🎓 From Design to Learning: A Different Way of Thinking About Sound

🎧 Before diving into this new entry, I wanted to let you know that we're taking a short detour from the path we've been exploring — sound hybrids and perception in video games.This time, I’m stepping away from the technical-aesthetic analysis to share something closer to my experience as an educator: How do we teach audio for video games? What challenges arise when we try to bridge the artistic with the technical in the classroom?

We’ll get back to the hybrids soon (there’s still a lot to unpack there), but today I’d like to open up a space for reflecting on education — because that too is part of how we think about and create sound in games. 🎮🔊

🎮 Between the technical and the artistic: a pedagogical challenge

How do you teach audio for video games? What should someone learn if they want to work in this field? And how can we support people coming from artistic backgrounds as they enter technical environments without losing what makes them unique?

These questions don’t have one single answer, but they can guide us toward a more open, critical, and relevant way of teaching. In this post, I’ll share some ideas I developed in my article “Key Factors in Teaching Audio for Video Games”, recently published in issue 160 of the Cuadernos journal from the Center for Studies in Design and Communication (Universidad de Palermo).

The idea is simple: to bring an approach into the classroom that embraces both the technical and the artistic — without hierarchies. But putting that into practice requires rethinking a lot.

🎯 Three guiding questions for teaching

One of the key ideas I propose in the article is organizing the teaching process around three layers: why, what, and how.

• Why are we teaching this? So that the content isn’t just a list of tools or disconnected concepts. Each topic needs to be linked to a purpose: What value does it bring? What problem does it solve? Why is it important for building a sound project?

• What are we teaching? Audio for video games is hybrid by nature. We need to teach sound theory, sound design, adaptive logic, storytelling principles, middleware workflows, interactivity, critical thinking, collaboration... all of it, but with a structure that’s clear and flexible.

• How are we teaching it? Through projects, experimentation, trial and error, peer reviews, and reflection. Teaching needs to be active, grounded, and connected to real-world making. Otherwise, it risks becoming abstract or disconnected.

  
  

👤 The learner’s profile and the technical “shock”

Something I’ve seen repeatedly in different teaching spaces is that many students come from music, sound art, or music production backgrounds. They’re creative, artistically sensitive, but often with little experience in programming, logical structures, or game engines.

That starting point is essential. The goal isn’t to turn them into programmers, but to help them take ownership of technical tools through their artistic lens, and learn to use them to craft meaningful interactive sound experiences.

In that sense, the teacher’s role isn’t so much the expert who delivers knowledge, but rather a guide who supports a transition — someone who helps translate between languages, bridge worlds, and show that technical work can also be creative.

🧪 Project-based learning: when content gains meaning

One of the most effective strategies I’ve found is project-based learning (PBL). Instead of teaching all the tools up front and then figuring out how to apply them, I propose implementation scenarios from the very beginning.

For example, creating a Unity scene with diegetic sounds and basic interactivity. Or building a dynamic mixing system in Wwise. Or even crafting a small sound prototype for a specific level. That way, content is learned in relation to a real need, not as a list of concepts to memorize.

It also changes the logic: students stop thinking about “checking off content” and start focusing on solving real challenges. That’s more motivating, allows for personalized processes, and opens up multiple paths to reach the same goal.

🔄 Feedback, iteration, and active listening

Another crucial element is constant feedback — not just from the teacher, but as part of the collective learning process. Listening to each other’s projects, sharing doubts, explaining decisions, giving and receiving constructive criticism... all of this enriches the practice.

In the classroom, I try to foster an environment where active listening and exchange are as important as the tools being learned. Because in sound design, there’s rarely a single correct answer — every choice must be justified in relation to the game, the scene, the narrative context, and the aesthetic style.

🕹️ Teaching beyond the tools

One of the risks in technical teaching is falling into the “software course” mindset. It’s important to learn how to use middleware and engines — but if that’s all we do, we miss the chance to develop critical thinking.

That’s why I also aim to teach how to think in systems, how to solve problems creatively, how to build adaptive logic, and how to choose implementation strategies depending on the game.

The goal is not for learners to copy formulas, but to design their own sound solutions, adapted to each project.

🧱 The importance of the learning environment: time, space, and community

Another point I highlight in the article is the learning environment. Teaching audio for games isn’t just about what happens in class. It’s also about how time is organized, what tools are available, what group dynamics are encouraged, and how much room there is for experimentation.

Online platforms, for example, can be used to prototype sound ideas, share builds, and comment on scenes. But that takes planning — the virtual environment needs to be part of the creative process, not just a file dropbox.

And one more thing: teaching audio also means teaching community. That’s why I place so much value on spaces like AVA (Audio para Videojuegos Argentina), where students, teachers, and professionals can exchange experiences, ideas, and questions beyond the classroom.

🧠 Some key takeaways

To wrap up, here are a few thoughts that shape both my teaching and my own sound practice:

• We don’t just teach content — we teach how to think, organize work, and make decisions.

• Mistakes aren’t obstacles — they’re learning tools.

• Technical skills aren’t the “opposite” of artistic ones — they’re different languages that can meet.

• Teaching shouldn’t standardize or simplify student profiles — it should open up new paths.

  
  

🎮 In short…

Teaching audio for video games is about opening a space where creativity and technical knowledge feed each other. Where each person can find their own way of crafting sound in interactive worlds. Where the classroom isn’t just a hurdle to pass, but a platform to imagine future roles in sound design.

📎 If you’d like to read the full academic article, you can find it here:🔗 Read full article – Universidad de Palermo