What Does A Video Game Sound Designer Do?

You’re on a boat with the other soldiers, you hear the motor of the vessel you are in, the other guys breathing, the waves splashing on the hull as the boat bounces.  The boat grinds to a halt and BOOM!  There is an explosion that literally rocks your living room.

I love video games, I don’t get to play them as much as I like and they are typically Sega Genesis Era, the odds are if you’re reading this you do too.  The video game design team is made up of a lot of different roles and one may be closer to your grasp than you think.

Video Game Sound Designers

Video game sound designers aren’t the songwriters or composers, the sound designers need no musical ability whatsoever.  They need a good ear for sound, a creative mind and the technical audio knowhow.  They are the people that create sound effects, dialogue and other ambient sounds.  Essentially every sound the game makes other than the music.  It’s much like working in film and is a great way to get experience in the industry.

So what exactly does a video game sound designer do?  They are responsible for everything from planning, recording, mixing mastering and placing the sound in a game.  They bring the games to life.  Their palette is sound, sometimes simple sounds layered upon each other.  Check it out Below!

Pretty cool huh?

What does it Pay?

Sound designers can also make a great living, the average starting rate is $55,000 a year and can go up to $74,000 a year after 3 years. (Source)

What do I need to do to become one?

Much of what you need is recording, mixing and editing abilities.   Once you have the knowledge, you need to build a portfolio.  This is just a small sample to video that you can send to game companies.  Video game sound designer Mark Kilborn has a great post about confidence and how to land one of these gigs.