Tag Archives: audio

Polygamer #99: Ludomusicologist Dr. Dana Plank

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Dr. Dana Plank is a ludomusicologist, devoted to the study of video game music and sound. She has researched how game audio is used to represent disability, sensuality, gender, and exoticism, and she has been interviewed for books, podcasts, and MAGFest panels about games including Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario RPG. Her current studies include Celeste; That Dragon, Cancer; and Untitled Goose Game. She is also a co-organizer of the North American Conference On Video Game Music 2020, scheduled to be held online this April 4–5.

In this interview, Dr. Plank and I explore the origin of ludomusicology, and what it is that ludomusicologists do; the academic route that led her to study ludomusicology and 8/16-bit games in particular; how technological constraints breed creativity, and how the interactivity of modern soundtracks distinguish them from cinematic scores; how silence can be a powerful indicator that something has gone wrong; how to use video games as a music-teaching tool; how COVID-19 has affected NACVGM; and what books she recommends in this academic field of study.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Links mentioned in this episode:

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:21:13 — 38.0MB) | Embed

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Polygamer show goes audio-only

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Thank you to everyone who’s been listening to Polygamer since the show launched in July! In less than three months, we’ve had guests on the podcast discussing feminism, cultural gatekeeping, LGBT issues, indie development, and gender-inclusive game design — and we’ve barely scratched the surface. In the coming months, I’ll be talking with industry and community leaders about mental health, ableism, imbuing games with social value, and cyberbullying.

To ensure Polygamer is accessible to as many guests and as wide an audience as possible, all future episodes will be available as audio only. If you’re already subscribed on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, you don’t need to change a thing! The only difference is that there will no longer be YouTube videos accompanying each show. The video edition served primarily to market the show’s debut to my existing audience of 35,000+ YouTube subscribers. It did not add significant value to the Polygamer experience, and so, with it having served its purpose, I’m happy to retire it. Gamebits’ YouTube channel will continue to host my other podcast, IndieSider, as well as Let’s Plays and unboxings.

If you have any feedback about Polygamer — compliments or complaints, guest nominations or death threats — please fill out the contact form, or hit me up on Twitter. There are tons of great content and conversations coming, so stay tuned!