With Playtopia, the annual destination of Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference set to return in 2023, GIA has partnered with the event to share insights from the crop of supremely talented creators in attendance. The next out of a series of speaker interviews is Elben Schutte – a composer for film, television, advertising and video games at Pressure Cooker Studios

As an award-winning writer based out of South Africa, how difficult was it to establish yourself as a composer globally?
It is always difficult to reach the global market, especially being tucked away in one of the far corners of the world. The key is to be prepared for the opportunity, always keeping your finger on the pulse of global standards and relentlessly striving toward that in your own work. Then it is just a matter of the right place at the right time.

What exactly does a composer do and could you give examples of how that setup has worked cross functionally across the games you have worked on?
A film/media composer writes music for visual mediums; television, big screen and video games. It is not a far shot from film to gaming in terms of the skillset required to do the job. Having a background in film has helped me understand world creation and storytelling – both things that are very applicable to video games.

What sort of support infrastructure exists for budding composers in the gaming space locally and across the continent?
Games creation is very new to our continent. There are a few indie developers dispersed among the industry but we have no AAA studio to speak of. The limited local focus is more aimed toward niche audiences overseas, and third-party services. The lack of local audience does not make it viable to service a local market as opposed to a global one, and thus the foothold of the industry as a whole is limited.

Are there any other African composers in South Africa and the continent you work with or look to for inspiration?
Outside of our own team, no. I know of a few, but we generally stay in our own lanes, trying to navigate our own path toward the global market.

What are your expectations for Playtopia with regards to what you do?
All I wish to do is to be part of the gaming conversation, stimulate awareness and help pioneer a path for our continent to develop it’s footprint.

What advice would you give to an aspiring composer in the gaming space?
Be relentless in your quest! It is a tough road, one that is still new to us all. But that is exciting! Plenty of opportunity ahead.

Check out the full program and consider joining Playtopia, which will run from December 7th to 9th December 2023 in Cape Town.

Tickets can be bought here!