GameSoundCon is a conference and seminar on videogame music and video game sound design. GameSoundCon began as a multi-city conference providing seminars occurring 2-4 times per year in various cities in the US on creating music and sound effects for videogames. Speakers and panelists from throughout the industry cover topics ranging from composing game music to game sound design and the business of game sound.
Background
The first GameSoundCon was held in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency Century City Century Place in September 2009, primarily designed for composers, sound designers and audio engineers with little or no experience in games, but experience in traditional media such as music/TV/film.
In the 2009 GameSoundCon conferences, two parallel content tracks were given. In the first track, called "Main Game Audio Sessions," tutorials and panel sessions included: Composing Game Music, Game Audio Tech 1& 2, Game Sound Design as well as roundtables on business issues, casual game music and licensing. In the second track, staff from MTV's Harmonix Music Systems gave tutorials on how to create content for the ill-fated
Rock Band Network
The ''Rock Band'' Network (abbreviated RBN) was a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the ''Rock Band'' seri ...
.
In 2011, hands-on training sessions in
FMOD were added, taught by Stephan Schutze. In 2013,
Wwise
Wwise (Wave Works Interactive Sound Engine) is Audiokinetic's software for interactive media and video games, available for free to non-commercial users and under license for commercial video game developers. It features an audio authoring tool and ...
sessions were added as well.
In 2013, GameSoundCon went to a once-per-year format, settling in Los Angeles. At the same time, GameSoundCon expanded its format, adding a second series of session tracks for higher-end talks for those with significant experience in games
In 2016, it expanded again, adding additional session tracks for Virtual Reality audio and game audio research
GameSoundCon Industry Survey
Each year, GameSoundCon publishes the GameSoundCon Industry Survey which covers topics such as compensation for game composers, sound designers and other game audio roles; work and environment; contract terms, rights, bonuses, royalties; use of live musicians and middleware; and education level.
In 2016 The GameSoundCon Industry Survey did a deeper analysis on gender-based differences in salaries for game composers and sound designers . The study suggested a "
gender pay gap
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted ...
" equivalent of approximately 2 years of experience.
A similar GameSoundCon study showed a large increase in the demand for composers and audio directors virtually coincident with the opening of the Apple "app store" and the release of Facebook's developer program
G.A.N.G. Scholars Program
GameSoundCon, through its partnership with the Game Audio Network Guild, provides complimentary passes to its conference through the G.A.N.G. Scholars Program.
Student applications require the applicant to submit essays, recommendations from professors and GPA
Previous GameSoundCon Keynote Speakers
* GameSoundCon (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - September, 2016 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Gordy Haab, Independent Composer
* GameSoundCon (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - November, 2015 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Chance Thomas, Independent Composer
* GameSoundCon (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - October, 2014 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Marty ODonnell, Independent Composer
* GameSoundCon (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - November, 2013 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Austin Wintory, Independent Composer
* GameSoundCon (
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - October, 2012 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Clint Bajakian, Sony Computer Entertainment
* GameSoundCon (
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - November, 2011 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Guy Whitmore, Popcap
* GameSoundCon (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - June 6, 2011 (1 day)
* GameSoundCon (
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
) - October 2010 (2 days)
* GameSoundCon (
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
) - May 11, 2010 (1 day)
* GameSoundCon (
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - November 2010 (2 days)
* GameSoundCon 2009 (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - September 23/24 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Marty O'Donnell, Audio Director,
Bungie
Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington. It is a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company was established in May 1991 by Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones (progr ...
* GameSoundCon 2009 (
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) - November 13/14 (2 days); Keynote Speaker: Chance Thomas, HUGESound
References
External links
GameSoundCon official siteGame Audio Network Guild official site
{{Video Game Trade Shows
Video game conferences
Video game development