Veteran game composer Peter McConnell isn't the first person to suggest those who don't study the past are doomed to repeat it -- but he might be the first to say it specifically about game music.

At GDC 2015, McConnell -- who has worked on everything from Monkey Island 2 to Full Throttle to Psychonauts to Hearthstone -- took the stage during the Audio Bootcamp to reflect on the lessons he'd learned from composing classic game soundtracks in the '90s.

Much of it is applicable to what McConnell sees as one of the chief challenges facing audio professionals in game development today -- making something that complements the game and grabs players' attention (in a good way), often when the composer is not working in-house full-time.

McConnell's talk offered some fascinating perspective on the history and future of game audio, so if you missed it the first time around don't sleep on your chance to now watch the whole talk for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

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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