Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Video game music has long established its own body of literature and masterworks deserving study. Most of these iconic titles originate in Japan, from Super Mario and Chrono Trigger, to Final Fantasy and Touhou. In this talk, Eric Ye demystifies the Japanese approach to VGM Composition and gives a crash course on how to study video game music and essential skills for composers to practice their craft. He explains fundamental techniques employed by master composers by breaking down several "hits" of VGM literature through the three available methods of score study: lead sheets/piano arrangements, form charts, and MIDI transcriptions, demystifying the structure and compositional aspects of Japanese VGM. Drawing from his extensive experience in teaching Japanese VGM, he will discuss highly practical exercises such as transcribing and modeling, and demonstrate how VGM compositional techniques can be applied. Through this talk, Eric hopes to promote the study of game music literature with the same level of seriousness and rigor as with the classical and jazz musical traditions, and also help game composers and general audiences better understand the Japanese approach to game composition.
MAGFest is run by MAGFest, Inc., a volunteer-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the appreciation of video games, video game culture, and video game music. We achieve this through numerous events, such as Super MAGFest, MAGWest, MAGStock, and Bit Gen Gamer Fest. We also support other not-for-profit organizations, such as Child’s Play. Learn more at https://magfest.org.
Video game music has long established its own body of literature and masterworks deserving study. Most of these iconic titles originate in Japan, from Super Mario and Chrono Trigger, to Final Fantasy and Touhou. In this talk, Eric Ye demystifies the Japanese approach to VGM Composition and gives a crash course on how to study video game music and essential skills for composers to practice their craft. He explains fundamental techniques employed by master composers by breaking down several "hits" of VGM literature through the three available methods of score study: lead sheets/piano arrangements, form charts, and MIDI transcriptions, demystifying the structure and compositional aspects of Japanese VGM. Drawing from his extensive experience in teaching Japanese VGM, he will discuss highly practical exercises such as transcribing and modeling, and demonstrate how VGM compositional techniques can be applied. Through this talk, Eric hopes to promote the study of game music literature with the same level of seriousness and rigor as with the classical and jazz musical traditions, and also help game composers and general audiences better understand the Japanese approach to game composition.
MAGFest is run by MAGFest, Inc., a volunteer-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the appreciation of video games, video game culture, and video game music. We achieve this through numerous events, such as Super MAGFest, MAGWest, MAGStock, and Bit Gen Gamer Fest. We also support other not-for-profit organizations, such as Child’s Play. Learn more at https://magfest.org.
