Unhallowed Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 171 Posts Last Edited: 2011-11-15 17:17:30 #1



EDIT - A STRONGER DISCLAIMER:

Thank you to those who are concerned about the integrity of the test. Note once again that I am not a music, or neuroscience major... I am in software. This is not a formal, academically-legitimate form of test; it is just for fun and clearly skewed/subjective/inconclusive. Seriously I know this and do not need to be told it anymore. Just read thoroughly and you will see that noting these things to me are of no use. I am not going to chance anything, and I am content to settle with the subjective, informal results. Remember this is not used in terms of formulating a conclusion; but seeing if there is a correlation between the theoretical conclusion I have already reached... and the test. So really read everything...?



-INTRO

Hello, my name is Will, and I request the aid of the community for an academic project. I am a student in the 4th year software engineering and game design at McMaster University (Ontario, Canada). I am also a master league Terran player on NA server. One of my non-technical courses requires me to create a presentation, in the subject of human/computer interaction, based on the research reports of others. As you will see in the following proposal, a component of my presentation requires the participation of community members, in a simple/informal experiment. This is a condition I arranged with the professor based on the fact that no direct research has been conduction on the field. The conditions of the experiment are user friendly, and will be specified after context is given to the presentation.



-OBJECTIVE

Through my project I wish to answer the following question: Are there are specific musical tunings, tempos, time signatures, or genres that improve cognitive performance while playing high level video games?



-MOTIVATION

My motivation for pursuit of this topic has both personal, and community related aspects. In regards to community, this topic is applicable to e-sports, and casual experience. E-sports has grown exponentially in recent decades, and the resolution of this research topic (if conducted professionally) is directly applicable to E-sports’ most valuable resource; professional gamers. With top tournament prize pools in the 6 and 7 figures, a definitive aid to these competitors has a direct financial impact on various individuals and organizations.

From a personal perspective, my favourite activities are the creation and execution of music, and the creation and execution of strategy in the high level video game Starcraft 2. I often find myself dappling in the conscious effort to alter my mental state, in order to facilitate optimal cognitive and mechanical execution. I have noticed when performing music, and playing Starcraft 2, that when doing my best, my mental state is similar. I would describe this state as, meditative, and immersed in a sub-consciously directive focus.

The reason I have chosen to investigate the influential qualities of music on video game performance capabilities, as opposed to the parallels between the mental states of those playing music and those playing video games, is because music is established, whereas gameplay is reactive. That is, a song has definite content over time, and the content of gameplay, in general, is dynamic. This project will investigate whether the mental state induced by various types of music indeed allows the player to be objectively superior in the way they play their game, and which induced state is the best (if not subjective).



-RESEARCH

Currently, according to my searches; there is no academic peer-reviewed studies that directly address this topic (please inform me if you know of any sources). There are however, numerous studies that have occurred in regards to the effect of specific types of music on the brain. When I am to couple these studies with those in which the state of the brain in analyzed during high level gaming performance, I will be able to connect mental states induced by music with ideal cognitive activity present in high level video game performance. This indirect form of research results in theoretical conclusions, which could later be substantiated through direct research.

To facilitate the connection of metal states with cognitive performance enhancement, my analysis of academic research will be segmented. I will first establish the mental states induced by music of various permutations of tone, tempo, time signature and genre. After this data and documentation is harvested, I will then turn my focus to reports on cognitive activity that occurs during high level game play. Once I am aware of which mental attributes pertain to gameplay performance, I will then analyze the data provided by the first segment to match the permutations of musical components which induce or amplify such mental attributes. *Note that I am still in the process of identifying suitable research papers; please inform me of any you have read that pertain to the segmented subject matter*



-EXPERIMENT (HELP)

Once a theoretical conclusion is reached, I wish to test it with an individually conducted study. Note that I may not convey the theoretical conclusion, as those reading this may partake in this experiment. Although this experiment would not be credible from a formal academic perspective; the lack of direct research on the topic leaves me, as a curious individual, instinctually obligated to dapple in the substantiation of my theoretical conclusion.

For such an experiment I would require:

-A decent sample size of gamers

-A method for quantification of gameplay performance

-An array of music which are justified by the segmented research.



EXPERIMENT SUBJECTS:

This requires only the answering of 8 short questions after a ladder session in which you listen to music. Note that this carries no obligation, or sharing of personal information. The study carries extreme amounts of variables that cannot be accounted for.

As mentioned before, this is quite informal, and very simple. So to anyone who is going to ladder 1v1, or play 1v1s in general, on TUESDAY, please help. To participate in this study, simply listen to 10 of the songs BELOW while you play Starcraft 2 and provide feedback based on a template provided at the end of the thread. I cannot provide you with the music files, but they should all be on youtube if you don’t already own them… or whatever means you have of possessing them. I cannot justify the selection of the songs now (to test participants); it is based on permutations of BPM, time signature, key, and genre. I did not include soulless corporate anthems or drum machine poetry slams under the definition of music. Do not take personal offence or question the legitimacy of the study based off of the music used; please remember this is informal and inconclusive.



SUBJECTIVE FEEDBACK TEMPLATE:



*PLEASE USE THIS FORMAT WHEN RESPONDING*

*POST RESPONSE BEFORE 13:00 EST 16/11/2011* EDIT: Wednesday is 16th lol



Name: Bnet ID

1v1 Rank: League #1-100

Server:

Feedback: (replace question description with answer)

1. Before this experiment, did you feel that listening to music increased your gameplay performance?

2. If “NO”, after this experiment, did you feel that listening to music increased your gameplay performance?

3. Name the songs in which your micro was above personal standard when listening to.

4. Name the songs in which your macro was above personal standard when listening to.

5. Name the songs in which your strategic and tactical execution was above personal standard when listening to.

6. Name the songs in which your actions per minute was above personal standard when listening to.

7. Name the songs in which you learned something new about the game when listening to.

8. Name the songs in which you were best able to anticipate/predict/comprehend your opponent’s strategic and tactical game plan.



List each song you listened too, rating 1-10 how you felt the music influenced your performance. 1 being the most negative, 5 being neutral (NO PERFORMANCE EFFECT), 10 being the most positive.



Song name 1 – X/10

Song name 2 – X/10

.

.

Song name 10 – X/10



Thank you in advance to all who participate. Feel free to ask questions. Remember to post in the above format before 13:00 EST on Wednesday. Please feel free to discuss the topic as well, as posts in response to the experiment will be easy to distinguish. I will share my results when complete, and my opinions as well. When the study is over I will also reveal which songs I listen to when playing, and how they pertain to my build orders.



LIST OF SONGS (pick 10):



*Name – Artist*



Feel free to make a playlist, or listen to the same song on repeat for an entire game. Whichever is easiest for you (just make sure it is from this list).



Angry fan disclaimer: Because a song is on this list does not mean that I like it, or that I chose it over some other song that you like for some reason other than its objective application to the experiment . Most of these songs are metal, as it is the most diverse genre of music.



Embracing The Sun – Elective Universe

Tempting Time – Animals As Leaders

Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix

Requiem For A Dream – Clint Mansell

In The House In A Heartbeat – John Murphy

Incarnated Solvent Abuse – Carcass

Holy Wars – Megadeth

Maha Kali – Dissection

Holiday In Cambodia – Dead Kennedys

Rusted – Katatonia

Marrow Of The Earth – Opeth

Twilight – Elliot Smith

Battle Against Time – Wintersun

Carnival Is Forever – Decapitated

And The World Returned… - At The Gates

The Swarm – At The Gates

Bullet Ride – In Flames

Miles Of Machines – Jeff Loomis

Silence Remix – Mt Eden

Keep Your Distance – Amon Tobin

Procession Of The Dead Clowns – Blue Aus Nord

Sober - Tool

Gutterpump – Noisia

Won`t Get Fooled Again – The Who

Pearl`s Girl – Underworld

Face Of Melinda – Opeth

Get It Off – Disfear

Hallowed Be Thy Name – Iron Maiden

Expand Your Horizon – Blood Angel (TSL3)

When I Look At You – Emalkay

Token Of Time – Ensiferum

Flattening Of Emotions – Death

Hammerhead – The Offspring

Spheres of Madness – Decapitated

CAFO – Animals As Leaders

Lithium – Nirvana

Oasis – Wonderwall

Learning The Ropes – Ludique

Move Through Me – In Flames

So You Die - Bloodbath



Thanks again, and don't take this too seriously... even though this is university, the course isn't technical, and essentially a formality. :D

I realize a thread of similar subject matter has been posted recently; however mine is more intricate, and pertains to a specific academic endeavour in which I require community participation (through playing Starcraft 2). I chose this topic in September and am now addressing the aspect which requires community participation.EDIT -Thank you to those who are concerned about the integrity of the test. Note once again that I am not a music, or neuroscience major... I am in software. This is not a formal, academically-legitimate form of test; it is just for fun and clearly skewed/subjective/inconclusive. Seriously I know this and do not need to be told it anymore. Just read thoroughly and you will see that noting these things to me are of no use. I am not going to chance anything, and I am content to settle with the subjective, informal results. Remember this is not used in terms of formulating a conclusion; but seeing if there is a correlation between the theoretical conclusion I have already reached... and the test. So really read everything...?-INTROHello, my name is Will, and I request the aid of the community for an academic project. I am a student in the 4th year software engineering and game design at McMaster University (Ontario, Canada). I am also a master league Terran player on NA server. One of my non-technical courses requires me to create a presentation, in the subject of human/computer interaction, based on the research reports of others. As you will see in the following proposal, a component of my presentation requires the participation of community members, in a simple/informal experiment. This is a condition I arranged with the professor based on the fact that no direct research has been conduction on the field. The conditions of the experiment are user friendly, and will be specified after context is given to the presentation.-OBJECTIVEThrough my project I wish to answer the following question: Are there are specific musical tunings, tempos, time signatures, or genres that improve cognitive performance while playing high level video games?-MOTIVATIONMy motivation for pursuit of this topic has both personal, and community related aspects. In regards to community, this topic is applicable to e-sports, and casual experience. E-sports has grown exponentially in recent decades, and the resolution of this research topic (if conducted professionally) is directly applicable to E-sports’ most valuable resource; professional gamers. With top tournament prize pools in the 6 and 7 figures, a definitive aid to these competitors has a direct financial impact on various individuals and organizations.From a personal perspective, my favourite activities are the creation and execution of music, and the creation and execution of strategy in the high level video game Starcraft 2. I often find myself dappling in the conscious effort to alter my mental state, in order to facilitate optimal cognitive and mechanical execution. I have noticed when performing music, and playing Starcraft 2, that when doing my best, my mental state is similar. I would describe this state as, meditative, and immersed in a sub-consciously directive focus.The reason I have chosen to investigate the influential qualities of music on video game performance capabilities, as opposed to the parallels between the mental states of those playing music and those playing video games, is because music is established, whereas gameplay is reactive. That is, a song has definite content over time, and the content of gameplay, in general, is dynamic. This project will investigate whether the mental state induced by various types of music indeed allows the player to be objectively superior in the way they play their game, and which induced state is the best (if not subjective).-RESEARCHCurrently, according to my searches; there is no academic peer-reviewed studies that directly address this topic (please inform me if you know of any sources). There are however, numerous studies that have occurred in regards to the effect of specific types of music on the brain. When I am to couple these studies with those in which the state of the brain in analyzed during high level gaming performance, I will be able to connect mental states induced by music with ideal cognitive activity present in high level video game performance. This indirect form of research results in theoretical conclusions, which could later be substantiated through direct research.To facilitate the connection of metal states with cognitive performance enhancement, my analysis of academic research will be segmented. I will first establish the mental states induced by music of various permutations of tone, tempo, time signature and genre. After this data and documentation is harvested, I will then turn my focus to reports on cognitive activity that occurs during high level game play. Once I am aware of which mental attributes pertain to gameplay performance, I will then analyze the data provided by the first segment to match the permutations of musical components which induce or amplify such mental attributes. *Note that I am still in the process of identifying suitable research papers; please inform me of any you have read that pertain to the segmented subject matter*-EXPERIMENT (HELP)Once a theoretical conclusion is reached, I wish to test it with an individually conducted study. Note that I may not convey the theoretical conclusion, as those reading this may partake in this experiment. Although this experiment would not be credible from a formal academic perspective; the lack of direct research on the topic leaves me, as a curious individual, instinctually obligated to dapple in the substantiation of my theoretical conclusion.For such an experiment I would require:-A decent sample size of gamers-A method for quantification of gameplay performance-An array of music which are justified by the segmented research.EXPERIMENT SUBJECTS:This requires only the answering of 8 short questions after a ladder session in which you listen to music. Note that this carries no obligation, or sharing of personal information. The study carries extreme amounts of variables that cannot be accounted for.As mentioned before, this is quite informal, and very simple. So to anyone who is going to ladder 1v1, or play 1v1s in general, on TUESDAY, please help. To participate in this study, simply listen to 10 of the songs BELOW while you play Starcraft 2 and provide feedback based on a template provided at the end of the thread. I cannot provide you with the music files, but they should all be on youtube if you don’t already own them… or whatever means you have of possessing them. I cannot justify the selection of the songs now (to test participants); it is based on permutations of BPM, time signature, key, and genre. I did not include soulless corporate anthems or drum machine poetry slams under the definition of music. Do not take personal offence or question the legitimacy of the study based off of the music used; please remember this is informal and inconclusive.SUBJECTIVE FEEDBACK TEMPLATE:*PLEASE USE THIS FORMAT WHEN RESPONDING**POST RESPONSE BEFORE 13:00 EST 16/11/2011* EDIT: Wednesday is 16th lolName: Bnet ID1v1 Rank: League #1-100Server:Feedback: (replace question description with answer)1. Before this experiment, did you feel that listening to music increased your gameplay performance?2. If “NO”, after this experiment, did you feel that listening to music increased your gameplay performance?3. Name the songs in which your micro was above personal standard when listening to.4. Name the songs in which your macro was above personal standard when listening to.5. Name the songs in which your strategic and tactical execution was above personal standard when listening to.6. Name the songs in which your actions per minute was above personal standard when listening to.7. Name the songs in which you learned something new about the game when listening to.8. Name the songs in which you were best able to anticipate/predict/comprehend your opponent’s strategic and tactical game plan.List each song you listened too, rating 1-10 how you felt the music influenced your performance. 1 being the most negative, 5 being neutral (NO PERFORMANCE EFFECT), 10 being the most positive.Song name 1 – X/10Song name 2 – X/10Song name 10 – X/10Thank you in advance to all who participate. Feel free to ask questions. Remember to post in the above format before 13:00 EST on Wednesday. Please feel free to discuss the topic as well, as posts in response to the experiment will be easy to distinguish. I will share my results when complete, and my opinions as well. When the study is over I will also reveal which songs I listen to when playing, and how they pertain to my build orders.LIST OF SONGS (pick 10):*Name – Artist*Feel free to make a playlist, or listen to the same song on repeat for an entire game. Whichever is easiest for you (just make sure it is from this list).: Because a song is on this list. Most of these songs are metal, as it is the most diverse genre of music.Embracing The Sun – Elective UniverseTempting Time – Animals As LeadersPurple Haze – Jimi HendrixRequiem For A Dream – Clint MansellIn The House In A Heartbeat – John MurphyIncarnated Solvent Abuse – CarcassHoly Wars – MegadethMaha Kali – DissectionHoliday In Cambodia – Dead KennedysRusted – KatatoniaMarrow Of The Earth – OpethTwilight – Elliot SmithBattle Against Time – WintersunCarnival Is Forever – DecapitatedAnd The World Returned… - At The GatesThe Swarm – At The GatesBullet Ride – In FlamesMiles Of Machines – Jeff LoomisSilence Remix – Mt EdenKeep Your Distance – Amon TobinProcession Of The Dead Clowns – Blue Aus NordSober - ToolGutterpump – NoisiaWon`t Get Fooled Again – The WhoPearl`s Girl – UnderworldFace Of Melinda – OpethGet It Off – DisfearHallowed Be Thy Name – Iron MaidenExpand Your Horizon – Blood Angel (TSL3)When I Look At You – EmalkayToken Of Time – EnsiferumFlattening Of Emotions – DeathHammerhead – The OffspringSpheres of Madness – DecapitatedCAFO – Animals As LeadersLithium – NirvanaOasis – WonderwallLearning The Ropes – LudiqueMove Through Me – In FlamesSo You Die - BloodbathThanks again, and don't take this too seriously... even though this is university, the course isn't technical, and essentially a formality. :D What is evil but good tortured by it's own hunger and thirst?

Whitewing Profile Joined October 2010 United States 7480 Posts #2 Most of these questions refer to long term things that take way longer than a song to come to fruition. As an example, your macro is either good or bad in a game. It doesn't fluctuate between good and bad: if you float money then realize and spend it all, that's just bad macro. Strategy "You know I fucking hate the way you play, right?" ~SC2John

Yendar Profile Joined June 2011 Belgium 43 Posts #3

I'll update this post with the results later on today. You got your first test-subject I already noticed I can up my macro abilities more if I listen to IDM/D&B music, prominent beats/melodies keep me focused for some reason.I'll update this post with the results later on today. You got your first test-subject

Unhallowed Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 171 Posts #4 On November 15 2011 17:40 Whitewing wrote:

Most of these questions refer to long term things that take way longer than a song to come to fruition. As an example, your macro is either good or bad in a game. It doesn't fluctuate between good and bad: if you float money then realize and spend it all, that's just bad macro.

Well if the fluctuation is somehow related to the duration of the song that would indicate a correlation. I agree that macro would be evaluated optimally in regards to the whole game; but I would argue that increased awareness of timings, and transitions, over a short period of time would indicate "improved macro" relative to a time in the game in which one was sloppy. Macro is not only about the money total; but various timings. I feel macro level is essentially a state of awareness, and the ability to translate the awareness into an advantage... this can fluctuate over a game. Well if the fluctuation is somehow related to the duration of the song that would indicate a correlation. I agree that macro would be evaluated optimally in regards to the whole game; but I would argue that increased awareness of timings, and transitions, over a short period of time would indicate "improved macro" relative to a time in the game in which one was sloppy. Macro is not only about the money total; but various timings. I feel macro level is essentially a state of awareness, and the ability to translate the awareness into an advantage... this can fluctuate over a game. What is evil but good tortured by it's own hunger and thirst?

HwangjaeTerran Profile Blog Joined October 2009 Pitcairn 5045 Posts #5 On November 15 2011 17:26 Unhallowed wrote:

Most of these songs are metal, as it is the most diverse genre of music.





eh? eh? hjt is overweight... because of his massive dong - emulator 2017

aka_star Profile Blog Joined July 2007 United Kingdom 1543 Posts #6 I'm skeptical, music is quite a personal trait. A song having a positive impact on one person is unlikely to yield similar results on another person otherwise we'd all be listening to the same stuff. FlashDave.999 aka Star

Unhallowed Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 171 Posts #7 On November 15 2011 17:53 aka_star wrote:

I'm skeptical, music is quite a personal trait. A song having a positive impact on one person is unlikely to yield similar results on another person otherwise we'd all be listening to the same stuff.

I agree completely. There are so many subjective variables; probably why no formal study has been conducted. Results of this experiment are entirely subjective. I only know of some frequencies that have substantial objective effects on cognitive function. I agree completely. There are so many subjective variables; probably why no formal study has been conducted. Results of this experiment are entirely subjective. I only know of some frequencies that have substantial objective effects on cognitive function. What is evil but good tortured by it's own hunger and thirst?

BigBadBeaver Profile Joined August 2009 Canada 272 Posts #8 I have my doubts for this experiment.

When you ask for comparisons by "personal standard" things can get a little skewed; especially if the subject is reading the results of others. This can cause the brain to subconsciously create bias when answering those type of questions.



But don't take my word for it I have no experience in these type of psych experiments.

Good luck to you

Unhallowed Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 171 Posts Last Edited: 2011-11-15 09:03:04 #9 On November 15 2011 17:56 BigBadBeaver wrote:

I have my doubts for this experiment.

When you ask for comparisons by "personal standard" things can get a little skewed; especially if the subject is reading the results of others. This can cause the brain to subconsciously create bias when answering those type of questions.



But don't take my word for it I have no experience in these type of psych experiments.

Good luck to you

Yeah neither do I (experience); I really tried to disclaim any attempt at representing research integrity... I should have been more redundant! Yeah neither do I (experience); I really tried to disclaim any attempt at representing research integrity... I should have been more redundant! What is evil but good tortured by it's own hunger and thirst?

Yoshi Kirishima Profile Blog Joined July 2009 United States 9392 Posts Last Edited: 2011-11-15 09:05:06 #10 The problem with the way people categorize music is...



The instrumentation is not what affects the style, the patterns, the melodies, etc., of a song.



To say "I like metal" or "I like country" or "metal is the most diverse" has NO meaning besides stating what instruments you like to hear (electric guitar vs acoustic, etc.)



You can have all kinds of styles with different instrumentations.



Now, you may say "but when you say a genre like rock or metal, it doesn't include just the instrumentation but also the style"



Sure, perhaps, but there is still more than one "style" or else there would only be 1 song/piece for each genre.



Basically, to find out music's impact is on players, you're going to have to either look at specific songs and then analyze the musical aspects of it after correlating it to players' performances, unless you just want to see generally what kind of instrumentation is usually associated with the music of better performing players.



So for example, by saying "metal is the most diverse genre" you're just saying that "electric guitars are used for many different kinds of songs". Mid-master streaming MECH ONLY + commentary www.twitch.tv/yoshikirishima +++ "If all-in fails, all-in again."

deadmau Profile Joined September 2010 640 Posts #11 Music is so subjective, how can you possibly list something like this. Personally EDM is the music of the future. I've been through the rock/alternative, rap & hiphop, slow jams bull shit. Sorry but if you like to party hard, dance music is where it's at. Also gets me pumped as fuck for ladder. It's a totally new age of dance music, talent from all over the world, mostly sweden though.

Unhallowed Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 171 Posts #12 On November 15 2011 18:03 Yoshi Kirishima wrote:

The problem with the way people categorize music is...



The instrumentation is not what affects the style, the patterns, the melodies, etc., of a song.



To say "I like metal" or "I like country" or "metal is the most diverse" has NO meaning besides stating what instruments you like to hear (electric guitar vs acoustic, etc.)



You can have all kinds of styles with different instrumentations.



Now, you may say "but when you say a genre like rock or metal, it doesn't include just the instrumentation but also the style"



Sure, perhaps, but there is still more than one "style" or else there would only be 1 song/piece for each genre.



Basically, to find out music's impact is on players, you're going to have to either look at specific songs and then analyze the musical aspects of it after correlating it to players' performances, unless you just want to see generally what kind of instrumentation is usually associated with the music of better performing players.

"Are there are specific musical tunings, tempos, time signatures, or genres..."

I feel the first three pertain to objective qualities of music detached from the genre. I am no music major though... I just hit drums a lot :D

"Are there are specific musical tunings, tempos, time signatures,genres..."I feel the first three pertain to objective qualities of music detached from the genre. I am no music major though... I just hit drums a lot :D What is evil but good tortured by it's own hunger and thirst?

Unhallowed Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 171 Posts #13 On November 15 2011 18:04 deadmau wrote:

Music is so subjective, how can you possibly list something like this. Personally EDM is the music of the future. I've been through the rock/alternative, rap & hiphop, slow jams bull shit. Sorry but if you like to party hard, dance music is where it's at. Also gets me pumped as fuck for ladder. It's a totally new age of dance music, talent from all over the world, mostly sweden though.

The list is so I don't have to find the time signature, tempo, BPM, and key of every song anyone who decides to participate listens to. It is a 1 man experiment by someone in 7 full time courses The list is so I don't have to find the time signature, tempo, BPM, and key of every song anyone who decides to participate listens to. It is a 1 man experiment by someone in 7 full time courses What is evil but good tortured by it's own hunger and thirst?

Yoshi Kirishima Profile Blog Joined July 2009 United States 9392 Posts #14 On November 15 2011 18:06 Unhallowed wrote:

Show nested quote +

On November 15 2011 18:03 Yoshi Kirishima wrote:

The problem with the way people categorize music is...



The instrumentation is not what affects the style, the patterns, the melodies, etc., of a song.



To say "I like metal" or "I like country" or "metal is the most diverse" has NO meaning besides stating what instruments you like to hear (electric guitar vs acoustic, etc.)



You can have all kinds of styles with different instrumentations.



Now, you may say "but when you say a genre like rock or metal, it doesn't include just the instrumentation but also the style"



Sure, perhaps, but there is still more than one "style" or else there would only be 1 song/piece for each genre.



Basically, to find out music's impact is on players, you're going to have to either look at specific songs and then analyze the musical aspects of it after correlating it to players' performances, unless you just want to see generally what kind of instrumentation is usually associated with the music of better performing players.

"Are there are specific musical tunings, tempos, time signatures, or genres..."

I feel the first three pertain to objective qualities of music detached from the genre. I am no music major though... I just hit drums a lot :D

"Are there are specific musical tunings, tempos, time signatures,genres..."I feel the first three pertain to objective qualities of music detached from the genre. I am no music major though... I just hit drums a lot :D



Yup, I just wanted to point that out, not necessarily saying it to the OP. But the OP did say "genre" so I wanted to clarify that to make sure people understand.



I think there will be too many factors though... there aren't that many songs that share the same time signature, key, tempo, tuning, style, etc. etc. that are "good", meaning it'll be hard to make a kind of control. Yup, I just wanted to point that out, not necessarily saying it to the OP. But the OP did say "genre" so I wanted to clarify that to make sure people understand.I think there will be too many factors though... there aren't that many songs that share the same time signature, key, tempo, tuning, style, etc. etc. that are "good", meaning it'll be hard to make a kind of control. Mid-master streaming MECH ONLY + commentary www.twitch.tv/yoshikirishima +++ "If all-in fails, all-in again."

IndoorSpawningPool Profile Joined July 2011 United States 99 Posts #15 From a personal perspective, my favourite activities are the creation and execution of music, and the creation and execution of strategy in the high level video game Starcraft 2. I often find myself dappling in the conscious effort to alter my mental state, in order to facilitate optimal cognitive and mechanical execution. I have noticed when performing music, and playing Starcraft 2, that when doing my best, my mental state is similar. I would describe this state as, meditative, and immersed in a sub-consciously directive focus.





I played drums for 10 years all throughout middle/high school and into college starting when I was 11. I was the drummer for the competitive jazz band in my high school and played at competitions across the country including New Orleans (the Korea of jazz ) Drums (and bass player) are the heart of the band. I had to vigorously train to play every song with absolute perfect tempo never deviating from the standard tempo in spite of time/signature changes, solos (drum solos). It was one of the major points that judges would critique harshly on. It requires a high level of concentration even if you have everything perfectly memorized. When I was playing at competitions.... my mind would be in that zone of pure focus completely void of passing thoughts while focusing intensely on my part. This might sound familiar to the feeling of playing well in SC when you have that level of pure focus. I appreciate the fact that you would be willing to experiment on this, but I think Yoshi Kirishima already said it best when it comes to instrumentation and how to analyze music vs just examining the instrumentation. It would be difficult to take someones subjective input from listening to a particular track or genre while simultaneously looking for any correlations of individual aspects like melody, tempo etc.



I think of listening to music during games as a sort of audio "junkfood". It's fun and can give you a "rush" that may cause you to play faster as you try to match the energy of metal or the tempo of DnB... but in all honesty I tend to completely tune out whatever track happens to be playing when Im getting bunker rushed or in the middle of a 200/200 fight. The brain has a finite amount of what it can process and it tends to prioritize one or the other rather than relying on any synergy between them. I could be wrong though. Good luck in your research. I played drums for 10 years all throughout middle/high school and into college starting when I was 11. I was the drummer for the competitive jazz band in my high school and played at competitions across the country including New Orleans (the Korea of jazz) Drums (and bass player) are the heart of the band. I had to vigorously train to play every song with absolute perfect tempo never deviating from the standard tempo in spite of time/signature changes, solos (drum solos). It was one of the major points that judges would critique harshly on. It requires a high level of concentration even if you have everything perfectly memorized. When I was playing at competitions.... my mind would be in that zone of pure focus completely void of passing thoughts while focusing intensely on my part. This might sound familiar to the feeling of playing well in SC when you have that level of pure focus. I appreciate the fact that you would be willing to experiment on this, but I think Yoshi Kirishima already said it best when it comes to instrumentation and how to analyze music vs just examining the instrumentation. It would be difficult to take someones subjective input from listening to a particular track or genre while simultaneously looking for any correlations of individual aspects like melody, tempo etc.I think of listening to music during games as a sort of audio "junkfood". It's fun and can give you a "rush" that may cause you to play faster as you try to match the energy of metal or the tempo of DnB... but in all honesty I tend to completely tune out whatever track happens to be playing when Im getting bunker rushed or in the middle of a 200/200 fight. The brain has a finite amount of what it can process and it tends to prioritize one or the other rather than relying on any synergy between them. I could be wrong though. Good luck in your research. I build two drones in time of peace, and two in time of war. I build two drones before I build two drones, and then I build two more

Leargle Profile Joined October 2010 United States 173 Posts #16 So... I'm not sure if I agree with the method of self-assessment. I think this is a great topic to do a study on, and I would love to participate, but I think the thought process may be flawed. Everything is put in such an isolated instance (you have to have X song playing at X time, and give X assessment vs your "normal" performance).



You might not even read this part, and that's fine. But here's what I would do:



Simple. Have players sit down to 2 ladder sessions of 5-10 games each, both in one day. One ladder session will be with the above playlist, one without. Compare results, based purely on statistics measured in-game (your ladder points vs your opponents, who won, avg. unspent, APM, overall W/L, etc.)



Have participants save all their replays and send in the replay pack, and just analyze it through sc2gears or whatever method you like. Have the participants do this something like 4-5 times over the course of a week.



Not sure if that helps or if you even take this into account... But I don't think that the self report based on listening to each song in a very very specific time period of a specific game will show a whole lot. Maphack supply depot overlord

TALegion Profile Joined October 2010 United States 1159 Posts #17 My theory is just that any song that blocks out surrounding noise, has an easy to follow tempo, and is not distracting in itself is going to keep you more focused.

Does it make you faster and smarter? No. But it will keep your head more into the game instead of outside of it. It's similar to using an iPod while running.

A person willing to die for a cause is a hero. A person willing to kill for a cause is a madman

shadymmj Profile Joined June 2010 1881 Posts #18 you selected some technical/prog songs in there. such songs are best listened to while not doing anything else that requires intense concentration, or else it will just become a wall of sound. examples from your list are flattening of emotions and i think i saw a song from necroticism - descanting the insalubrious in there. There is no such thing is "e-sports". There is Brood War, and then there is crap for nerds.

Hairy Profile Joined February 2011 United Kingdom 1163 Posts #19 Feedback: (replace question description with answer)

1. Before this experiment, did you feel that listening to music increased your gameplay performance?

2. If “NO”, after this experiment, did you feel that listening to music increased your gameplay performance?

3. Name the songs in which your micro was above personal standard when listening to.

4. Name the songs in which your macro was above personal standard when listening to.

5. Name the songs in which your strategic and tactical execution was above personal standard when listening to.

6. Name the songs in which your actions per minute was above personal standard when listening to.

7. Name the songs in which you learned something new about the game when listening to.

8. Name the songs in which you were best able to anticipate/predict/comprehend your opponent’s strategic and tactical game plan. I don't see how you can get any meangful or useful results from this whatsoever.



My APM varies a lot based upon the matchup, the events in the game, if I'm hungry or tired, if it is my first game of the day or am I getting fatigued from too much. It would be impossible to identify the effect, if any, of music upon this due to the other factors having such a big affect. Furthermore, people will probably base their micro/macro/strategic&tactical execution estimate purely on wether they won their games or not, or if they had any particularly frustrating losses, which is basically out of your control. There's too many factors at work.



My only feedback is that I have turned ambience and music OFF, and play with my own (non-angry) music on instead. I feel it helps me relax when playing, and I wouldn't be surprised if a constant music temp helps keep your own grasp of time more consistent (eg for larvae injecting), but that's purely speculation. I don't see how you can get any meangful or useful results from this whatsoever.My APM varies a lot based upon the matchup, the events in the game, if I'm hungry or tired, if it is my first game of the day or am I getting fatigued from too much. It would be impossible to identify the effect, if any, of music upon this due to the other factors having such a big affect. Furthermore, people will probably base their micro/macro/strategic&tactical execution estimate purely on wether they won their games or not, or if they had any particularly frustrating losses, which is basically out of your control. There's too many factors at work.My only feedback is that I have turned ambience and music OFF, and play with my own (non-angry) music on instead. I feel it helps me relax when playing, and I wouldn't be surprised if a constant music temp helps keep your own grasp of time more consistent (eg for larvae injecting), but that's purely speculation. Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits

arb Profile Blog Joined April 2008 Noobville 14610 Posts #20 Think i play better when the song is playing faster,usually do better whent heres a guitar solo or something of that nature Artillery spawned from the forges of Hell

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