Composers of music for video games face a unique set of challenges, including issues of interactivity, non-linearity, diegesis, and versatility. This study explores several possible correlations among these challenges and the compositional strategies used to address them (i.e., thematic attachment, adaptive seaming, and deliberate silence). These approaches are analyzed across several popular gaming genres to determine how composers devise and implement a combination of compositional methods that most appropriately amplify the player's sense of immersion. With thematic attachment, for instance, the composer draws upon the player's feelings of nostalgia that are developed through their exposure to previous games within a franchise. To develop a greater understanding of the representation of musical genre, one-on-one interviews and written correspondence with selected game composers (Joshua Mancell, Martin O'Donnell, and Trevor Gureckis) working in targeted types of games provided evidence to suggest and explore specific techniques they used to develop greater diegesis and immersion. Current scholarship focuses primarily on the cultural and psychological implications and influences associated with video game music. Developing a greater understanding of these three strategies and their various forms of implementation expands and helps to standardize the field of ludomusicology within the broader discipline of musicology.Includes bibliographical references
