Interactive music systems go beyond basic adaptive music by making the player an active, often unknowing, participant in the musical composition. Instead of just crossfading between combat and exploration stems, these systems might let player movement generate melodic patterns, tie musical elements to game mechanics, or build compositions that literally could not exist without player input. The spectrum ranges from subtle (the tempo matching your walking speed) to overt (rhythm games where you create the music). The most sophisticated systems blur the line between gameplay and performance, turning the act of playing the game into a form of musical expression.