GDC 2009 Audio Keynote: 7 Random Facts From Hitoshi Sakimoto

We told you that Hitoshi Sakimoto would be at GDC, and while his keynote lecture yesterday titled “Experiences and Rare Insights Into the Videogame Industry” wasn’t particularly chalked full of insight, we did find out some rare and random facts about Sakimoto and other people on the Basiscape team.

So, what did he say? Aside from explaining that composers need to find their signature sound and be original in about 20 different ways, not a whole lot! It was still an amazing experience to hear him speak, and I think fans will find the seven random facts we gathered from his talk to be interesting!

Read the seven magic facts from Sakimoto’s GDC audio keynote after the jump!

Before I get to the list, I want to say a little about the delivery of the lecture and the expectations of the audience. Sakimoto’s opening icebreaker about only bringing summer clothes to San Francisco and being shocked by the cold weather got a chuckle from the crowd, but his preference to stand awkwardly behind the table rather than sit during his lecture was a little different. In terms of the content, he was at least aware that he wasn’t covering any new ground, and noted that his presentation was targeted at beginners. Oh yeah, and the only game he talked about was his first title, Revolter. I figured he’d talk up Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy XII, but aside from a promotional video created by the Basiscape team to highlight Sakimoto’s past work, there was nothing.

So, how about those random facts? They’re right around the corner, so be prepared to find out what the audio keynote at GDC was all about this year.

Random Fact #1: Sakimoto handled both the artwork and music for Revolter, which was created by a group of 4 of his friends when he was 17.  It took two years because they got in fights and wouldn’t talk to each other for long durations of time.

Random Fact #2: Masaharu Iwata drove his mother crazy when he was a kid by playing and creating music for games that had what she termed (according to Sakimoto) “crazy noise” (aka PSG/FM sound sets).

Random Fact #3: When BBS became popular, Sakimoto’s reputation with games like Revolter allowed him to score approximately 80 games by the mid-90s.

Random Fact #4: Music is 60-70% of the gaming experience

Random Fact #5: When composing, don’t dwell on a piece. Just finish it and learn from your mistakes

Random Fact #5: Technical limitations do not dictate how you create music, as the music exists in your brain and is simply expressed in an altered way with these limitations

Random Fact #7: Music doesn’t come easy for Sakimoto, and he struggles a lot during the writing process.

So, how’s that for a lecture?  I wish all my classes were like this.

Did you have any expectations for what Sakimoto was going to talk about GDC?  Do you find these bits of information to be as entertaining as I do?