Audio for Games: Planning, Process, and Production

Design and Creativity Report

Game design—the rules that govern how a game will operate, if you will—has exploded more than any other aspect of game creation. What was once a single-page description of mechanics can now fill volumes. In the development of DX:IW, design was law—more important than graphics or sound. Where design became a separate concern was in the way each team member understood it. DE:IW's designers were able to present a focused design, but they had to refine it over months of collaboration. The initial design was far too ambitious to finish within the project's life cycle, so a great deal was cut and revised. Regardless, the lesson I learned was that for an audio team to succeed, it must align itself with the design of the ...