GDC Next debuts talks on audio for indies, social gameplay design

We're weeks away from GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC, and today show organizers are pleased to reveal another pair of informative talks that will take place at this year's November conference. Uken Games' lead developer Owen Lawson and Hexany Audio creative director Richard Ludlow are coming to GDC Next this year to share advice and lessons learned in designing excellent social gameplay and crafting impactful audio when you're a small-scale developer on an indie-level budget. GDC Next and ADC, which aim to highlight practical ways for developers to increase the creative and financial success of their projects, are taking place simultaneously on November 3rd-4th, 2014 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Hexany Audio creative director Richard Ludlow will be leading an informative audio design session, "Indie Audio: Making Great-Sounding Games on a Budget," at GDC Next this year that's sure to offer useful learnings to small-scale game makers. Ludlow's highly practical session aims to educate and empower indie developers with an overview of the importance of audio. The focus will be on three key areas: using interactive music and sound systems to increase player engagement and retention, extend asset longevity, and reduce cost; analyzing a work-for-hire contract, focusing on copyrights, negotiation and the implications of these agreements; and examining typical indie audio budgets and in-depth cost breakdowns for music, sound effects and dialogue. Developers should hopefully learn how to evaluate their game's interactive music and sound needs, draft a contract for the best deal, and negotiate costs for music, sound and dialogue. Meanwhile, Uken Games' (Age of Legends) lead developer Owen Lawson will be giving a talk as part of the GDC Next 2014 Community track that's worth signing up for: "Building A Community with Social Gameplay." Lawson has meaningful experience building mobile social games at Uken, and he'll reveal how the studio has found continued success over the past six years by building games with social gameplay in mind. If you'd like to learn how to design features that foster social interaction and come away with real-world examples of how creating a social community can help lead to the success of their game, don't miss Lawson's talk. Conference organizers look forward to announcing more talks in the weeks before this year's GDC Next featuring ADC, which takes place November 3rd-4th, 2014 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. For additional details about GDC Next and ADC or to register for the event, visit the conference homepage. Gamasutra, GDC and ADC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.