High Score 2024
The ASSG was thrilled to be invited by APRA AMCOS to be a part of HIGH SCORE: Composition and Sound Art for Games, in Melbourne over the weekend.
Richard Lapington, Audio Director at Remedy Entertainment, delivered the opening keynote, offering an in-depth look at immersive audio in AAA game development. As he guided us through designing game sound in great detail, it became apparent that while the technical aspects of game sound design are unique to that world, the underlying concepts and storytelling approaches used in film and gaming sound design are remarkably similar. He was very generous and candid with the information he shared, and it was heartening to hear his opinion that when faced with technical challenges that game audio throws up during its conception, sometimes the best solution is to keep things simple.
Another highlight was the closing keynote by Australian musicians Yon Hall (Tripod) and Jess Cerro (Montaigne), who wrote the music and lyrics for the incredible interactive musical murder mystery Stray Gods. The artistry and technical workflow were remarkable.
The two day conference kicked off Melbourne International Games Week and featured top composers, sound artists, industry pros and software developers coming together to talk craft, tech, storytelling and the future of the games sector in Australia. It was a really vibrant and stimulating event. The AGSC was also in attendance, music being the other vital sonic component for awesome game experience.
The opening keynote by Richard Lapington, Audio Director at Remedy Entertainment gave us a deep dive into immersive audio for AAA level game development, but for me the highlight was the closing keynote by Australian musicians Yon Hall (Tripod) and Jess Cerro (Montaigne) who wrote the music and lyrics for the incredible interactive musical murder mystery, Stray Gods. The artistry and technical workflow was remarkable.
There’s a lot of crossover and transferable audio skills between the film/tv sector and games developers. Many connections and insights were shared at High Score to further engage the ASSG membership with the game world. After all, we’re all sonic storytellers.
Future events are in the works to connect and grow the ASSG membership with the game developer community so we can learn from each other and build our communities.
Congratulations to Amy McNickle and Tim Shiel for such an amazing, informative, stimulating and inclusive event. Can’t wait for next year!
High Score was attended by ASSG President Nigel Christensen, Committee Member Emma Bortignon, Victorian State Rep James Ashton and ASSG member Paul Shanahan. If you missed out, you can register for the replay here
