Journal
This is my personal page for Recreations (events I’m attending, online or onsite, where you can meet me if you want to); Recommendations (freshly released books, papers, and similar on game design and neighboring disciplines I think you should check out); and Reflections (brief thoughts and links on game design, the indie community, and the games industry).
Meanwhile, you can buy the book or check out the book chapters if you haven’t already done so!
RECREATIONS
No more events right now for the rest of the year. But I’m open to suggestions! If there’s an event you think is cut out for me, onsite or online, as a speaker (preferably around topics of my book) or as a guest, don’t hesitate to drop me a note!
November 23, 2023
I’ll be attending this year’s “Match Me!” event in Cologne on Thursday, November 23. The event management for the Match Me! apparently shifted to Film und Medien Stiftung NRW; their website is the opposite of informative this time; and the registration procedure left a lot to be desired. But hey, I got my ticket today! If you want to attend too, the only way I know of to get a ticket is to ask for one via events@filmstiftung.de.
November 17, 2023
On Friday, November 17, I will be at the Mediadesign University’s Open Campus Day, with “Creative Day Events” from 3–6 p.m. and sozialing thereafter.
November 4–5, 2023
Over the weekend on November 4 and 5, I’ll be taking part in the virtual Fediverse Book Fair; you can follow along the #FediBookFair and #Ludotronics hashtags and make remarks, ask questions, or just say hi!
October 19, 2023
I’ll be attending the gamedevs.nrw Afterworkshop at the Wacom Center in Düsseldorf, Germany.
September 27, 2023
In case you’re a member of the DJW, you can meet me at the informal member exchange in Düsseldorf; registration required. (Curiously, an improbably number of people I meet around games and interactive media have studied Modern Japan—two years additional studies, in my case—and some of them are members of, or hover around, the DJW.)
September 16, 2023
On Saturday, September 16, you can catch up with me at the GamingDays #2 festival in Düsseldorf, Germany.
September 12–14, 2023
I’ll be attending PWA’s online Science Fiction Writers’ Week from Tuesday, SEP 12, through Thursday, SEP 14. (I’m busy on Monday, regrettably.) If you’re on and the chatbox is too busy, which it probably will, we can open a backchannel on Discord, just drop me a note!
RECOMMENDATIONS
Zizza, Keith. Game Audio Fundamentals: An Introduction to the Theory, Planning, and Practice of Soundscape Creation for Games. Focal Press, 2023. [Publisher Link]
Broader in scope than the previous recommendation, with chapters about music theory, soundscape design, tools, and workflows. An excellent book if you want to dig a little deeper into game audio—not only if you’re an inspiring game audio professional, but also if you’re a game design lead (or want to become one) and want to know more about game audio to keep everything together!
Aristopoulos, Marios. The Game Music Toolbox: Composition Techniques and Production Tools from 20 Iconic Game Soundtracks. Focal Press, 2023. [Publisher Link]
A great introduction into composition techniques for video games.
REFLECTIONS
Soonish!