Pocket Music

Short description: 2002 video game

Pocket Music

Game Boy Color cover art

Developer(s)| Jester Interactive
Publisher(s)| Rage Games
Platform(s)| Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color
Release|

* EU: 26 April 2002

Genre(s)| Music

Pocket Music is a 2002 video game developed by Jester Interactive and published by Rage Games for the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. The game is a handheld adaptation of the Music series of games released by the developer, and allows players to create tracks of music from pre-recorded samples using a grid-based interface.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Development and release
* 3 Reception
* 4 References
* 5 External links
* 6 Features
* 7 History
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in the Game Boy Advance version of Pocket Music, displaying the user interface used to create tracks.

Pocket Music is a music game that resembles a basic music tracker, allowing players to compose tracks of music to a maximum of five and a half minutes.[1] Tracks are composed using pre-recorded samples, with 600 on the Game Boy Advance version and 150 for the Game Boy Color.[2] Samples are categorised into six categories by genre, including drum and bass, techno and breakbeat. Players compose tracks by placing the samples upon a grid with a maximum of six channels playing at once. The Riff Editor allows players to use the samples to change the order of notes in a sample and add effects.[3] The Game Boy Color version allows players to trade songs across devices using the Game Link Cable.[2] Pocket Music has a number of pre-programmed tracks saved to showcase the capabilities of the game, including a version of "My Name Is" by Eminem.[4] The game also features six different skins to customise the appearance of the user interface.[3]

## Development and release

Rage Games showcased Pocket Music at E3 in May 2001,[5] and was previewed by major publications including IGN and Edge.[6][7] The game was originally intended for release in Q4 2001.[8] The game is not to be confused with Pocket Music, a working title for an unreleased rhythm game showcased by Nintendo at the Tokyo Game Show in March and April 2001.[9][10] The Game Boy Color version does not work when played on a Game Boy Advance, one of the few games to do so, along with Chee-Chai Alien.[11][better source needed]

The source code for the Game Boy Color version of Pocket Music was leaked on 23 February 2022, including an unreleased build for localisation of the game in North America.[12]

## Reception

Reception

| Review scores

Publication| Score
GBA| GBC
AllGame| | [13]
Nintendo Official Magazine| 80% [3]|
Advance| 83% [1]|
Game Boy Xtreme| 72% [4]| 64% [14]
Nintendo GameCube Magazine UK|  [15]|
Total Game Boy| 88% [2]| 89% [2]

Pocket Music received positive critical reception, with many reviewers praising the novelty innovation involved with porting music creation software to the Game Boy. Nintendo GameCube Magazine praised the game as "a sprawling, ingeniously designed songwriting package" and a "jaw-dropping achievement".[15] Nintendo Official Magazine found the game to be accessible yet complex, praising the game's "choice and flexibility of sound", and noting "the grid system and menus work a treat, making what could have been a nightmare into a pleasure to use".[3] Dave Perrett of Advance praised the game as "the first time that anything like it has been available for the Game Boy Advance, stating that it was a "fun little music maker".[1]

However, some positive reviewers found fault with the game's audio quality and limitations of the audio design features. Nintendo Official Magazine stated the sound quality was a "major let down" as it was "too low and it gets worse if you're listening in noisy conditions".[3] Dave Perrett of Advance stated "There are serious limitations to what you can achieve with this game. Your tunes can only be five and a half minutes long, and you can only have six different sounds playing at the same time."[1] Jamie Wilks of Game Boy Xtreme also noted that "you can only utilise the supplied samples" with few other music-making features, assessing that "Pocket Music's simplicity and limitations mean that a proper musician will show little interest".[4]

Many critics compared the features of the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color version. Jem Roberts of Total Game Boy preferred the Game Boy Color version, stating "utterly insanely, despite the fact the Game Boy Color version... obviously has far lower sound and visual quality, it is the only version that allows you to trade your songs via the link cable! Why this crucial option never made it to the far better Advance version is a mystery, and it's a major drawback."[2] Ian Osborne of Game Boy Xtreme gave a higher score to the Game Boy Color version, despite "the differences in audio quality", "because, given the extreme differences in power between the two handhelds, it's the Color version that squeezes the most from its host", observing that the "Color's sound capabilities are stretched to the max".[14]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Perrett, Dave (April 2002). "Pocket Music". Advance (2): 57. https://archive.org/details/advance-02/page/n55.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Roberts, Jem (January 2002). "Pocket Music GBA". Total Game Boy (25): 22–23. https://archive.org/details/total-game-boy-25/page/n21.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Pocket Music". Nintendo Official Magazine (114): 38–39. March 2002. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-official-magazine-uk-114-march-2002/page/n19.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Osborne, Ian (May 2002). "Pocket Music". Game Boy Xtreme (11): 46. https://archive.org/details/gbx-11/page/n47.
5. ↑ E3 2001 - Official Exhibit Guide. Prima Games. May 2001. pp. 99. https://archive.org/details/E32001Guide.
6. ↑ Douglas, Adam (June 2001). "Music of E3". IGN Unplugged (3): 70. https://archive.org/details/IGN_Unplugged_Issue_03_2001-06_IGN.com_US/page/n69.
7. ↑ "Out There". Edge (106): 17. https://archive.org/details/Edge_Gaming/Edge Gaming Magazine 106/page/n15.
8. ↑ "E3 - All the Rage". 19 May 2001. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/18/e3-all-the-rage.
9. ↑ "Tokyo Game Show 2001 Report". Electronic Gaming Monthly (143): 28. June 2001.
10. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (12 September 2007). "Gaming Life in Japan". https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/09/11/gaming-life-in-japan-19.
11. ↑ "Gameboy Genius » Blog Archive » Pocket Music GBC version GBA fix". https://blog.gg8.se/wordpress/2013/12/17/pocket-music-gbc-version-gba-fix/.
12. ↑ "Pocket Music (GBC Source Code + Builds)". 23 February 2022. https://illusion.64history.net/2022/pocket-music-gbc-source.
13. ↑ "Pocket Music". http://allgame.com/game.php?id=38623.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Wilks, Jamie (April 2002). "Pocket Music". Game Boy Xtreme (10): 21. https://archive.org/details/gbx-10/page/n19.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Pocket Music". Nintendo GameCube Magazine UK (65): 55. March 2002. https://archive.org/details/ngcmagazine-uk-065/page/n53.

## External links

* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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