Even if you've never heard of Danny Pelfrey, you've probably heard some of his work.  The Emmy Award-winning composer has written for television series such as Felicity and Spin City.  He has also been writing music for games for ten years, and has recently begun scoring the game Starfleet Command III.

GT: How did you get your start in writing music for television?

DP:  An old friend of mine Snuffy Walden had asked me for a long time if I would on TV shows with him. We had played in bands together. We worked on Maggie Winters that led to other shows like Norm and Felicity before I went out on my own with other projects like Dreamworks Joseph King of Dreams and Spin City.

GT: When did you first begin writing music for games?

DP: Ten years ago. The first game was for Strategic Simulations Incorporated with titles such as Steel Panthers and Thunderscape.

GT: What attracted you to games?

DP: I like the action and the architecture of the games. I enjoyed it because of the creative people I was able to work with . It was something different. I still enjoy the process.

GT: What serves as your inspiration for game music?

DP: The story inspires me. With characters and plot well developed. I enjoy the architecture of games.

GT: Do you approach writing music for games differently than for TV?

DP: No I use the same kind of a approach. In both situations your writing for the characters and the storyline. With games though the modules a player controls determines a specific action and the music has to flow with whatever sequence of events takes place. With television that is not an issue. When television becomes interactive, I will be writing music in the style of games.

Music in games »