I’m sitting here traveling with my family and I was thinking to myself, “If I were to start all over again, where would I go to find work as a beginner sound designer?” I’ve been fortunate to be a sound designer for the last 3 years. I’ve worked as a freelancer on indie game projects and created my own sound design products. I have yet to work for a studio, because, to be honest, that just isn’t one of my goals. Having been in the industry for a while, however, I came up with a few suggestions and places I would go to find work as a sound designer in the video game industry if I were to start over as a beginner.
So, where can you find work as a beginner sound designer? If you are interested in freelancing, you can find work online in the following places:
- Fiverr.com
- Kickstarter.com
- Indiegogo.com
- Freelancer.com
- Upwork.com
- Forums
- Groups/discussion boards
- Game jams
If you have your goal set on getting full-time sound design work in a gaming studio, here are a few places that could help you out:
- Soundlister.com posts a weekly list of new job postings from game audio studios around the globe
- G.A.N.G
- Conferences/meetups
Where Can You Find Freelance Work?
1. Fiverr
One of the first places I got paid for my audio work was on Fiverr.com. Here I was able to set up a gig and offer audio services to a very niche clientele – specifically, indie video game developers. It was challenging when starting out because there is quite a lot of competition and because you need to find a way to stand out among the crowd. I did this with my prices, demo reel, and unique offers. Once my gig was getting reviews, I was able to grow my revenue steadily over time.
2. Upwork/Freelancer.com
I personally never got around to getting work on Upwork as I was focused on Fiverr, but it is still possible. Here you will need to be submitting proposals to clients for each job posting. This is definitely more work than having clients come to you but can be a faster way to get work.
3. Indiegogo/Kickstarter
I have used Indiegogo and Kickstarter as a way to meet and connect with game developers that are in need of an audio engineer for their projects. If they post on their project page that they are looking or needing help in audio or music, I would go ahead and send them a message.
Tip: If you do this, read through their entire project posting and be genuine when reaching out to them. Personally, I only sent messages to people who had projects I would be interested in working on so that I would actually be genuine when talking to them. ALSO, be aware that most people will probably not respond to your messages and that is fine. It has nothing to do with you as a sound designer or your abilities.
4. Forums/Discussion Boards/Game Jams
Forums and discussion boards are a great place to meet and connect with game developers. Again, be genuine and offer value. Personally, I avoided ever reaching out to a developer without ever helping them in some way. I believe this is a good practice that helps people like you, trust you, and which will eventually lead to them caring for what you have to offer.
I have yet to experience working on a game jam, but from what I heard and seen, they are a really fun place to create new games with like-minded people. You don’t get paid creating a game on a game jam, but you will inevitably make friends and connections. I keep an eye out on globalgamejam.org for upcoming jams, news, and opportunities.
Where Can You Find Work For Studios?
Getting work in a studio is a different career route altogether and is highly dependent on your connections in the industry. It is quite rare to get hired at a studio without knowing anyone there or having any connections to the studio. It is still possible, but generally speaking, people want to work with people that they know, like, and trust. Take what I say with a grain of salt, however, because I do not and have never worked for a game development studio as a full-time employee. I have found most of my success as a freelancer.
How To Get An In?
As previously mentioned, go to conferences, meetups, and game jams. Make yourself present in person and make friends.
Check Soundlister.com and sign up for their newsletter and you will receive weekly postings about new audio jobs in the game industry. Have your resume ready and looking professional. Review the job postings and the required skills and tailor your resume to each individual job you are interested in applying to.
Connect with other game audio enthusiasts on the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G). Help others out, ask questions, and take part in the community.
What Do You Need To Be Hired?
- I hope you have caught on by now that friends and connections in the industry are super important. This is how you get work as both a freelancer and working in a game studio. Meet people by networking, going to conferences, and seeking to help others.
- A demo reel or just having a sample of your work available online will always come in handy when you are looking for work. People will want to know what you can do or not do and what kind of quality you can produce. Have your best work available for display.
- A love and passion for video games, though it may be cheesy, it is very important. You will often find this as a requirement on AAA gaming studio applications.
What Skills And Experience Do You Need To Find Work As A Sound Designer?
Technical Skills
When starting out as a sound designer, it is important to have the technical skills you need in order to get the job done. This includes understanding how microphones work, which microphones to use and when to use them, understanding signal flow, and recording techniques to get great-sounding recordings. You will also need to be able to do basic audio editing, noise removal, and importing/exporting of files.
Creative Skills
The creative skills are the skills that are unique to us sound designers. This includes being able to design engaging sounds, creating a sound aesthetic for the game, and creating sounds that translate well across devices and speakers. It also includes sound design basics such as pitch shifting, reversing, and time stretching. These are the core 3 basic sound design skills that most sound designers use on every sound they create.
Wrap Up
As a freelancer myself, these are the common questions I asked myself when I was starting out as a beginner. I hope these recommendations are useful to you and help you in achieving your goals. Be patient, dedicated, and perseverant in pursuing your sound design goals. It is not easy, but then again, nothing worth achieving ever is.
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Where and how have you gotten work doing sound design?
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