[game_preservation] Women composers

[Devin Monnens]

Ok, I have to say that I am as much a problem with this as anyone
else<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeytLzRY_0Y>,
but I just realized how annoying it is that certain people (myself included)
have been referring to game composers as 'this was made by a female
composer'. But it's like 'hey, you remember the Ken
Song<http://vgmdaily.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/blood-on-the-asphalt-made-in-usa-ken-stage-sixto-sounds/>from
Street
Fighter<http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=vgmdaily.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.1up.com%2Fdo%2Ffeature%3FcId%3D3176614&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fvgmdaily.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F05%2Fblood-on-the-asphalt-made-in-usa-ken-stage-sixto-sounds%2F>'
or 'remember the Stage 3
theme<http://vgmdaily.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/8-bit-mondays-castlevania-wicked-child-kuniyo-yamashita/>from
Castlevania<http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=vgmdaily.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fyamako.ciao.jp%2Fhtml%2Fmain_e.html%23QA&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fvgmdaily.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F30%2F8-bit-mondays-castlevania-wicked-child-kuniyo-yamashita%2F>?
These were all written by women!" Like this is some big epiphany and it
makes the music more special. (I mean, it's really awesome music, but
Yasunori Mitsuda's music is awesome because it's a piece by Yasunori Mitsuda
just like Laura Shigihara's "Plants vs Zombies" theme is awesome because
it's a piece by Laura Shigihara - not because Laura Shigihara is a woman!).

I guess what's missing here is that's a HUGE part of game history that I
don't hear anyone talking about and that's really sad (actually, it's sad
enough we don't know who made what <http://archives.igda.org/credit/> back
in those days...). Name an old Capcom or Konami game, and chances are it was
composed by a woman. Why don't we hear more from these composers on
Gamasutra, Game Developer, GDC, etc? Not just 'how did you come up with this
idea?' (which is really important and interesting) but 'why were there so
many women composers in these companies?' (I'm hoping the answer isn't
sexist...) and 'is there anything we can learn from that to get more women
involved in this most awesomest of industries?' As well as, of course,
provide more role models!

*whew*

Ok, ending rant. Perhaps someone here can give more insight.

-- 
Devin Monnens
www.deserthat.com

The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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