Thanks for joining us today in our team highlight series! Today we'll be chatting with Brian Ceely, Brian helps work on sound effects, ambient music and more for Path of Kami!
This interview was conducted by Deana Galbraith, the Founder and Creative Director at Captilight.
Deana: Thanks for joining Brian! Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your work.
Brian: My name is Brian Ceely and I live in Central Florida with my amazing wife. A Florida native, I grew up playing music and being fascinated by sound; I always loved the “behind the scenes” in film and TV, especially when they talked about sound fx and the compositions. Even though I played music all of my life, it’s only been in the last 5 years that I got serious about actually writing and composing music and doing sound design.
Deana: Wow that's awesome! We absolutely love your work, what inspires you to make games?
Brian: It’s two-fold: part of it is my love for “peaking behind the curtain”; I love seeing how things are made and I love being part of that process. I also really enjoy puzzles and game development is usually solving problems and puzzles. I love the challenge of learning new things and trying new things.
Deana: It works out that Path of Kami has puzzles then haha! What's your favorite type of game?
Brian: I really like puzzle games and role-playing games. I love exploring the mechanics of how the puzzles work and how they can be solved. And I love the opportunity to break away from the main storyline of a game and just explore and see the world the devs created.
Deana: Same, love exploring different areas in games! Where do you draw your inspiration from when working on the game?
Brian: Other fantasy media be that movies, TV, and video games. It’s such a fantastical world and I want to convey that sense of magic and wonder through sound.
Deana: That's awesome, is there a process you use when working on a new title?
Brian: I always start by thinking “what does magic sound like”? I imagine that in the world of Path of Kami, it’s never just something happening; it’s a magical world and everything has some element of magic to it.
Deana: What gets you excited about Path of Kami?
Brian: Thinking about players playing the game. My favorite experiences are when I step into a video game world for the first time and I’m excited for our players to do that. That’s my driving force behind wanting to make such a beautiful sounding game, to help create that sense of wonder.
Deana: Agreed! Always fun seeing how players react to the game. Where do you feel like games will be in 10 years?
Brian: Technical advances aside, I think (and hope) that we’ll see more games told through the lenses of underrepresented people groups. As tech becomes more widely available and more underrepresented groups are getting into game dev, it’s only a matter of time before we start to see more games on online storefronts telling the stories that need to be told.
Deana: Absolutely. So random question here, what gets you up in the morning?
Brian: My alarm clock. Okay, kidding aside, it’s a lot of things. I wrestle with depression sometimes so getting out of bed can be a struggle on some days. My faith helps a lot as well as setting goals and milestones for myself. I’ve also learned to give myself grace on days when I feel like “failed” and I remind myself that tomorrow is a new day and a new chance to try again.
Deana: For sure, new day new opportunities! Last question, what advice would you give to someone wanting to work in the games industry?
Brian: Firstly, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t feel like you have to “git gud” right away and land the best jobs. Secondly, a successful career isn’t made up of one defining moment; it’s made up of many moments and opportunities. Lastly, focus more on how you can help others and add value to them, not the other way around.
There are game engines available for free and so many tutorials out there, so even if you’re 37 like me, there’s no reason NOT to get started at least trying to make a quick video game or mod.
Deana: Lots of resources out there, well said! This concludes today's interview thanks for joining us!