Writing "New" Grand Theft Auto Music
and the strangeness of being a professional at PAX West
What do you mean this is my job?
Over Labor Day weekend, tens of thousands of people descended upon the Washington State Convention Center for PAX West. If you’re unfamiliar, PAX West is one of the biggest gaming conventions in the United States, perhaps only rivaled in size by its sister event, PAX East. I was one of those tens of thousands of people who attended and I am still tired a week later.
Unlike industry-focused events such as GDC or Gamescom, PAX is very much focused on the gaming community. It rarely feels as high stakes as a result. Despite a non-industry focus, the industry still descends upon PAX West anyway. PAX West always feels like a bit of a homecoming as a result. (Despite the fact that I live in Seattle and this is ostensibly my home.)
PAX West is also work. As both a freelancer and studio co-owner, a lot of my job is being present with others. It sounds strange but it’s true. The short of it is people can’t really hire you if they don’t know you or don’t remember you. As a result, an often overlooked and under-accounted-for part of the job is just being people’s friends and doing silly things.
“I’ll have two number 9s, a number 9 large…”
The silliest thing I do professionally every year is co-organize a panel at PAX West called Composer Sports. (This is our second time doing it so we might as well call it our 2nd Annual Composer Sports.)
The premise is simple and the results are consistently hilarious: four composers are given one hour to write new music to a famous video game cutscene or level based off of some random and absurd prompt. This year’s list of scenes included — and I should say absolutely massive spoilers ahead — such classics as Joel and Ellie seeing the giraffes in The Last of Us, Arthur Morgan’s Tuberculosis diagnosis from Red Dead Redemption 2, and Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy VII. This year’s list of prompts included “score it as horny as possible,” “score it like a polka band,” and “score it like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2” amongst others.
I had the immense pleasure of rescoring Big Smoke’s order from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as “over the top as humanly possible, as if the music was the most important part of the scene.” Here’s what I managed to muster up in an hour:
If somebody from Rockstar happens to read this I am indeed available to write music for Grand Theft Auto VI. My Cluckin’ Bell theme song is also available for license. Have your people contact my agent. (That’s just me. I am my agent.)
The benefit of leaving ones dungeon
Truly, my favorite part of PAX West each year is seeing all of my friends. I love working as a video game composer but I would be a liar if I said the isolation of working alone in a room day to day didn’t blow. When I spend all of that time alone it can start to be really easy to question if I’m even a part of this industry.
Looking at the pictures above reminds me that I am a part of this industry and that I am positively impacting the people around me. I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and colleagues.
I laid the foundations of my career during the pandemic. My spouse and I moved to Seattle in January 2020 and I hit the ground running right as lockdowns began. Events like PAX West are so special to me because they feel like this monumental occasion where everybody in games can get together, rekindle old friendships, and make new ones.
These events remind me that I’m beyond lucky and privileged to do what I do and be with these people. My job is to make music for video games but it’s also to put on silly panels and spend time visiting with other developers, too. In a line of work filled with isolation and uncertainty, it’s good to have these counterbalances.
Until next time.
Quick Hits
My new EP, Fever Dreams at Ruger Place, is out now. Stream or purchase it here.
Do you need help with your music production or composition skills? I offer private one on one lessons over Zoom. You can sign up for lessons here.
Are you attending GameSoundCon? Come say hi! My colleagues and I at Plant Based Audio will be giving a panel called “Starting your Game Audio Career: Turning Strife into Success” and I hope to see you there.