Super Smash Covers! Performance and audience engagement in Australian videogame music cover bands

Abstract

Videogame music has crossed the boundaries of the digital realm and is now performed and remixed in online spaces and live venues. This is due to the interactive nature of gameplay, which promotes the appropriation, rework and remix of game music by gaming audiences. This relationship with music reinforces the engagement of gaming communities with the experiences they have collectively shared in the videogame space and translates it into a new one. In Australia, few bands dedicate themselves solely to the performance of videogame music, partly due to copyright restrictions and niche performance spaces and events, with some bands performing as a professional endeavour and others as a side project. This article focuses on the case studies of Australian videogame music cover bands Boss Fight and The Consouls, whilst analysing the spaces in which they perform, and how real-life performances influence the experiences of videogame communities.