recorded on feb 26, 2025
Finding work • Earning a living • Work/life balance
Three working games composers go head-to-head, sharing battle-tested strategies on breaking in, making a living, and balancing life and work. From honing your skills and picking the right VSTs, to navigating industry quirks, this is your backstage pass to the real world of game scoring.
Watch Highlights
Networking and Game Jams
Networking at game conferences can be an important step in securing more work, but it's crucial to be able to distinguish between fan-focused and industry-focused events. For some composers, game jams can also be a great opportunity to create connections and build relationships.
hiring decisions
Working on video games is a collaborative process involving which involves selecting the right talent based on recommendations and availability. For example, when working with musicians, adapting compositions to their instruments can foster creative freedom.
AI is an increasing concern amongst composers, including in the gaming music industry. However, Anne highlights AI's limitations in understanding musical nuances and the importance of live music production in projects.
composing for vr games
Understanding VR and the sound experience is important for those looking to work in this area. For example, binaural audio offers a more realistic sound experience than traditional surround sound, adapting to head movements - demonstrating the importance of understanding technical aspects of sound in creating engaging gaming experiences.
Collaboration with musicians is key to high-quality music production, as their expertise can enhance future projects. Recording a video of musicians performing to share on social media can also be helpful for marketing, leading to bigger budgets and diverse income.
working your way up
Delivering high-quality work is essential, regardless of the payment or project size. A strong work ethic can lead to a solid reputation in the industry and therefore games composers should commit fully to delivering to the best of their ability.
Transitioning Into Being a Ganes Composer
Mike highlights how where the industry can sometimes have a preference for artists over traditional composers, this can present opportunities for those wishing to transition in to this career.
state of the Industry
Where there are concerns about the game industry's stability, Mike highlights how smaller studios may benefit as experienced developers look for new roles.
Steps To Landing Your First Gig
Building a portfolio and releasing music are important, practical steps for landing your first game scoring project.
Software plays a crucial role in game scoring. Understanding the importance of middleware and what roles handle music implementation is important.
Save YoUR Money
Rescoring Videos and Showreels
Reaching Out
Spending time on a portfolio of work before reaching out is valuable when it comes to building genuine relationships and creating work opportunities.
Money and Negotiating
Being able to confidently negotiate compensation is an essential skill, taking into account factors such as experience, project scale and budget, and recording sessions, and a business mindset is crucial for sustainability as a games composer,
International Work
There are plenty of opportunities outside of the English-speaking game industry, for example China's mobile game market is thriving as well games studios in Eastern Europe.
Finding work
If you're looking for work, an online presence is vital for sharing work and connecting with potential clients and online and in-person networking plays a key role in building and maintaining quality connections.
Contracts and Negotiating
Negotiating and understanding contracts is an essential business skill for composers. Anne discusses factors to consider, such as upfront payments and backend bonuses, when negotiating compensation.
Collaborating on Games vs Films
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HOW TO WRITE VIDEO GAME MUSIC
a thinkspace interactive course
$249 $159
LEARN TO COMPOSE AND PRODUCE FOR THE FAST-GROWING SCENE
online Masters degrees for Games Audio
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MA COMPOSING FOR VIDEO GAMES
Working with video games has many of its own challenges, and this course will teach you how to work in an adaptive and interactive medium, whilst also looking at the different compositional techniques used for different types of video games. You will look at audio implementation, looping and layering, dynamic scoring, and much more.
MA SOUND DESIGN FOR VIDEO GAMES
Explore the process of creating and manipulating sounds for a wide variety of game genres. Learn about creating atmospheres, recording your own bespoke sounds, syncing to picture and cutscenes, plus lots more. You will get the chance to learn from sound designers who have worked on everything from indie games to AAA games.