There is a nice article at The Kartel, providing some notes and ideas given by Akira Yamaoka on his lecture at GDC 2010. Check:
Surival-horror fanatics, despite their differences, can all agree that the Silent Hill series was revolutionary for creating both an immersive and creepy environment. Through the use of haunting sound effects, and an original soundtrack, sound designer Akira Yamaoka was able to create a terrifying world that stood out to gamers for years to come. Attending GDC for the first time this year Yamaoka spoke on the power of sound, his theories on composing music, and his plans for the future.
Akira first introduced his culture, stating that the Japanese have a meticulous attention to detail, and are constantly seeking perfection. He explains that the recent advancements in technology have presented the opportunity to get much better results for sound design. He also expressed hope that future videogames will incorporate all five senses, to fully immerse the player (Can you imagine tasting a videogame? Yuck…Donkey Kong). Akira discussed his different opinions on music design, and some little known sound illusions below […]
There’s another interesting article at GameSpot featuring Yamaoka’s lecture…
Who Was There: Akira Yamaoka, who is best known for his music in the Silent Hill series, leveraged his 20 years of experience in video game production to discuss audio design in games from a producer’s perspective. He has worked not only as a composer, but also as a sound designer, sound director, and producer. Having recently left longtime employer Konami, Yamaoka is currently working with Suda51 on a new game at Grasshopper Manufacture that will be published by EA Partners.
What They Talked About: Yamaoka’s 2010 Game Developers Conference session began with a few slides that highlighted some facts of Japan, including the number of islands (6,852) and coastal line (comparable to that of Australia). Yamaoka wanted go over his background and heritage because the attention to detail that is part of the Japanese culture ties in closely to what he ultimately strives for: perfection.