post for videogames

[DSD_Mastering]

I've done 4 games so far. The studios I"ve worked with in the past have oursourced all the audio.
I am working with 2 studios now where their animators will be coming here to do some of the animation. I have to learn a new program called Wwise to better integrate with their workflow.

Regards,
Bruce

[theoryinmotion]

Almost all firms creating video games out source the sound design and music. Of the few places that have a in-house sound guy, you are looking at 1 sound guy for every 40-50 programmers, so the sound design/music positions open up very rarely.

I have done 2 indie films sound scores, compose and produce music for several licensing agencies, and have done some sound fx for some web games... even with that experience I found it almost impossible to get much response as far as landing a sound design and composer job for a video game out sourcing company. Most outsource houses want a designer to have several game titles under their belt before they even consider signing them up as a independant contractor. So, it is kind of a catch 22...need experience to get the job, won't have much experience until you get a job.

Good luck!!!

[introvert]

Some of the above is not entirely accurate. I work for a game developer, and am part of a multi-person audio team. I know of several other developers who have sizable audio teams. This is something that's improving throughout the industry, though it depends on the quality of the titles being produced.

Most of the games I've worked on have been big budget, "AAA" (as they call them) titles. For all of these projects, there has been an in-house audio staff of at least several people, as well as some outsourcing (VO, music, some types of sound design). It may seem as if these are the rare situations, but they're not THAT rare. If you watch the industry, there are quite a few big titles that are launched each year, and generally all of them have more than two or three sets of ears involved.

At a previous employer, we had nine audio staff (four audio-focused programmers and five audio designers/implementers) out of 110 total. At another job, we had five audio staffers (one audio-focused programmer and four audio designers/implementers) out of 130 total. I know of a few places where the numbers are greater than this.

It IS very hard to get into though. We still are among the rarest people in this industry, and due to the type of work we do (which is very granular, involves a lot of scripting knowledge, and is becoming more complicated with each console generation), experience is generally needed to get any sort of decent job. There's still a black box mentality towards audio... a lot of developers don't want to spend time training or getting someone on their feet, they just don't want to worry about sound at all.

I came from a linear post background to games. I always wanted to work in games, but couldn't get in at first. After spending a few years working in TV, I finally made it in, but it had nothing to do with my experience. It came down to having a friend in the business and being in the right place at the right time.

Making the jump is tough though. You start at the bottom, just as if I were to jump from games over to film. And the job itself is very different. It's not just making sound effects to video. You have to think about how audio is going to be separated into components and triggered from within the game. It requires some serious out of the box thinking, but that's why I love it

[Henchman]

I've seen numerous full-time audio job postings for various game companies on various sites.
iI's a matter of being diligent for your search. Check the job sites regularly, as well as the companies themselves.
Keep in mind, most will require relocation.

[amiller]

Here's a good resource to find out more info:

Game Audio Network Guild - Promoting Excellence in Interactive Audio

[Frank S.]

For job openings check out Gamasutra

[Drasko]

Yea agreed with 'introvert'. Always depends, sometimes you may score a gig depending on your credit list / experience, but you may also score an amazing gig due to a great quality demo.

[NotVeryLoud]

Good posts all around.
One thing I would suggest in regards to getting audio work in the game industry would be to make yourself known on a face-to-face level with the audio directors who make the decisions about who will write the music, create the sound effects, record/edit the voice, post the movie sequences . . . etc.

It's a booming industry and many people want to get their foot in the door, which means every audio director has a huge and ever-growing pile of demo reels and resumes at their disposal. However, when it comes time to hire some one, they 1) look first to the people who have delivered successfully for them in the past. If they're not available, they 2) go to the list of people they know personally or by reputation. If they're not available, they'll 3) ask for recommendations from the aforementioned. Then, if that fails, they 4) post a job listing on-line and maybe comb the demo reels. It's a matter of efficiency and risk management.

There's not much down time in game development cycles, and the 'up-time' can be brutal with regards to hours and deadlines. Going through hundreds of demos is a huge task that would take days or weeks. Even a brief face-to-face meeting and introduction with someone who's in charge of hiring (assuming the meeting is civil and pleasant) can put you on the top of the demo stack. If you've got a quality reel (it doesn't even have to be the best reel) and they like you, and think they can work with you, you've just wedged your way in between step 3 and 4 above.

Go to game industry conferences and events. Hang around the audio track workshops and discussion groups. Learn who the people you should be in touch with are, introduce yourself, be genuine, give them your best work on a professional sounding and looking CD/DVD, keep in touch with them, and be patient. The average game takes 16-18 months to develop, new generation titles even longer (3 years is not unheard of). This means hiring turn around is slow. They'll be looking for a composer, sound-designer, or post-house once every year or two . . . or three.

There are the people they know, and the people they don't know. We know which one they'll gravitate towards come hiring time. A little extra effort is needed to make your reel/resume not disappear into the box of other unknowns.

[Rob King]

Originally Posted by NotVeryLoud

Good posts all around.
One thing I would suggest in regards to getting audio work in the game industry would be to make yourself known on a face-to-face level with the audio directors who make the decisions about who will write the music, create the sound effects, record/edit the voice, post the movie sequences . . . etc.

It's a booming industry and many people want to get their foot in the door, which means every audio director has a huge and ever-growing pile of demo reels and resumes at their disposal. However, when it comes time to hire some one, they 1) look first to the people who have delivered successfully for them in the past. If they're not available, they 2) go to the list of people they know personally or by reputation. If they're not available, they'll 3) ask for recommendations from the aforementioned. Then, if that fails, they 4) post a job listing on-line and maybe comb the demo reels. It's a matter of efficiency and risk management.

There's not much down time in game development cycles, and the 'up-time' can be brutal with regards to hours and deadlines. Going through hundreds of demos is a huge task that would take days or weeks. Even a brief face-to-face meeting and introduction with someone who's in charge of hiring (assuming the meeting is civil and pleasant) can put you on the top of the demo stack. If you've got a quality reel (it doesn't even have to be the best reel) and they like you, and think they can work with you, you've just wedged your way in between step 3 and 4 above.

Go to game industry conferences and events. Hang around the audio track workshops and discussion groups. Learn who the people you should be in touch with are, introduce yourself, be genuine, give them your best work on a professional sounding and looking CD/DVD, keep in touch with them, and be patient. The average game takes 16-18 months to develop, new generation titles even longer (3 years is not unheard of). This means hiring turn around is slow. They'll be looking for a composer, sound-designer, or post-house once every year or two . . . or three.

There are the people they know, and the people they don't know. We know which one they'll gravitate towards come hiring time. A little extra effort is needed to make your reel/resume not disappear into the box of other unknowns.

Beautifully written and completely true.

This is excellent information for anyone starting out. I have been in the business for 14 years, and NotVeryLoud hit it on the head.

[stuartprovine]

Originally Posted by Rob King

Beautifully written and completely true.

This is excellent information for anyone starting out. I have been in the business for 14 years, and NotVeryLoud hit it on the head.

Rob is right. I've done a fair amount of game stuff, and this info is simply the truth.

Those looking to break into games, copy and paste NotVeryLoud's words and keep them in a familiar place for reference. Seriously, he or she did you a real favor.