Audio-Centric Game Design in ChucK/ChuGL

In this 5-day in-person workshop we will learn to design and program video game prototypes where audio plays an essential role. Whether it’s through synthesized audio and music, microphone input, or some other sound source, we will learn how to think about and incorporate audio alongside graphics, interaction, game mechanics, and the fundamental gameplay experience.

This workshop exists at the intersection of three disciplines: real-time sound synthesis, graphics programming, and game design. We will offer introductory lectures on these topics, but the bulk of our time will be spent on critical making, i.e. applying and exploring new ideas through the practice of creating playable prototypes and presenting them to one another.

All games will be made in ChucK / ChuGL, a unified programming language for creating audiovisual experiences (FYI this workshop is taught by the primary authors of these tools!). ChucK is a computer music programming language and ChuGL is a language extension to ChucK, specifically designed for synchronizing high-performance graphics with real-time audio. Together, they will allow us to prototype these audio-driven games more easily than other conventional game-making tools.

By the end, you will have learned techniques for programming audio and graphics, created some experimental/buggy/brilliant game prototypes you can be proud of, and, most importantly, enjoyed a week of focused game development within a community of passionate designers, musicians, and gamers.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Andrew: azaday@ccrma.stanford.edu

Requirements

This is a programming-intensive workshop. We will dive straight into audio and graphics programming using ChucK/ChuGL and will not be covering the fundamentals of how to code. Therefore a basic level of proficiency in programming is required. More experience is recommended. However, no prior experience with ChucK / ChuGL is necessary.

In addition, please bring a laptop (Windows / MacOS) and a pair of headphones to the workshop.

Schedule

Days will begin with playtesting/critiques of our prototypes from the previous day, followed by a lecture and then hands-on programming time, during which the workshop instructors will be available for 1:1 guidance and help. The final day will conclude with a games showcase and presentation.

About the instructors

Andrew Zhu Aday is a Ph.D. candidate at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University. He is the creator of ChuGL, a tool for programming 3D graphics in ChucK. His research involves game engine architecture, audiovisual software systems, and game design.

Kunwoo Kim received his Ph.D. from the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University. He is the founder of Stanford VR Orchestra, acting director of the CCRMA VR Design Lab, and a member of ChucK Development Team. In May 2025, he defended his thesis on humanistic tool-building for virtual reality using audio-driven design. He finds great fulfillment in the laborious process of giving form to his imaginations, leading to practice-based research on artful design, media arts, music, creative coding, and humanistic philosophy. He is and has been an avid gamer, especially in games with complete, meaningful stories and worlds. After his Ph.D., he aspires to expand his creative research and crafts into artful video game design.

Ge Wang is an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). He researches the artful design of tools, toys, games, musical instruments, programming languages, expressive VR experiences, and interactive AI systems with humans in the loop. Ge is the chief architect of the ChucK audio programming language, the director of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra and the Stanford VR Design Lab. He is the Co-founder of Smule and the designer of the Ocarina and Magic Piano apps for mobile phones. He is a Senior Fellow and a Faculty Associate Director of Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. He teaches at the intersection of engineering, art, and the humanities (and believes these are subjects that should never have been separated from one another). A 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, Ge is the author of Artful Design: Technology in Search of the Sublime, a photo comic book about how we shape technology—and how technology shapes us.

Scholarships

This workshop offers a limited number of financial aid scholarships. Apply here.