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Learnings From A Decade Of Being A Mentor In Game Audio
13:40 - 14:00 | Friday 26th September 2025 | ADCx Gather
This presentation takes behind the scenes of game audio, sharing from a decade of experience what it’s like to mentor others in a field that is both creative and technical. It begins with a personal reflection on how mentoring started as a way to grow professionally, but gradually became something deeper—a chance to help others find their footing in a sometimes volatile industry where guidance can be hard to come by.
The talk moves through the ups and downs of mentoring, showing that it’s not just about giving advice or setting goals. It’s also about building trust, listening, and sometimes just being there while mentees figure things out for themselves. The talk also introduces the idea that the best mentors aren’t gatekeepers—they’re gardeners, helping people grow in their own direction and celebrating every small win.
There is also a candid look at the game audio industry itself: the different technical roles people play (e.g., designers and programmers), the challenges of breaking in, and the reality of jobs and skills. Some of the mentoring approaches shared in this presentation encourage mentees to explore what excites them, to build on their strengths, and to use every resource available—from networking to online communities—to carve out their own path.
Real feedback from mentees is also shared, revealing the impact of mentorship. The presentation concludes with an invitation for professionals to step into the role of mentor, emphasizing that by sharing knowledge and fostering supportive relationships, they can help build a stronger, more inclusive game audio community for the future.
Jorge Garcia has been working in audio, music and software since 2001. He holds a MSc in Sound and Music Computing from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a postgraduate course in AI with Deep Learning from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - both in Barcelona, Spain.
Jorge has lived and worked in the UK and Spain for professional audio companies, central technology departments and game developers like Electronic Arts, MercurySteam, Zynga and Activision as a programmer and software engineer on R&D projects, multi-million selling audio products and video games such as Guitar Hero and FIFA/FC.
He is an international conference speaker and has lectured at events such as ADC, AES, Codemotion and GDC. Jorge has also written chapters for the Game Audio Programming book series published by CRC press (Taylor & Francis). Additionally, he is an experienced electronic music producer and DJ with 40+ published productions, co-productions and remixes released under various labels in the UK, Spain, US, Canada, Japan and more.
On top of his work, Jorge has also been contributing to open source projects and mentoring students and audio professionals since 2011, following his passions for continuous learning and development while giving back to the community.
