MUSA229-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025

Introduction to Game Audio

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 28 September 2025

Description

Learn foundation skills in sound design and music for games. The course will survey current industry practices, and students will gain knowledge of a variety of approaches to audio creation, editing and integration into video games. No prior experience in music, sound, or game design is required.

This course teaches foundational skills involved in the incorporation of sound effects and music for interactive video games. The course will survey current industry practices, and students will gain knowledge of a variety of approaches to audio creation, editing and integration into video games. The role of sound and audio production in socially responsible game development will also be examined. No prior experience in music, sound, or game design is required.

Learning Outcomes

  • Be able to source and edit appropriate sounds and musical content
  • Be able to demonstrate proficiency in industry standard interactive audio tools (eg Unity, Reaper, WWise)
  • Develop a perspective on socially responsible game development informed by Tikanga Māori, and how this influences approaches to music and audio design
  • Understand how audio design fits in to the game development cycle
  • Understand the impact of audio design on the user experience

      • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Employable, innovative and enterprising

      Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Prerequisites

45 points from any courses.

Restrictions

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 09:00 - 11:00 A6 Lecture Theatre
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Computer Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 09:00 - 11:00 Len Lye 201 Computer Lab
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct

Timetable Note

Student workload (150 hours) will be allocated to:
• 24 hours attending lectures
• 22 hours attending lab sessions
• 104 hours self-directed study

Course Coordinator

Hamish Oliver

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Triggering Sounds 20% Load sound effects into the Unity game development environment and assign them to actions in a sample game.
Sound capture and editing 20% Record real world sounds with a field recorder, edit and prepare for game integration.
Modulating audio parameters 30% Simulate distance effects and other real-world acoustic phenomena using Wwise.
Integration of audio in a game environment 30% Combine ambience, effects, and music into a complex sound scene in Unity and Wwise.


Please check the course LEARN page for further details and updates.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $998.00

International fee $4,850.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Creative and Digital Arts .

All MUSA229 Occurrences

  • MUSA229-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025
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