Playing with music

US – Panoramical is a video game that’s also an album, that’s also in some way a musical instrument.

• Users manipulate abstract digital landscapes to create a custom soundscape
• Challenges definitions of music, gaming and play

Players navigate Panoramical’s responsive digital landscape using mouse and keyboard controls. Graphics by Fernando Ramallo paint a surreal picture while David Kanaga’s abstract music plays. As the player wanders, their movements affect what they see and hear. The player becomes an active creator rather than a passive consumer, working alongside Ramallo and Kanaga to create a new audio-visual artwork.

‘There are thousands upon thousands of possible sound and visual states in the game,’ says musicologist Adam Harper. ‘As an example of an alien genre, a completely alien way of interacting with and experiencing music, it’s one of the most comprehensive, substantial and rewarding.’

The Big Picture: Games such as Panoramical and search engines such as Metadrift are broadening our horizons by enabling us to get lost within digital worlds. For more, watch out for our Autumn/Winter 2015 Trend Briefing, Beyond Borders.