Now that we have defined game audio, let’s take a step back and look at some of the important roles in the broader field of game development (Figure 1.1). Keep in mind that learning game audio is really learning a specialization within game development. We would encourage readers to start by familiarizing themselves with games in a wide variety of genres. Research the development teams and take a look at who is credited for each role on the development team. Pay particular attention to the audio both stylistically, and in terms of how/when sounds are triggered.

In game development you will find teams of all sizes, which means the roles can be expanded and branched out over multiple people or simplified with one person sustaining all the tasks within multiple roles. Being flexible will help you adapt to different teams throughout your career. In the case of audio, a smaller indie team might mean one person will fill the roles of both composer and sound designer. They may be tasked with asset integration or it may be left with the game programmer to handle. In either case, the audio artists should be involved in testing to ensure the assets are properly implemented. Teams that are somewhere in the middle or what we might label “pro casual” may have a separate composer and sound designer, where the sound designer might be in charge of music editing and implementation and the final mix. This type of team might also have an audio lead or audio director. AAA studios (large-budget development studios) and larger development teams might have several sound designers including a senior role, with an audio director overseeing the team. At the end of this chapter we will direct you to the Sound Lab (companion site) to read about game development roles from game design and programming to the various audio roles in the field.