High Score has unveiled its full program ahead of the upcoming games audio conference at LCI Melbourne/Naarm on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October.
This year’s event, part of Melbourne International Games Week, will feature nearly 50 events, including panels, presentations, masterclasses, and workshops focused on all aspects of games music.
Presented by APRA AMCOS in partnership with the Victorian government through Creative Victoria and sponsored by Music Australia and FMOD, High Score’s two-day program is accessible both in-person and online. In-person tickets are available for $120, while livestream-only passes are just $25.
Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks, stated, “Victoria is the music capital of Australia and has a thriving digital games industry. The Victorian government is proud to back High Score, which brings these together to showcase the best local and international talent and create more opportunities for our digital games musicians, composers, and sound artists.”
High Score at Melbourne International Games Week
- High Score: Composition and Sound Art for Games
- Saturday 5 – Sunday 6 October
- LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC
- Early bird in-person ticket: SOLD OUT
- Full price: $120. Includes full program, catered lunch, morning and afternoon tea, and networking event.
- Livestream only: $25. High Score stream will be available on demand for all ticket buyers for a limited time.
High Score highlights
- Leading international experts: Joining the previously announced keynote speaker, Richard Lapington from Remedy Entertainment (Alan Wake 2), are Sonia Coronado, LA-based senior music designer from Sony PlayStation (God of War: Ragnarok and Helldivers 2); Finland-based Australian Brooke Maggs (Control and The Gardens Between), the narrative lead for Remedy Entertainment’s Max Payne remake; and Byron Hikaka Webb from Aotearoa, who will break down his use of traditional Māori instrumentation on the game Toroa: Skylines.
- Spotlighting local success: NT-based and AGDA-nominated Larrikin Studios (Diets & Deities) will discuss the unique process of obtaining cultural consent for their game; Naarm-based Michael Theiler will bust open the creepy FMOD session for survival horror game Sons of the Forest; and High Score’s notorious Speedruns will return, where five local composers and sound designers get just five minutes to fully explain their most important industry tip.
- Artificial Intelligence: Presenter Rad Yeo (Good Game Spawn Point), APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston, composer John Oestmann, lecturer Dr Sam Whiting, and designer/lecturer Susannah Emergy will discuss the controversial and everchanging realities of AI for creatives, with a deep dive into the state of play for game audio.
- Practical advice for all levels: Experienced game audio freelancers, including Belinda Coomes and Matt Schenkel, will be joined by accountant Luke Henry and Arts Law CEO Dr Louise Buckingham to provide practical advice and answer questions for all career levels. Perspectives from inside and outside the gaming community will be shared by speakers such as psychologists Ash King from Support Act and Carly Dober, along with Bryon Scullin, sound artist and co-founder of MESS.
- Meetup opportunities: Each day between panels, attendees will have the chance to meet and ask questions of the speakers. There will also be a focused workshop on networking and making impactful connections. All attendees and speakers are invited to the Saturday night mixer event at nearby rock’n’roll bar, Lulie Tavern, presented by VMDO.
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This year’s co-curators are creative director, composer, and sound designer Amy McNickle and musician, broadcaster, and composer Tim Shiel. Shiel shared, “This year’s High Score is going to be one of our best yet, with some of the world’s most inspired game audio experts flying in to share their knowledge, plus our local community’s most active composers and sound designers. High Score is not just about what you can learn or about being inspired creatively, it’s about the people in the room coming together as peers, as potential colleagues, as friends old and new. At its best, it’s a place where game audio workers – present and future – can come together and start brewing up positive outcomes not just for themselves, but for the broader community they are a part of.”
High Score’s scholarship program has also been announced, providing music creators and music publishers living outside of metropolitan Melbourne the chance to apply to attend the conference, thanks to Music Australia. The scholarships cover travel, accommodation, and entry, with ten scholarships available, including two for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music creators. Applications are open until 10am (AEST) on Monday 9 September.
For more information and to book: apraamcos.com.au/HighScore24
