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Ravenwood Fair audio developer Dren McDonald discusses the evolution of sound design in social games, and examines what worked in his own recent projects.

August 7, 2013

2 Min Read

"There’s a lot of noise in the social space, you’ve got to do what you can to rise above."

-- Loot Drop's Dren McDonald, the audio developer of lolapps's hit Ravenwood Fair. In this session from GDC 2012, McDonald discusses the rapidly-changing landscape for sound in social games and urges audio and game designers to work together early in their projects for more impact. McDonald describes how social game audio has evolved from the music-less Mafia Wars, to Farmville's short and catchy loops and Castleville's live orchestra and vocalists. He then presents what went right and wrong with his attempts to elevate the standard of audio in social games in the projects Ravenwood Fair and Ravenskye City.

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