Written by Damian Kastbauer
(The Guide formerly known as the Guide to Game Audio GDC)
Opening | Let’s Go Crazy
Recurring | Play in the Sunshine
• Monday – Friday | 8:00 am – 9:00 am-ish | Morning Audio Community Meetup
• Wednesday – Friday | 12:00 pm | Daily Lunchtime “Behind” the Carousel
• Thursday – Friday | 12:15 pm | CarouselCon “Behind” the Carousel
• Online | Discord: Game Audio GDC!
• Online | BlueSky: #GameAudioGDC
Events | Under the Cherry Moon
• Sunday, March 16 | 7:00 pm | Pre-GDC Game Audio Meetup by Game Audio Pavilion
• Tuesday, March 18 | 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm | GDC Metal Meet 2025
• Tuesday, March 18 | 6:00 pm | Game Audio Denizens & GADA Pizza with a Purpose
• Tuesday, March 18 | 8:00 pm – 2:00 am | Audio Community Karaoke
• Wednesday, March 19 | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | GDC Main Stage: A Developer’s Concert feat. Austin Wintory
• Wednesday, March 19 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Asian Game Audio Network Meetup
• Wednesday, March 19 | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm | GDC Main Stage: Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards
• Wednesday, March 19 | 3:00 pm | Sounds of Dreamers (Private Screening)
• Thursday, March 20 | 3:00 pm | Sounds of Dreamers (Private Screening)
• Thursday, March 20 | 7:30 – 9:30 pm | Game Audio Network Guild Awards
• Friday, March 21 | 5:00 pm | School of Video Game Audio Meetup “Behind” the Carousel
GDC Party List
Monday | Starfish and Coffee
• 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Independent Games Summit: Making Room (for diverse voices, processes, and workers)
• 10:50 AM – 11:50 AM | Independent Games Summit: You Are Not Alone
• 2:10 PM – 2:40 PM | Game Narrative Summit: Prepare Recording Scripts like a Pro
Tuesday | Mountains
• 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | ‘Star Wars Outlaws’: Diegetic Music as a Tool for World Building and Authenticity
• 10:50 AM – 11:50 AM | Creating Believable Worlds with Ambience
• 11:50 AM – 1:20 PM | Lunchtime Surgeries
• 1:20 PM – 1:50 PM | Audio with Intent: A Creative Framework for Communicating Gameplay Information
• 2:10 PM – 2:40 PM | Beyond the Booth: Creative Voice Recording and Performance Design
• 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Bringing the Party Home: Designing Audio for Mixed Reality
• 3:50 PM – 4:20 PM | Understanding Game Audio Programming and How I Got There
• 4:40 PM – 5:10 PM | Maintaining Musical Integrity (When Working with Clients)
• 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM | The Impact of ‘Marvel Rivals’: Real-Time Sound Mixing in the Gaming Experience
Roundtables | Future
• POWER UP AUDIO – MENTORSHIP AMA
• DIVERSITY IN GAME AUDIO
• LOCALIZATION
• GAME AUDIO PROGRAMMING
• ACCESSIBILITY
• BEING AN EFFECTIVE ALLY
• TOOL DESIGN
Town Halls | Pop Life
• Friday, March 21 | 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm – IASIG TOWN HALL 3024 West
• Thursday, March 20 | 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm – G.A.N.G. TOWN HALL 3024 West
Wednesday | Kiss
• 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | The Synthesizer Plugins of ‘COCOON’
• 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Audio Adventures in a Multiplayer VR Social World: ‘Dimensional Double Shift’ Audio Post Mortem
• 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | A Matter of Perspective: Mixing Sound in ‘Split Fiction’
• 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | The Immersive Audio of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Presented by Dolby Laboratories)
Thursday | Baby, I’m a Star
• 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | How to Write an Asynchronous Multithreaded Audio Engine
• 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Feel the World: The DualSense™ Experience Behind ‘ASTRO BOT’ (Presented by Sony)
• 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | ‘South Of Midnight’: Musicality Beyond Music
Friday | Delirious
• 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | GPU Raytracing for Audio in Snowdrop
• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | A Score for Wizardry: World-Building Through Music
Expo | Gold
• Audiokinetic – AMC Metreon Theater
• Wednesday, March 19th | Wwise Developer Presentations
• 10:00 am | Wwise in Service of Art and Creativity
• 11:15 am | The Ambient Sound Design of ‘Still Wakes the Deep’
• 1:45 pm | The Evolution of Acoustics Technology in Wwise
• 3:00 pm | SOUNDS OF DREAMERS (Documentary)
• Thursday, March 20th | Wwise Developer Presentations
• 10:00 am | The Impact of ‘Marvel Rivals’: Real-Time Sound Mixing in the Gaming Experience
• 11:15 am | Split Fiction: A Behind-the-Scenes Audio Breakdown
• 1:45 pm | Weaving the Systemic Soundscapes of ‘Eternal Strands’
• 3:00 pm | SOUNDS OF DREAMERS (Documentary)
bHaptics – S763
Dolby – MR56
FMOD – S963
Miraisens – C1846
Soundly – S1729
Vicious Sound – SU25
Vital Music – C1731
Closing | Sign O’ the Times
About Damian Kastbauer
Opening | Let’s Go Crazy
“We’re all excited and we don’t know why?” – Let’s Go Crazy, Prince
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called GDC…
How will you show up?
What do you have to offer? What are you hoping to find? What value do your words carry? In-person, on the screen, or on the page? When you speak or engage, what are your intentions? What are we hoping will transpire? A communication of ideas (or possibly an exchange)? A greater understanding of perspectives? How will your experience translate into action?
The bi-directionaly of communication requires an emitter and listener. One side with the bravery to speak and the other to listen with empathy. An interaction as old as time and yet, seemingly, not always effective. Interpersonal communication is a complex negotiation of give and take. It benefits from the right balance of: speaking, listening, experience sharing, imagining, theorizing, and speculating to create a compelling conversation. Some of the best exchanges veer-wildly into the unknown as a result of overlapping chemistry and deft neural spelunking.
Then there are the conference presentations, delivered by some of the outstanding artists who have contributed to the best examples of our interactive medium over the last years. The donation of their time, the framing of their experience, all towards the education of the community, is a spirit that resonates. A veritable firehose of contextual information that can supercharge your way of thinking, how you approach the art and craft of interactivity. Each year ensures that good work is not swallowed by the sands of time, instead it can live on in the hearts and minds of the community.
It’s a high price to pay, financially and emotionally, to reach for these spoils. Many will be looking to understand where they might find a place where their skills can be leveraged towards the creation of something that matters. While an overwhelming number of people (See below “Sign O’ the Times) will be looking for a paycheck.
If I have one piece of advice it would be: Ask how you can help
Whether it’s between people, in the community, as an ally, in the face of adversity, silently or loudly, I believe that you have something to give that could be an important part of someone’s experience. So do what you can to prepare for any opportunity to lend your skills, talent, perspective, support, allyship, understanding, or otherwise sharing unconditional self and what you have to offer. It may not be clear what you can do. Regardless, there you’ll be, faced with the potential to have a positive impact on the outcome of the interactions that you’ll take part in. So with that I would ask (…and have been asking myself!):
How do you cultivate a mindset that allows you to show up in the best way possible?
Each year I attempt to frame the opportunities that exist in the biggest multiplayer game-of-game developers in the world. A choose-your-own-adventure of: education, community, celebration, and camaraderie. There’s no wrong way to play, no points or high-scores. You’ll need all of your wits, a few maps, a bag of holding, at least some gold (and likely a bit of magic) to get you through. You’ll emerge on the other side having gained experience, witnessed wonders, and hopefully bent an ear, and had your ear bent, in the direction of all that’s good in the world of audio.
You’re an adventurer and an advocate on the wild streets of San Francisco, where there’s safety in numbers (and a fair-share of dragons). It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this. I hope that there are some words and ideas to help you through the times ahead.
Recurring | Play in the Sunshine
“Before my life is done, someway, somehow, I’m gonna have fun” – Play in the Sunshine, Prince
Monday – Friday | 8:00 am – 9:00 am-ish | Morning Audio Community Meetup
Like a dawn chorus whose voice fills the forest with ecstatic communication, the Morning Audio Community Meetup is the sound of people coming together to share their experience throughout the conference. An annual conversation grown from the roots of the Game Audio Podcast, this community conversation is all about filling in the gaps of the GDC experience.
By giving people a platform to surface what happened the day before, it provides access to other knowledge that may have been missed.
At some point things shift to surfacing plans for the day ahead, a chance to highlight something good while hearing about other possibilities.
This is simply the best place to find game audio and begin your day informed about events.
The meetup location is just a short block away from Moscone at 222 2nd St. so grab your beverage of choice en-route and start your day in the best way.
Here’s a map, so you don’t get lost:
Wednesday – Friday | 12:00 pm | Daily Lunchtime “Behind” the Carousel
Lunch behind the Carousel is always a thing. The default location for audio community sustenance and an open invitation for unwinding in-between. When the weather is good, behind the Carousel (ideally, in the amphitheater set-back from the road) is simply the best place to target when you’re looking for a place to land during lunch. Grab some food and see you there!
Thursday – Friday | 12:15 pm | CarouselCon “Behind” the Carousel
Photo Credit: Dinah Bakeer
In 2017 Matthew Marteinsson began organizing and hosting a series of crowd-sourced presentations under the name CarouselCon running parallel to the lunchtime game audio meetups behind the Carousel (see above). Since then, CarouselCon has been handed off to the community as a way to continue surfacing community perspectives in an equitable and inclusive way. This event is a great way for folks to share top-of-mind experiences, important findings, random thoughts, or just plain connecting over a shared experience as part of free and open platform to listen and participate. Find the folks pulling it together and get signed up to share…or sit back and listen to voices of the community.
“Carousel Con will be taking place Thursday March 20th – Friday March 21st, starting around 12:15 each day. Will run half an hour+ depending on how many talks we have. Meet at the Amphitheater in the Yerba Buena Public Square, up the steps behind the Carousel. Come bring something to talk about for a short length of time, anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Looking forward to seeing you all again!”
Online | Discord: Game Audio GDC!
Folks have been rallying over at the Game Audio at GDC! server that was spun-up over the past years to support communication on the ground. There’s some great discussion over there about what to expect for your first time and great perspectives being lent by the community over there. I’ve seen folks call out for accompaniment on a late night walk, spontaneous evening plans form from a suggestion, and the best of our community pulling together in-service of the greater good. I expect that as the conference kicks off, things will get real time with folks coordinating and updating previous plans. While it’s totally cool to unplug and lead through in-person conversations and group dynamics, it’s always nice to have a place to check-in.
Invite here: https://discord.gg/QRsCKCGBuF
…and there’s always the Game Audio Pavilion (coordinators of the Sunday night meetup and working behind the scenes) that stays active year-round as an alternate community to keep your eyes on: https://discord.gg/HfPm5nKbxm
Online | BlueSky: #GameAudioGDC
Whether you keep it tuned to servers on Discord or trained on the #GameAudioGDC hashtag over on Bluesky/ Socials, information (still) travels faster in the modern age. Be sure to blast out your experience on the ground to the wider world across socials to share the knowledge.
Events | Under the Cherry Moon
“How can I stand to stay where I am” – Prince
Photo Credit: Meet Minneapolis
With a week of presentations yet to unfold, planning your time outside the conference can be the most exciting and overwhelming task, if you let it be! Another path you can take is to go with the flow. But before you go, here’s what I know: the best conference experience is one that balances the known and the unknown in equal measures. So give yourself a chance to improvise; let the mood and the moment determine the way forward. Carve out a memorable path through the non-stop opportunity space of San Francisco in the spring.
Meanwhile, the School for Video Game Audio 10 Tips for #GameAudioGDC 2025 includes wisened perspectives for a successful experience. Dig in deeper for more tips on how to prepare, be present and proactive, while maximizing your conference experience.
Here’s what Leonard J. Paul has to say about pacing yourself during the marathon week of the conference:
6) Pace Your Eating, Party & Sleepy Times
Usually parties are where I chat with new people the most and talking over meals (outside is often an option) is a great way to connect with people whenever you can.
It’s important to be respectful of others and the GDC has a great set of guidelines to help out as well as a mandate to improve diversity: DIVERSITY EQUITY & INCLUSION. Everyone wants to have a fun time at GDC and it’s good to do what you can to support this great community.
It’s good to take a chance, dive in and just talk with people. You’ll never know what the future holds if you’re not willing to take some risks. Note that networking isn’t an even playing field so it’s good to be mindful to help support the community. The GDC CODE OF CONDUCT does its best to help set the tone for the conference.
Try to stay healthy by drinking plenty of water if you happen to go out drinking and book in your sleep. Although morning coffee is fine, I’d recommend getting up later and getting more sleep if you’re just going to be a zombie all day. Packing snacks is good too.
GDC is like a workout. Eat healthy when you can and stay rested. You’ll be walking around a lot, which is fun but also really tiring. Earplugs are essential, plus protecting your voice too!
Sunday, March 16 | 7:00 pm | Pre-GDC Game Audio Meetup by Game Audio Pavilion
Bender’s Bar and Grill (806 South Van Ness Ave)
Early adventurers can find their way to Benders Bar in the Mission District Sunday night for a little informal pre-event coordinated by Dylan Seligman of the (aforementioned) Game Audio Pavilion/ Game Audio at GDC Discords. An open-invitation RVSP for wayward travelers that favors the bold. If you are so inclined, after jumping BART South, it’s just a short walk from either the 16th or 24th St. Mission stops and a nice way to get acclimated to life on foot for what will be a week of straight-up-hustle on the streets of San Francisco. Excited conversations full of speculation for the days to come should be expected…and if I remember correctly, plenty of tater tots!
Tuesday, March 18 | 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm | GDC Metal Meet 2025
Yerba Buena Gardens
Coordinated by audio community member and composer Jamie Elsey, this meetup is all about pulling together people “…who share a passion for metal music…If you fall into the incredibly small Venn diagram cross section of “game developers who also listen to metal”, this event is for you!…an incredibly casual and inclusive meetup.” Get RSVP’d Here
Tuesday, March 18 | 6:00 pm | Game Audio Denizens & GADA Pizza with a Purpose
GADA Charity Event: California Pizza Kitchen (53 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103)
The time is set to gather for dinner as part of the Game Audio Denizens group meetup, Meanwhile, the donation is possible ALL DAY LONG, so even if you stop by for lunch, mentioning GADA will donate 20% of the bill – at no additional cost to you! Mention the Game Audio Diversity Alliance on your visit to the 53 Third Street California Pizza Kitchen on March 19th, 2024 and CPK will donate 20% of its food and beverage sales to the Game Audio Diversity Alliance!
==========================================
GADA has funded trips to conferences for 15 scholars with 5 more traveling to GDC 2024.
Additionally, GADA has funded 6 scholarships to attend a program through the School of Video Game Audio.
The Game Audio Diversity Alliance is a 501(c)3 Charity dedicated toward building a more inclusive and diverse game audio industry; by creating career advancement opportunities for underrepresented voices through education, mentoring, networking, and financial support.
You can learn more at: https://gameaudiodiversityalliance.org/
Tuesday, March 18 | 8:00 pm – 2:00 am | Audio Community Karaoke
The Mint Karaoke Lounge (1942 Market St.)
Audio Community Karaoke has been happening, in various places and configurations, for years. The past few have seen Elvira Bjorkman coordinating a full buyout at The Mint Karaoke Lounge funded by (first) Two Feathers and (last year) by a handful of karaoke-minded audio companies (A Shell in the Pit, Audiokinetic, Firelight, Sound Cuts, Team Audio)
It’s been a hit these past few years, and by popular demand, the event is back this year – fully sponsored by Audiokinetic! Just like last year, we have the whole karaoke venue to ourselves to celebrate the community with song! On the day of the karaoke, we will send a password for you to gain access at the door. Please invite and bring your Game Audio friends and allies and make sure that you RSVP.
Wednesday, March 19 | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | GDC Main Stage: A Developer’s Concert feat. Austin Wintory
“Following the success of 2024’s inaugural GDC concert, composer Austin Wintory will return once again in 2025 with a whole new slate of both classics and deep cuts. Springing from the theme of “Connecting the World through Games,” the music will come from all corners of the gaming world, with lots of surprises and special guests.”
Wednesday, March 19 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Asian Game Audio Network Meetup
Yerba Buena Public Square (behind the • carousel) https://maps.app.goo.gl/ 4GTD4bofph5T126Q9 1
“Come join us at our annual in-person meetup at GDC, hosted by the Asian Game Audio Network. Bring your own lunch if you like and bond over the shared experience of working in audio (and disappointing our parents”
Wednesday, March 19 | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm | GDC Main Stage: Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards
“The festival consists of the IGF Ceremony, the IGF Pavilion, and Independent Games Summit, all taking place during the week of the Game Developers Conference (GDC). During the ceremony, IGF will distribute eight major awards that were judged and juried by industry professionals and experts.”
Wednesday, March 19 | 3:00 pm | Sounds of Dreamers (Private Screening)
AMC Metreon 16 Theater 14 (135 4th St.)
Thursday, March 20 | 3:00 pm | Sounds of Dreamers (Private Screening)
AMC Metreon 16 Theater 14 (135 4th St.)
Conveniently located at the intersection of the conference, the AMC Metreon 16 will host two exclusive private screenings of a documentary honouring the game audio community, presented by Audiokinetic. Three years in the making, SOUNDS OF DREAMERS is a documentary that captures voices and stories from across the world—Montreal, San Francisco, Burbank, Copenhagen, Hilversum, Tokyo, and Shanghai—bringing together the passion, creativity, and innovation that make our game audio community, extraordinary.
Share this invite with your friends and colleagues (audio or not!) and reserve your spot.
Thursday, March 20 | 7:30 – 9:30 pm | Game Audio Network Guild Awards
Room 3004, West Hall – Required Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass (NEW For 2025: You MUST purchase a separate “GDC Nights” for Thursday, March 20 pass to attend the G.A.N.G. Awards)
“Excellence in Game Audio is celebrated annually at the 23rd G.A.N.G. Awards show. Come and be a part of the magic as it recognizes the best of the best! It will be a night of entertainment and peer recognition as the show reviews the finest in game audio from the past year.”
I’ve said it before: Put on your #SocksOfGameAudio, paint up those #NailsOfGameAudio, and make sure you bring a GDC Pass + GDC Nights with you. (Required for entry)
Friday, March 21 | 5:00 pm | School of Video Game Audio Meetup “Behind” the Carousel
The School of Video Game Audio will be hosting their annual GDC meetup on Friday afternoon at 5 pm behind the Carousel. This is often the last chance to high-five and hug before the four winds carry folks off for evening decompressions. Come to catch the last embers of conference conversation and to stoke the fires of future conversations yet to come.
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GDC Party List
Yeah, of course there’s a GDC 2025 Party List you can keep an eye for other ideas of what to do and how to spend time. (because spreadsheets, amirite!)
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Monday | Starfish and Coffee
“if you set your mind free, baby, maybe you’d understand” – Starfish and Coffee, Prince
Monday is always a wild card, a moment of unknown and unknowable things. I’ll be kicking off the week with the inaugural Morning Audio Community Meetup from 8-9am (see above) and beating a wild-path until lunchtime behind the carousel. The outdoor space at Yerba Buena Gardens always yields fabulous people and anticipatory conversations, weather permitting. If you’ve gone all-in with a Summits or All Access Pass, Monday is an exciting day of focused presentations across disciplines.
Here are a few things happening on Monday that sound great:
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Independent Games Summit: Making Room (for diverse voices, processes, and workers)
Speaker: Tina Merry (Simply Sweet Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass
10:50 AM – 11:50 AM | Independent Games Summit: You Are Not Alone
Speakers: Julie Minamata (Independent), Renee Gittins (Stumbling Cat), Neha Patel (Freelance)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass
2:10 PM – 2:40 PM | Game Narrative Summit: Prepare Recording Scripts like a Pro
Speaker: Ayesha Khan (Ubisoft Refelctions)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass
Tuesday | Mountains
“Once upon a time…” – Mountains, Prince
The Audio Summit is an all day, one room, wide-view game audio extravaganza. An array of presentations across a broad spectrum of topics that appeal to all levels of experience. As co-coordinator of the Audio Summit, along with Scott Selfon, I can say that the presentations selected each year attempt to represent a cross-section of game audio perspectives delivered with clarity to all experience levels.
This year there are presentations across the usual music, sound, and voice categories echoing the pillars of our discipline. These talks are augmented by slices of unique perspective from the worlds of: Mixed Reality, Audio Programming, and Dynamic Mixing. And don’t forget to stick around over the lunch hour to get interactive with the presenters while they rotate between different tables. The chance to ask questions and explore topics with each of these experienced professionals in realtime can help connect-the-dots between ideas and reality.
Here’s the lineup for the Audio Summit:
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | ‘Star Wars Outlaws’: Diegetic Music as a Tool for World Building and Authenticity
Speaker: Cody Matthew Johnson – Composer, Audio Director (Emperia Sound and Music)
10:50 AM – 11:50 AM | Creating Believable Worlds with Ambience
Speaker: Malin Arvidsson – Senior Sound Designer (Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio)
11:50 AM – 1:20 PM | Lunchtime Surgeries
Speaker: Cody Matthew Johnson, Malin Arvidsson, Robin Butel, Mathieu Lavoie, Anthony Hales, Crystal Lee, Michelle Auyoung, Dillan Schmitz, Fei Guo
1:20 PM – 1:50 PM | Audio with Intent: A Creative Framework for Communicating Gameplay Information
Speaker: Robin Butel – Technical Sound Designer & Audio Programmer (Demute)
2:10 PM – 2:40 PM | Beyond the Booth: Creative Voice Recording and Performance Design
Speaker: Mathieu Lavoie – Senior Director Music & Sound (Side Global), Anthony Hales – Senior Technical Director (Side Global)
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Bringing the Party Home: Designing Audio for Mixed Reality
Speaker: Crystal Lee – Game Audio Artist (Schell Games)
3:50 PM – 4:20 PM | Understanding Game Audio Programming and How I Got There
Speaker: Michelle Auyoung – Audio Programmer (Obsidian Entertainment)
4:40 PM – 5:10 PM | Maintaining Musical Integrity (When Working with Clients)
Speaker: Dillan Schmitz – Composer & Sound Designer (King Aurorus Music)
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM | The Impact of ‘Marvel Rivals’: Real-Time Sound Mixing in the Gaming Experience
Speaker: Fei Guo – Senior Audio Designer (NetEase Games)
Roundtables | Future
“I’ve seen the future and it will be, I’ve seen the future and it work” – Future, Prince
Roundtables represent the best in open-format conversation that encourage the free-exchange of ideas between people. Topical, focused, and moderated, these can be an excellent opportunity to get things out of your head, share experience, lend a perspective, and channel the moment. Here’s the catch: the roundtables are only accessible in-person, the conversations don’t live on as part of the GDC Vault. That often puts many of these discussions ahead of other presentations that can wait until after the conference. Which is to say, it’s worth finding your way to these well moderated and insightful moments that live on, only in memory.
Here are a few that seem like they would be worth your time:
POWER UP AUDIO – MENTORSHIP AMA
Monday, March 17 | 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – AMA Sound design, contract terms, biz dev, conference tips, demo reels, whatever…
Speakers: Kevin Regemy (Power Up Audio)
DIVERSITY IN GAME AUDIO
Wednesday, March 19 | 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Thursday, March 20 | 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Friday, March 21 | 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Speakers: Noa Beazley (Independent), Chase Bethea (Independent), Katelyn Isaacson (Independent), Jamie Lee (Independent), Winter McFarland (Aggro Crab), Star Victoria Power (Slide20XX), Nadia Wheaton (Independent)
LOCALIZATION
Friday, March 21 | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Speakers: Julia Gstoettner (exp:lore/ Co-Chair IGDA Localization SIG)
GAME AUDIO PROGRAMMING
Wednesday, March 19 | 10:30 am – 11:30 am – GAME INTEGRATION
Thursday, March 20 | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – LOW-LEVEL TOPICS
Friday, March 21 | 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – FREE-FOR-ALL
Speakers: Guy Somberg (Echtra Games), Tomas Neuman (Independent)
ACCESSIBILITY
Wednesday, March 19 | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Speakers: Tara Voelker (Netflix, IGDA, GASIG Member), Morgan Baker (Electronic Arts)
BEING AN EFFECTIVE ALLY
Wednesday, March 19 | 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Speakers: Josh Samuels (Raindrop Games/ IGDA Allies SIG)
TOOL DESIGN
Wednesday, March 19 | 9:00 am – 10:00 am – DESIGN and UX
Thursday, March 20 | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – PRODUCTION AND STRATEGY
Friday, March 21 | 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – USER RESEARCH
Speakers: Robin-Yann Storm (Independent)
Town Halls | Pop Life
“We all got a space to fill” – Pop Life, Prince
Each of the organizations that represent the audio community will meet and discuss the work that’s being done while opening the stage for individuals to bring forward issues that need to be heard. It’s worth finding your way to these if you’re interested in some of the concerns facing our industry and especially interesting if you have issues to bring (or energy to spare!).
Friday, March 21 | 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm – IASIG TOWN HALL 3024 West
Thursday, March 20 | 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm – G.A.N.G. TOWN HALL 3024 West
Wednesday | Kiss
“I’m gonna show you what it’s all about” – Kiss, Prince
Now the real challenge begins: with the Expo floor open and parallel Audio presentations (not to mention other disciplines across the whole conference) how can one possibly be expected to choose? You have the GDC Main Conference Audio Advisory Group to thank for the burden of choice across the next day’s events. (and thank them you should!) They’ve been working to make every hour of the Audio Track a study in (equal parts) inspiration and FOMO. And while you’re at it, give thanks to the Conference Associates who are shining a bright light when you’re lost at the conference or in need of assistance. Their presence is a gift and a treasure.
If you’re cueing up for the Morning Audio Community Meetups (see above) then it’s likely someone will share their experience and help fill in the gaps between unseen presentations. In the meantime, here are some of the sessions I hope that folks will fill me in on. (and don’t forget to check out the Schedule of Wwise Community Presentations hosted at the AMC Metreon on Wednesday & Thursday hosted by Audiokinetic)
Here are a few on Wednesday I hope you catch:
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | The Synthesizer Plugins of ‘COCOON’
Speakers: Jakob Schmid (Geometric Interactive)
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Audio Adventures in a Multiplayer VR Social World: ‘Dimensional Double Shift’ Audio Post Mortem
Speakers: Daniel Perry (Owlchemy Labs), Michael Kim (Owlchemy Labs)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | A Matter of Perspective: Mixing Sound in ‘Split Fiction’
Speakers: Philip Eriksson (Hazelight Studios), Joakim Enigk Sjoberg (Hazelight Studios)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | The Immersive Audio of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Presented by Dolby Laboratories)
Speaker: Alistair Hirst (Dolby), Pete Ward (MachineGames)
Thursday | Baby, I’m a Star
“Before the night is through, you’ll see my point of view” – Baby, I’m a Star, Prince
Every presentation is a reflection of some hard-won knowledge learned over the course of development. Equipped with the knowledge transference, attendees file out into the hallway where continued discussion can ensue: unpacking terminology, expanding on concepts, and gaining a greater understanding through words shared by people. Be mindful in these moments of group conversation. Invite folks from the fringe to lend their perspective, leave space for alternate points-of-view, and help to create an equitable and inclusive space during these moments. Your action (or inaction) may make the difference for someone finding their way to game audio and can shape the world as it unfolds outward.
Here are a few presentations I’d love to be in the hallway conversations for afterwards:
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | How to Write an Asynchronous Multithreaded Audio Engine
Speaker: Guy Somberg (Echtra Games)
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Feel the World: The DualSense™ Experience Behind ‘ASTRO BOT’ (Presented by Sony)
Speakers: Masayuki Yamada (Sony Interactive)
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | ‘South Of Midnight’: Musicality Beyond Music
Speakers: Olivier Deriviere (Ameo Prod), Chris Fox (Compulsion Games)
Friday | Delirious
“I can’t stop, I ain’t got no brakes” – Delirious, Prince
Days ago, you were a sponge with unlimited absorption potential and now, faced with the last official day of the conference, you’ll be desperately seeking the last precious drops of knowledge while simultaneously overflowing with a burden of fresh thoughts. Fear not, the end is nigh and time will heal all wounds while memories of days past will return to you in the future like lightning bolts of raw information.
Here are some suggestions for filling yourself to the brim:
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | GPU Raytracing for Audio in Snowdrop
Speaker: Kasparas Eidukonis – Senior Audio Programmer (Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio), Alexis Crickx – Rendering Programmer (Ubisoft Annecy)
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | A Score for Wizardry: World-Building Through Music
Speaker: Winifred Phillips (Generations Productions LLC)
Expo | Gold
“What’s the use of money, if you ain’t gonna break the mold” – Gold, Prince
The Expo this year is bound to contain all of the wild cacophony of previous years while simultaneously starting to feel like a shadow of its former self. With notable absences/ reduction of giants like Sony, Microsoft, Unity, and Epic thinning out foot traffic focused on consoles and game engines, the energy will be on smaller entities and the growing venues for showcasing independent games, alt.ctrl (alternative controls), and supporting services.
Audiokinetic – AMC Metreon Theater
“For 25 years, the interactive audio community has been our greatest inspiration. This year, instead of our usual spot on the GDC expo floor, we’re inviting you to join us at the AMC theatre at the Metreon where we’ll be hosting free events along with a space for the audio community to hang out on Wednesday and Thursday. Check out the schedule of presentations (no GDC pass required!) and be sure to RSVP for an exclusive private screening of a documentary honouring the game audio community.”
All presentations are free and accessible without a GDC Pass at the AMC Metreon Theater 14.
Private documentary screening space must be reserved
Wednesday, March 19th | Wwise Developer Presentations
10:00 am | Wwise in Service of Art and Creativity
Olivier Deriviere (Composer)
11:15 am | The Ambient Sound Design of ‘Still Wakes the Deep’
Daan Hendriks (Audio Director, The Chinese Room), Francesco Del Pia (Lead Sound Designer, The Chinese Room)
1:45 pm | The Evolution of Acoustics Technology in Wwise
Nathan Harris (Wwise Spatial Audio Lead, Audiokinetic)
3:00 pm | SOUNDS OF DREAMERS (Documentary)
Doors open at 2:30 pm RSVP here AMC Metreon 16 Theater 14 (135 4th St.)
Thursday, March 20th | Wwise Developer Presentations
10:00 am | The Impact of ‘Marvel Rivals’: Real-Time Sound Mixing in the Gaming Experience
Fei Guo (Senior Audio Designer, NetEase Games)
11:15 am | Split Fiction: A Behind-the-Scenes Audio Breakdown
Joakim Enigk Sjoberg (Senior Technical Sound Designer, Hazelight Studios), Philip Eriksson (Audio Director, Hazelight)
1:45 pm | Weaving the Systemic Soundscapes of ‘Eternal Strands’
Alex Davies (Audio Designer, Yellow Brick Games)
3:00 pm | SOUNDS OF DREAMERS (Documentary)
Doors open at 2:30 pm RSVP here AMC Metreon 16 Theater 14 (135 4th St.)
bHaptics – S763
“bHaptics is the innovator and provider of consumer-ready full-body haptics solutions. Join us at GDC 2025 and enter a whole new world of real time tactile VR gaming experience using our TactSuit Pro, Air, TactSleeve and TactGlove.”
Dolby – MR56
“Dolby is the industry leader in spatial audio and HDR. Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision enhance your players’ gaming experience.”
FMOD – S963
“(Firelight) will be showcasing FMOD Studio 2.03, now out of Early Access & Unity Verified, along with live gameplay & demo sessions with Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Rift of the Necrodancer throughout the expo.”
Miraisens – C1846
“Miraisens offers AMPTIX, an innovative haptics tool and middleware solution for consoles and PCs powered by the proprietary 3DHaptics technology.”
Soundly – S1729
“Find your perfect sound in the massive Soundly cloud library, use Soundly’s powerful search engine on your local files, and Drag & Drop sounds to your favorite tools!”
Vicious Sound – SU25
“Founded in 2019 in Los Angeles by award-winning sound designer Erick Ocampo, we specialize in crafting immersive and emotionally resonant audio experiences.”
Vital Music – C1731
“We actively seek collaborations with those who look for quality GAME AUDIO, welcoming partnerships with indie developers and major studios.”
Closing | Sign O’ the Times
“Sign O’ the Times, mess with your mind, hurry before it’s too late” – Sign O’ the Times, Prince
Photo Credit: Meet Minneapolis
There’s a comfort in repetition.
The best pop music walks a line between repeating phrases, hooks, or refrains while evolving over the course of a 3-4 minute song. The same could be said about games and their ability to deliver on replayability within a framework of repeatability, while simultaneously randomizing elements…along with the ultimate randomization of player input and agency. The value of this reliability is knowing what to expect, while accepting that previous experience does not guarantee a future outcome.
In these relatively short-form interactive experiences, it’s easy to see patterns emerge: storytelling, gameplay, thematic, or old audio tropes like; the one footstep variation that stands out, the single “entering combat” stinger, or awkwardly spoken out of context dialog line. When patterns emerge, some evoke a greater understanding of the underlying system: “Oh, this is how (it) works!” . This pattern recognition often leads to skill-building and helps with progression…that is, until mechanics change (as they often do) or context is replaced by new environments, goals, or circumstances.
This year’s conference arrives during a time when many have suffered from layoffs due to difficult economic times, unrealistic projections, and corporate machinations. The layoffs are not unique, the games industry has a long tradition of binge & purge development practices, but the recent extremes feel less like a repeating pattern and more like a collapse. While there are no easy answers as to how expectations drifted so far out of control, the resulting game cancellations and studio closures have had a sobering effect on game workers who now find themselves searching for the right fit for their talent and aspirations.
I’m exploring this comfort of repetition, in the context of this year’s Game Developers Conference and more abstractly in the context of current American politics, as part of this parting thought. Folks returning to San Francisco for GDC from outside of the US may feel a cognitive dissonance with their experiences in the past. While the framework of the conference remains mostly intact after 36 years, the political climate in America has taken a fundamental shift this year: the rules have changed. An attempt at systematically dismantling Democracy is being attempted in plain view and, while there is a concerted effort to push-back against what is unfolding, the damage is already emboldening bad actors.
Meanwhile, the good work of unionization across pockets of the industry helps to bring strength in numbers to the bargaining power of future generations, the groundswell of organization requires constant gardening and support from the community to continue growth. Which is to say, the unionization efforts of the game industry are growing and recent successes continue to pave the way towards an equitable future of unified worker bargaining power. There’s never been a better time to get educated about the possibilities and opportunities that come with participating in the growth of unions in the game industry.
While many of us will return to the streets around Moscone and fall into old patterns of community, networking, and education there will be a pervasive awareness around the precarious position of our industry and America, in-general. It’s hard to know the influence this will have on the spirit of the conference, but my hope is that there will be a focus on how to show up in the face of adversity if, and when, it comes knocking.
Which brings be right back to the start of this guide, something I’ve been creating yearly (for the most part) since 2016 to help folks chart their path through #GameAudioGDC. It’s one of the ways I choose to show up, even before the conference, in support of the community. I hope it helps some folks entry (or re-entry) to San Francisco a little bit easier. Of course, I’ll be there on the ground to try and help catalyse any positivity that I can. It’s a gift to be able to catch up with old friends and meet folks that are new to me. If you see me on the ground, please say hello! See you soon!
Here are some final words culled from previous guides to help close things out:
The Imaginary Guide to Game Audio GDC 2024:
It’s the work that comes later, between GDCs if that’s how you measure time, that will tell the story of what happened. Or what happened next.
Looping right back to the beginning: How will this time together change the outcome of our way forward? How will we use what we’ve learned to change things for the better? What perspective will be gained that could prevent us from the same traps? Will we have changed as part of our interactions? Will our choices have consequences that result in a richer storyline? Will we be part of something bigger, something inclusive, something that carries outside of the slice of time shared together?
The Drifting Guide to Game Audio GDC 2023:
If it’s your first time pounding the pavement, try to find folks you can navigate the streets with…especially in the evening when paths get nebulous and neighborhoods unknown. Safety levels can change on a block-by-block basis and some of that change can be insulated when you’re with a group of folks beating a hasty trajectory between hang outs. If you’re returning, try to impart some of your hard-won wisdom about the wilder parts of downtown. Pay attention, offer to walk with someone if they’re headed out or suggest a happy trail to get them where they’re headed that might bypass some of the rough spots.
Stay in the moment, feel all the feels, and I hope to see you in San Francisco!
The Bohemian Guide to Game Audio GDC 2019:
“Have a look at the GDC Code of Conduct before you hit town and engage its guidelines while onsite (and continue to adhere to its sensible advice even outside of the presentation hall). Forming relationships and cultivating conversations should begin with mutual respect; always stay positive and within the bounds of social etiquette. Find ways to include people in your adventures when possible. Find ways to bring other people into your conversations, and always treat people in the best way possible. We choose this opportunity as ambassadors of audio in the game development community, so lead with the greatest optimism, collaboration, humbleness, and grace in-conversation.”
P.S.
Each year’s Guide contains an homage to some of my favorite bands. This year’s section titles have been embedded with song titles from Prince. I spent the first 30-odd years in the Twin Cities and can say that a stunning purple cloud hung over the city thanks to the incredible life and work of Prince. Shuffling through the New Power Generation store in Uptown as a teenager (Giant red-lip couch and interactive video “game” kiosks) or shows at Glam Slam (Main stage and “secret” VIP Lounge for smaller sets) with the ever-present gossip of Paisley Park parties (I was never invited) painted a rich picture of his position in the community. (not to mention whispers at First Avenue when he would reportedly arrive to take in a set from an out of town act, hovering in the wings out of sight, despite his entourage) The music of Prince runs like a purple thread through my youth. (I remember ditching my skateboard outside the Signal Hills mall to see the Price soundtracked Batman at a midnight screening on opening night.) We are the sum of our experiences and I’m thankful for the legacy he left behind. Take care!
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About Damian Kastbauer:
Damian Kastbauer is a Software Product Manager at Audiokinetic helping to grow the future of interactive audio along with the interactive audio community.
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