Samantha Van Der Sluis - Composer
I see you've worked on quite a few film projects including Star Wars! How did you find yourself working on indie games? Did you start in film then jump into games?
A: Yes! I made my way into the film industry through working within the music department on large-scale projects such as Star Wars IX. I’ve always been passionate about games and one day I had an epiphany moment of “hang on a second, why don’t I work for games?!” It was a natural transition into the game industry and now looking back on my journey so far, it's so clear to see the signs of working on game music being fulfilling for me.
Between Games and Film, which do you prefer to work on?
A: My knee jerk reaction is to say games, but I am very much in a place where I can enjoy working in multiple mediums. My heart is all for cozy, wholesome games though! I enjoy the technical side of game audio, such as audio middleware, game engines, programming, implementation, troubleshooting, working with plug-ins, etc. I also prefer the production schedule of games. Usually games take much longer to create than films, sometimes they are in development for years. This means that you get to become close friends with the people on your team, and can use the time to create quality music.
Why is a composer such an important part in a game's development journey?
A: A composer truly helps support the game and its immersion. Music can help with world building which is one of the reasons game music really resonated to me. Composers are part of the game development team and the perspective and opinions they can bring to the table are invaluable. It’s important to include composers as early as possible in the development stage to create a unique sound for a game which matches the game’s vision. Unfortunately, audio in games is very underrated, and I think more members of the development team need to recognize and acknowledge how the composer is supporting the game’s vision. In fact, there are many game devs who are intimidated about music and audio and don’t understand the work that goes into creating music and implementing it in the engine. Composers are certainly an important part of game dev.
What is it like being a woman working as a game music composer in a male-dominated industry? I often hear from composers that it can be hard to get into games as is. Is it harder to find projects to work on as a woman?
A: I find that the game industry is very anti-corporeal and actually in my experience, I have not received any hostility or discrimination for being a woman working in games. Playing games, however, is a completely different story and I am envisioning every woman reading this vigorously nodding their head. It’s very difficult and frustrating being a female gamer and there have been many times where I’ve felt discredited, sexualized, and bullied for simply having a hobby. The industry for the most part has been lovely though - there are many game devs who are incredibly wholesome and go out of their way to make me feel welcome and recognized as a valuable team member, particularly in the indie games scene.
What is it like working with a team/game studio? Do you have a similar type of environment when you're working on sound for a film?
A: It's incredible working with a team and studio on my game projects! Some teams are smaller than others, and I love that we all respect each other's department and skills as well as get along well! It's an ideal work environment, and something I've been craving for years to have, after all, we spend so much time working with others we might as well enjoy the environment and company. Usually when working on film, it's a more lonely endeavour (even though my experience has been remote locations with both games and films!) I just feel like I connect with those passionate, nerdy individuals who are in games moreso.
What brings you joy when working on a game?
A: The tech, the work environment, the friendships of my coworkers, as well as the craft of music compositions all bring me so much joy. I feel so fulfilled when I am composing music, and I love the challenge of creating something that works specifically for a particular game. I love the world-building I create through sound, and I hope that what I work on also immerses the players into the full experience of the game.
Samantha is currently writing music for games including Cloudscape, Love, Ghostie, Petit Island, Islands & Trains, Project Zi, and a couple unannounced projects. These games definitely fall into the wholesome, cozy category and she's so excited for people to hear the music once the soundtrack is released as well as play the game! A lot of these titles are coming out relatively soon.. (next year even!), so definitely keep a look out for those 👀
You can learn more about Samantha and her work here:
Website/portfolio: https://www.samanthavandersluis.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sam_vandersluis
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-van-der-sluis/
