Grammy Campers® Enter The Video Game World Of EA by Sarah Tither-Kaplan

The GRAMMY Campers® got to tour EA Los Angeles and discover new realms of opportunity in the music industry.

As Campers walked around the EA Los Angeles headquarters marveling at the 3-D models of Medal of Honor landscapes, the concepts for new game worlds, and learning about the basic processes of creating video games, most were momentarily distracted from thinking about preparing for careers in the music industry. Campers discussed their favorite “first person shooters,” their most memorable “level-ups,” and the embarrassing fact that even accomplished musicians such as themselves have been “powned” (defeated) by EA’s Rock Band.

However, as soon as campers were led to the small corner of the building that houses EA’s music department and EA’s “Artwerk” record label, featuring artists such as Datarock, Junkie XL, and Matt and Kim, they found a reason to be a little more optimistic about their futures in the industry. The EA tour guide discussed the integral role that musicians play in game development. Composers are needed to create “interstitial music” for game play and songs from every genre of music can be chosen to enhance the gaming experience and even used as the theme for industry top sellers. Many of the otherwise unknown artists whose songs have been featured in video games are able to gain notoriety and the support of dedicated and diverse fan bases once their work becomes the soundtrack to a game.

Even though finding a way “in” for most aspiring musicians is by no means a cakewalk, GRAMMY Campers were fortunate enough to learn that careers in music can be made in even the most unexpected places.