The notion of creating a game with "atmosphere" is prized, but nebulous.

In the eyes of Supergiant's Greg Kasavin, atmosphere in games is the hidden layer between the artwork, audio, narrative, and level design, and can elevate the experience above and beyond the moment-to-moment pleasures of the gameplay.

At GDC 2012, Kasavin hopped onstage to explain how Supergiant's (then) seven-person team went about creating an atmospheric game on a modest budget: the lauded 2011 action-RPG Bastion.

It was a thoughtful, illuminating talk, and if you missed it in person you can now watch it for free now via the official GDC YouTube channel.

For maximum effect, you can pair it with the Vault recording of Supergiant audio wizard Darren Korb speaking at GDC the same year about how he created the audio for Bastion.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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