Call for Presentations (AMS Joint Session with Ludomusicology)
The Intersection of Games, Screen Media, and Music
Music, screen media, and games of all sorts (including video games, tabletop games, etc.) have overlapped in numerous ways for many years. Consider, for example, the film Jumanji (1995), based on a fictional board game sucking the players into the action, with music by esteemed composer James Horner to set the tone. Or maybe go back to early television days, where the TV show Winky Dink and You encouraged children to solve games by literally drawing on their (covered) television screen, expressed by the show’s theme song. More recent examples include the jazz-infused videogame world of Cuphead, designed to emulate 1930s animated characters (and then turned into a streaming show), and the bard’s choice of music in the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (based on the classic role-playing game).
These and other intersections have become increasingly relevant in current musicological studies. Considerations related to media mix show up regularly in conferences (especially those related to anime). The numerous films, shows, and games (along with their music) related to Star Wars is such a large topic that the University of Texas – Austin devoted an entire course to the subject. Gone are the days where one could study a film or game in isolation; one must study it in context – including its relation to other media – to fully understand it. Screen media and ludomusicology scholars are starting to take notice of this, as evidenced by Scoggin and Plank’s volume The Intersection of Animation, Video Games, and Music: Making Movement Sing and Anatone and Powell’s upcoming volume The Convergence and Divergence of Music in Video Games and Film. Yet much more can be said on this.
Thus, the AMS Music and Media Study Group and the AMS Ludomusicology Study Group invite members of both groups to submit a proposal for short (7-10 minute) prerecorded presentations that examine the intersection of games and other media (e.g., movies, television, animation, YouTube, etc.), with a focus on the music. Subtopics may include, but are not limited to:
- Intermediality of video games and screen media within a single work (e.g., people vying for the prize via virtual reality games in the film Ready Player One or the use of 1930s style animation for characters in Cuphead)
- Adaptation of video games to screen media or adaptation of screen media to video games
- YouTube, TikTok, or other streaming media that discusses video game music
- YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming media for video game Let’s Play streams
- Considerations of composing for video games vs. composing for screen media
- Filmed commercials or advertisements for video games
- Experiences that blur the boundaries between video games and television
- Tabletop RPG broadcasts (e.g., Dungeons & Dragons, Critical Role, etc.)
Use this link to submit your proposal via Google Forms. Your proposal should include the title, an abstract of no more than 250 words, and a short (2-3 item) bibliography. Do NOT include any identifying information in the proposal. Please submit the proposal as a PDF using the form below. Proposals are due by Saturday, February 28th, at 11:59 PM PST. If you have any questions, please contact gamemusicstudies@gmail.com or musicandmedia.ams@gmail.com.
We plan to notify selected participants around March 10, 2026. Please note that presenters must have active membership with the American Musicological Society and register for the 2026 Virtual Conference by the time of the conference in order to present.