Developer March

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EXCLUSIVES

Blue Frog's Varun Nair Gives Sound a 15 on 10 Rating

Varun Nair has been a part of sound industry for the past four and half years and has dabbled in most areas of sound during this period. He started his career in the music industry and then moved onto post production for commercials & feature films. His foray into game sound began after joining Blue Frog in 2008. Since then he has created assets for Indian developers & some international projects like the ICC Cricket title for EA. Saltmarch Media caught up with Varun Nair at the India Game Developer Summit 2010 Lite Edition, where he presented a focussed session on ‘Quality Asset Creation and Sound as a Storyteller’.

Sound is often treated more as an afterthought, If planned and executed in a right manner it can take games to a whole new level by adding another dimension to the entire gaming experience, says Varun. He expectedly gives sound an importance rating of 15 on a scale of 10 as he believes the effect that sound has on a player at the subconscious level cannot be substituted by any other sensory medium. Sound to him is one of the key emotional drivers in an audio-visual media piece across all formats – be it a game, a commercial or a feature film.

While discussing the importance that sound is given during the game development process in India currently, Varun envisions game developers including their sound team right from the beginning of the development process, so that they can collectively deliver a product that is superior on all levels, including sound. "Sound being a creative process, requires sufficient time in order to put together all the assets that go into the final product. Game developers who approach sound aspects at the last moment cannot possibly expect to have an output that is of high quality and therefore will not be able to deliver a gaming experience that their players expect," says Varun.

He goes on to say that the technology used in sound design is only half as important as the thought that underlies the actions of a sound designer. Sound designers need to understand the intent behind the games and have a very clear picture of what the target audience expects from the game before delving into finalizing the various assets required. “There is a reason why a car sounds the way it does in a particular game because it ultimately affects game play. It is important for game developers and designers to understand that it is not only a technological process but a creative process that goes behind the technology,” added Varun.

During the course of the interview he also provided advice based on his experience as both a freelance sound designer and being part of a larger studio. Click here to watch the entire interview.

VIDEOS

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