New to game sound

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ThomasAlf
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Posts: 5
Joined: September 30th, 2013, 12:32 pm

New to game sound

Post by ThomasAlf » February 16th, 2015, 11:42 am

Hi

I've been interested in sound pretty much my entire life and I have worked professionally with sound pretty much full time since 2008. Mostly TV and film stuff, both location work and post production. I'm just starting out with sound for games and I'm doing everything I can to learn as much as possible: reading everything I can get my hands on, listening to podcasts, watching tutorials, installing and checking out the usual suspects (Fmod, Wwise, Unity3d and so on). I've also started on a long series of evening classes that will cover a lot of programming/data management and eventually lead to a bachelor's degree in informatics (not 100% sure i translated that correctly, but the degree isn't really the important part).

So, my questions to the fine people here on the forum are: what would you have liked to know when you first started out? Is there something really essential that I should make sure to read up on now that I'm starting out? I'm used to working with directors and editors and know what they expect from me. Do your collaborators in the games industry ask for anything that freaked you out the first time? (professionally, I mean. What you do in your spare time is your business ;) )

-Thomas

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MikeQuell
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Joined: June 6th, 2013, 4:15 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Sound Designer
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Re: New to game sound

Post by MikeQuell » March 24th, 2015, 12:39 pm

I think you are taking all the right steps and probably wont come across too many surprises. I was going to suggest learning some middleware and game development engines but it seems you are already on top of it.

Game development can be incredibly stressful. I think the biggest bit of advice I can give you is to acknowledge that it is and realize when it's time to take a break. Now I don't mean get up and quit your job. I'm talking about simple steps, like going out and getting some air to re-calibrate when things get heated. A lot of developers tend to put their health and loved ones in stressful scenarios because they aren't trying to maintain a proper work/life balance across the duration of a project. Because we are all so passionate in this industry, it's easy to get lost in our work.

ThomasAlf
Intern
Posts: 5
Joined: September 30th, 2013, 12:32 pm

Re: New to game sound

Post by ThomasAlf » April 30th, 2015, 11:56 pm

(Sorry I took so long to reply. I thought this topic died and stopped checking back..)

Thanks for replying, Mike. I totally agree with you. It's really important to remember that being passionate can lead to burn out if you don't make a conscious effort to maintain a good work/life balance.

My getting-into-game-audio project has moved forward a little since last time. I've been lucky enough to find a local industry veteran who has agreed to show me some tricks of the trade to help me get started.

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