Game Sound Adventure League at PAX 2026

Introducing... Game Sound Adventure League! Taking place next weekend during PAX!

If you're familiar with Dropout and Game Changer at all, then you'll recognize the design of this poster (and you'll also understand why I can't say more 👀 ) but, for the uninitiated... expect treachery! deception! hilarity will ensue!!

If you saw this poster... no you didn't. Especially if you're one of the panelists 😠

If you're looking to find me, I'll be there! Why? Who knows?! But I recommend that you come by too!

From PAX:

Game Sound Adventure League: Frantically Ruining your Favorite Game Cutscenes

Sat, Sep 5, 2026

8:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Firebird Theatre (LVL 5, Signature Room)

Game Sound Adventure League: Game Changer or Taskmaster but for sound designers. Watch as a group of industry pros re-design the most famous cutscenes in gaming while completing comedic challenges resolving ridiculous requests and acing absurd assignments all while up against a ticking clock. Why does the door in this cutscene sound kind of like a seagull? Who did they find to scream “it's a-me Mario" that loud? Why does that dog sound a lot like panelist #2? GameSound Adventure League that's why!

GDCA Jury Acceptance

From up on stage to behind the scenes - I am thrilled to announce that I am a member of the first ever jury for the Game Developers Choice Awards!

Submissions are now open for 2027 - I'll be focusing on the Best Audio category (naturally) and I cannot wait to experience all of your work. I'm honored, as always, to serve.

See you soon and good luck!
https://gamechoiceawards.com/

This Shit Grooves - Now on Spotify!

My album of eclectic electronic experiments is now available on Spotify!

This Shit Grooves (or This Sh*t Grooves on Spotify, to appease our puritan overlords) is a rare collection of not-videogame-music written by yours truly!

Many of these were put together during my time at Berklee and, like a lot of my game soundtracks, it doesn't sit neatly inside of just one genre. I thought this was a good collection of tunes to group together and as I was listening to them, trying to figure out a sensible way to do that, I said to myself out loud (no lie)... "This shit grooves"

So now we have an album! This little preview highlights some of the best parts of each track, but don't be fooled! I'm pretty classical in my approach to non-game-music, so some of these change pretty substantially before getting to the end.

Now available wherever you get your music!

Dreamy Lights (Main Theme)

"Dreamy Lights" is my take on the main theme for an in development title! It's from the same title as the 'sinister creature' theme I shared a little while back.

Our focus was capturing a certain kind of nostalgia (hence the old-timey strings) and working in a little bit of (digital) Magic*

We also wanted to capture some of the joy and whimsy that the protagonist experiences in their journey through the setting. While 'sinister creature' focused on another character and their representation of the strangeness and danger of the world, this theme captures a bit of hope, a bit of dreaminess, and some nods to the modern-day aspects of the game's locale.

It's now streaming alongside that darker theme (sinister creature) in a release titled "and other stories" which is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and wherever you get your music!

*this is marked, "lowercase digital, Capital Magic" in my direction document

I'm not saying don't be privileged

When I presented "The Solution is Money: A Practical Approach to Diversity in Game Audio," at Our Sonic Landscape earlier this summer, I wanted to make myself absolutely clear - there's no problem with being privileged.

Our goal as humans (we hope) is to make the world better for ourselves and for those who come after - so, of course, those efforts earnestly attempted, generation after generation, will lead to the accumulation of privilege. Unfortunately, the systems we've built have consolidated wealth and privilege in the hands of some people disproportionately in comparison to others.

When I introduced the CEO of (redacted)* to a pair of young developers seeking advice on getting into the industry, he asked them, "How rich are your parents?"

In other words, how much privilege do you already have? In an extremely challenging field, in an extremely uncertain economy, that question is akin to asking, "How good are your odds?" More privilege = better odds. If we want an industry where everyone has a shot, we have to commit to making the changes that give less privileged people better odds.

And this is why I started The Rising Star Patronage Project, a fund started to support marginalized composers in the game industry. For more information, visit our website.

Intro & Loop in Percussive Notes Magazine

I appeared in a magazine!

The December 2025 edition of the Percussive Notes magazine featured a story on Dr. Marco Schirripa's PIXEL MASTERWORKS project, which I was absolutely honored to be a part of.

In case you missed it, PIXEL MASTERWORKS brought together a collection of video game music composers to write a collection of new works for the marimba! My piece, Intro & Loop, takes cues from my work as a game composer and from the nature of video game music itself to present a work that is as artful as it is groovy. Visit Slide20xx.com/pixel-masterworks to listen to the whole thing, or check out my blog post detailing my writing process! and stay tuned for the album release 👀

Rising Star (Vol. 2)

Last year, we came together to raise $15,000 for marginalized composers in the game industry. This year, we're doing it again.

Rising Star Vol. 2 is live on Chuffed!

We're swinging for the fences this time...! We're hoping to raise $35,000 this year, a number that better reflects our costs and our long-term goals to incorporate as a non-profit and better support diverse composers for years to come. If you aren't able to donate, do not despair! We would be just as enthused for a like, follow, share, retweet - we appreciate anything you can do to support from the bottom of our hearts.

Make no mistake- we're giving this one our all whether we make it all the way up to that goal or not. It might change the specifics of what we do, but we're still here to support the community any way we can.

And in case you're new here - we're the Rising Star Patronage Project, a not-for-profit organization committed to raising funds for marginalized composers to build their careers, pay their rent, and make some amazing music.

Last year we used the $15,000 we raised to:

Fund six composers to create our debut album, Beginnings: Rising Star Vol. 1
Sponsor five composers' attendance across two professional networking events

& more!

And we're hoping to do more in the 2026 - 2027 season! To learn more about us, visit our website! You'll find a link to donate, a link to our 2026 update for donors, and links to all of our platforms.

The world is a tough place and video game music is a tough field, but I truly believe that there's a lot of good we can do and I do truly believe that it's worth doing. Like I said in my 2026 update - I think that people are at their best: their happiest, their most inspired, their most considerate, and their most kind, when they are fulfilled in this way. I think our world is in desperate need of more people who are happy, inspired, considerate, and kind.

Economically disadvantaged individuals, who are more likely to be from marginalized groups, are going to need support to get there. So we're doing what we can to make a difference.

As always, thank you for your time, support, and attention.
- 💫

Speaking at PIGCon!! - The Plan is Always the Same

I am very pleased to be announced that I will be speaking tomorrow at the (first ever!) Portland Indie Game Convention - giving a talk entitled The Plan is Always The Same: How to Build a Games Career in Uncertain Times. I'll be discussing how we absolutely can do this, even if times are tough right now, and even when times are tough in the future. The plan, lucky for us.. is always the same.

If you'll be at PIGCon, come hang! I'm on upstairs at 1:00pm. And if you won't be there, stay tuned for the recording 👀

Taking a Lower Paying Job - From Intermediate to Advanced

Is it ever worth taking a lower paying job? Sometimes.

As a composer, a freelancer, or even just someone looking to make a career shift, it can be difficult to determine what to do when you're given an opportunity of any sort, especially when opportunities are scarce.

The temptation is to jump at the chance to do any kind of work and as someone from the 10th poorest city in the country, I get that. But the important thing to do when you're making those kinds of choices is to consider the grand scheme of what you're doing with your life. Maybe the compensation is lower right now, but you're in a position where you need some work and any work will do. Maybe this is something that'll look great in your portfolio or on your resume and you're in a position where that's incredibly worth it. Maybe there are other opportunities that you can build off of this one that will get you closer to where you're trying to go.

In any case, it's important to do those calculations and make those choices wisely. Even if you feel like you don't have a choice now, there are always alternatives, and there's always a brighter future that you can build towards.

This lovely croissant filled clip is from our GDC talk, From Intermediate to Advanced: Charting Your Career in Game Audio. Catch the whole thing, featuring myself, Ryan Ike, Katherine Tole, & Akash Thakkar streaming online at the GDC vault!

sinister creature

I don't often get to join game teams super early, but this was a wonderful exception.

'sinster creature' is my track from a currently in-development title! Without giving too much away, the game blends inspirations from a modern-day environment with a very whimsical setting and this is the theme of a playful character with some... questionable intentions 😈

I incorporated publicly available sounds of coyotes from yosemite national park, along with a(n absolutely mangled) public domain recording of "A Ragtime Nightmare" by Tom Turpin to give it an appropriately mischievous tone.

Now available alongside the main theme (Dreamy Lights) in an album called "and other stories" available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and wherever you get your music!

leaf #3 - 30 pieces in 30 days

I wrote 30 tracks in 30 days... as a birthday gift.

A friend is a longtime fan of the piano - they haven't been playing much recently, but they're hoping to get back into it. They also have a birthday.. today! They're turning 30 on the 30th, also known as their ✨ golden birthday ✨

so you know what I thought would be neat 👀 what if I wrote them 30, 30 measure pieces of piano music? - nice, short (hypothetically...), accessible pieces that they can tinker around with as they get back into playing. I had this idea around April 1st. I finished number 30 on April 28th.

Anyway, here's number 3! Every piece is written and the sheet music is drafted - there's still plenty to do to polish it up and capture everything I want - but they exist! I'll be putting together recordings and sharing them as they come along. Enjoy!

Speaking at Our Sonic Landscape - The Solution is Money

I'm excited to announce that I'll be speaking at the new game audio con, Our Sonic Landscape in Vancouver, BC next Saturday ! Come hang ! -> https://oursoniclandscape.com/

My talk is entitled, "The Solution is Money: A Practical Solution to Diversity in Game Audio" - buckle up, friends. I'll be discussing what it's really like to build success as a marginalized developer in games, the real weight of what we're up against as diverse folk and as allies, and practical (and financial!!!) steps we can take to make things a little brighter for all of us. A diverse industry is a healthy industry.

Hope to see you there! and a big thank you to @mattesque, @emaudible, and the folks at @ashellinthepit for having me and making this all possible ✨

From Intermediate to Advanced - Now Streaming!

Our GDC panel is now available on the GDC Vault!

We talk about what it's like moving from the intermediate stage of your audio career into the advanced state (and how to even know you've made it into intermediate 👀)

The panel focuses on pricing strategy, navigating professional relationships as they become increasingly more personal, and the challenges that come with success, with plenty of humor along the way.

Watch it for free here!

Rising Stars at GDC

A big thank you to @official_gdc for giving us the opportunity to share our experience at the festival this year!!

Thanks to their collaboration, we were able to provide 4 marginalized composers with passes to attend the conference, giving them the chance to build confidence, connection, and community. (3 cs! look at us !!)

Head on over to the GDC blog on their official Linkedin to read more about our scholars' experience, follow our remarkable scholars below, and check out the link in the @risingstarpatronage bio to learn more about us! (And a special thanks to @wilbert.roget for his support and joining us !)

:::Our Scholars:::

Jamail Chachere, composer & educator
@jamailmusic

Michelle Cheuk, composer & sound designer
@dltmf_ql_

Seth "Clay" Xavier Marceau, composer, producer, & multi-instrumentalist
@clayxavier

Jeff Liu, composer & storyboard artist
@jeffliujeffliu

Game Developers Choice Awards (2026) - Best Audio

When I was given the opportunity to present the award for Best Audio at the Game Developers Choice Awards this year, I took the responsibility very seriously.

As a lifelong appreciator of art, music, and video games I knew I wanted to start off with a declaration, even if the argument is settled: video games are art. I also knew I wanted to recognize as many aspects of audio work as I reasonably could: game audio is such an incredibly vast discipline. Oftentimes, a single professional is skilled in varying amounts of music composition, recording arts, sound manipulation and sound design, programmatic thinking and actual programming, mixing, mastering, studio technologies, project management and production, software and hardware synthesis, performance across multiple instruments, and so on and so forth.

I still remember the time I saw a job post for an audio professional inside the traditional music industry that captured a realistic description of a game audio professional's skillset - it was lambasted across the internet for being utterly ridiculous, because anyone who possessed all of those skills that must be some kind of miracle worker.

I think I'd agree with that - game audio folk are remarkable. It was my honor to serve as a representative for such a talented group of people. Thank you again to GDC & Sam Maggs for the opportunity to speak on our behalf.

MagFest Performance Video!

The video of our performance at MAGFest 2026 with Rebecca Sugar is out!! Enjoy this little clip and catch the whole thing down below!

My work with Rebecca, Aivi & Surasshu, and the Steven Universe team stands as some of the proudest work of my career. I still remember the incredible disbelief I felt when I was invited to work on Steven Universe's anti-racist PSAs in 2020 - I got up from my computer and did a full lap around my apartment before sitting back down to enthusiastically accept.

Fun facts about this performance: this marks my second time playing viola with a band and my second time ever performing as a rapper - my first for both was with Aivi & Surasshu at MAGWest late last year. Not too shabby if I do say so myself 😁

Please enjoy the show, stay tuned for a breakdown of the original hip-hop verse I wrote for the performance (which includes an ICE diss !!!! because, duh), and accept my gratitude for your eyes and ears thus far.

This Week in Videogames Feature

A big thank you to Victoria Tran for the lil feature on game soundtrack inspiration this week in her Indie Insight column over at This Week in Videogames!!

I love any opportunity to talk about my thought process when it comes to my soundtracks and researching new artists, tracks, and genres is one of my favorite parts of working on a new project.

For a closer look at the kind of heavy research I put into my work, visit the link and check out the blog post I wrote for Intro & Loop, my classical composition for Marimba with electronic delay! (commissioned and premiered by Dr. Marco Schirripa as a part of the PIXEL MASTERWORKS project!!)

DICE (2026) Wrap Up!

It can be easy to look around at the state of our industry and get discouraged. I've been there. In 2025, the message was "Survive until 2026." The year just started and it already feels like it's "Survive until 2027." Or maybe just "Survive."

But I think we can do better than that. When I'm in the company of such wonderfully talented, kindhearted, remarkable people, I see how we can Thrive. We thrive in warm smiles and good conversation. We thrive in good jokes told over good food and good drinks. We thrive through building the strong, caring relationships that grow into unstoppable creative partnerships.

People still like video games. People still care about the people making them. We still care about each other. I don't have all of the answers, but as long as those three things are true - and we keep surviving - I'm sure we'll figure something out.

Thank you again to Black Voices in Gaming @blackvoicesingaming for making this possible and here's hoping I see you at the next one.

GDC - Speaking Announcement

I'm very pleased to announce that I'll be speaking at GDC this year!! I'll be giving not one, but two talks !!

The first talk is From Intermediate to Advanced: Charting Your Career in Game Audio - Monday March 9 @ 1:50PM

And second is this year's edition of our Diversity in Game Audio Roundtable! I'll be speaking on Day 1 - Tuesday March 13th @ 1:50PM !

Looking forward to seeing you there!!

Rising Star @ GDC

Greetings from Rising Star!

We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with @official_gdc this year to provide Festival Passes to four Rising Star Scholars. We’ll be introducing you all to our scholars over the coming weeks; we’re so excited for you to meet them! ✨

Are you a marginalized video game music composer looking for support in the industry, or looking to attend GDC this year? Send us a DM here to receive a code for 10% discount code off of your GDC pass, or visit our website at risingstarpatronage.com and fill out our Composer Interest form to be considered for future projects or support.

Thank you again for your time and attention and thanks for helping us make the world a little bit better.

- The Rising Star Team