor Games LTD.

I would argue that game music has contributed as much to the arts as film music has, at this point.

What has been the most rewarding thing about working in this industry?

The people. Game people are almost always incredibly talented, endlessly inspired, and focused on doing something cool. When you link up with the right dev, you’re simply making games with your friends. What could be better than that?

Why do you feel that music has such a profound impact on gamers?

Oh man….when done right, it can be that final layer of icing on an incredible immersive experience. I would argue that game music has contributed as much to the arts as film music has, at this point. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t get warm nostalgic feelings when they hear Kondo’s Mario theme, or Tetris, or Final Fantasy, or Zelda…the list goes on and on. Music is the heart and soul of many classic games.

Where can people connect with you online and find your work?

William Dodson, composer for film, television, and media
http://soundcloud.com/william-dodson
On Twitter: @Will_Dodson1

We asked Will a couple of more questions specifically related to Hamsterdamm, its development, and how he plans to bring creativity to the music used. We will share that awesome part of the convo in our next newsletter.

Devlogs

Songs, Ebooks, and a Gaming Mechanic Change-up – Dev…

February 9, 2021February 9, 2021

Can you believe that it is January? Honestly, where in the world does the time go (January has always felt like the longest month to us). Nevertheless, when you are making an indie game, time starts to go at warp speed magically.

So, what are we up to at NBS these days? Well, we have some exciting things going on. Some of it is dev-related, while there are a few non-dev—but just as important—things going on regarding Hamsterdamm and our quest to make it an exceptional indie game experience. Check out our updates for early Feb:

What Will Hamsterdamm Sound Like?

As we all know, music—and audio in general—in a game matters. What would Silent Hill be like without that creepily ambient soundtrack? Would Mario still hit the same without that chime sound effect every time you get a coin? Well, we are one step closer to creating a sound that accurately conveys the vibe and story of Hamsterdamm.

We have the first song that is going to be included in the game. Will Dodson, music composer for countless video games, films, television projects, and other media, produced an exceptional track for our debut game.

Hamsterdamm has a film-noir/detective vibe, and we wanted the music to convey that. However, we didn’t want to go full-on Hollywood dramatic. While 1920s Old Hollywood and Dick Tracy influences the look and story, we still wanted it to have a whimsical feel. The final result was an eclectic electro-pop and swing mix (think Postmodern Jukebox). Music will be at the heart of this game, and Dodson gave us an exceptional piece to begin shaping the audio world of Hamsterdamm around.

Check out this sample 🙂

Dodson definitely captured our vision. We can’t wait to build on this and start to see how else music is going to be playing a role in this game 😉

Are You Signed Up to the Email List? An E-Book Awaits

We are still early in the process, but we have been discussing the idea for Hamsterdamm for the past few years. With that, we have gone through quite a few concept images. So, we took some of those drawings and pixel art and created a free mini-ebook that charts the journey we have made so far. We have included this ebook as a free gift for those who sign up for our email list.

Hamsterdamm Cover Art E-book — Hamsterdamm ebook cover art

If you are interested in the beginnings of a new indie game company or want to keep up-to-date on what’s happening with our projects, we invite you to sign-up. We only send updates twice a month (at the most), and you will be in the running for some freebies and have first dibs (do we even say that anymore? lol) on testing and demos. Again, as a thank you for signing up, we will be sending a free ebook your way.

Sign Up for the NBS Email List here

A New Gameplay Mechanic?

Well, we are happy to say that actual development has begun on the game. A schematic is being produced to test out the features. At first, we were going for a traditional 2D pixelated playing experience, where players control the characters and their movements. However, while the player’s actions will still impact the character, we have altered this gameplay dynamic a bit.

We have decided to really put the audio component of the game front-and-center, which means it will impact how you play. We don’t want to fully give away this new mechanic as we are still tweaking it and figuring out if it works, but rest assured that music will have a significant part to play in the gameplay.

That’s a lot to be excited about. As cool new things come along, we will be sharing them with you. Thanks for coming along on our journey!