Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) hosted two major events in January focusing on game music, sound design, and digital game production. Organized by the Department of Sound Arts and Design, ARUCAD Game Music Week took place between 19–23 January 2026 at the Nicosia Bandabuliya Campus. Prior to this event, GAME EXPO 2026, showcasing semester-long projects developed by students of the Department of Digital Game Design, was held on Friday, 16 January 2026, bringing student productions together with visitors.
Addressing the role of music and sound in video games through both theoretical and practical perspectives, Game Music Week offered an intensive program consisting of academic sessions, workshops, listening sessions, gameplay showcases, live music–accompanied gameplay performances, and student presentations. Key topics throughout the week included game music analysis, musical themes as narrative tools, interactive sound design, and performance-based approaches to gameplay.
Sessions and workshops were led by Assist. Prof. Dr. İnal Bilsel, Head of the Department of Sound Arts and Design, and Lecturer Ataman Kınış, with contributions from guest speaker Doğu Zaifoğlu and Başar Ünder from Bahçeşehir University. These events approached game music and sound design as interdisciplinary fields of production.
One of the most notable events of the week was a performative gameplay experience based on the game Another World. Held on Thursday, 22 January, the event featured live, improvised music performed simultaneously as the normally music-free game was played. This experiment highlighted the real-time interaction between gameplay, sound, and music, standing out as one of the most memorable moments of the week.
Speaking on the opening day, Assist. Prof. Dr. İnal Bilsel reflected on his personal connection to game music, stating: “As someone who grew up as a gamer in the ’90s, games like Another World directly shaped my relationship with music and sound. Its structure—largely devoid of music and relying heavily on atmosphere and sound design—has always been deeply inspiring to me.”
Bilsel noted that Game Music Week initially began as a single seminar idea, adding: “Over time, the idea expanded—workshops, seminars, listening sessions, and gameplay areas were added, turning it into a comprehensive week-long event. It became a valuable process that encouraged students to question sound and music in games from new perspectives, and we hope to continue this initiative in the future.”
Lecturer Ataman Kınış, commenting on the workshops held during the week, emphasized the interactive nature of game sound: “Unlike linear media such as film, game music and sound design respond directly to player actions. Throughout the week, our aim was for students to experience how game sound is produced and implemented, both academically and in practice.”
Guest speaker Doğu Zaifoğlu, a Cypriot composer, guitarist, and sound designer, has been creating original music for video games for over seven years. Having contributed music and sound design to numerous independent games and game jam projects, Zaifoğlu actively works with the Wwise framework for music integration in games. His solo EP Mesophyll, released in 2025, brings together orchestral, ethnic, and atmospheric elements through a progressive approach.
Reflecting on his workshop during Game Music Week, Zaifoğlu stated: “Interactivity is one of the core issues in game music. In the workshops, we explored—through hands-on practice—how music responds to in-game spaces, scenes, and player decisions. This approach helped students develop a more holistic perspective on both games and music production.”
Prior to Game Music Week, GAME EXPO 2026 presented original digital game projects developed by students of the Department of Digital Game Design throughout the semester. Focusing on game mechanics, visual language, narrative structures, and interaction design, the projects offered visitors fully playable experiences.
During this process, the digital game TyreUp: LeftRight—developed by ARUCAD students Metehan Bozdağ, Buğra Şanlı, Tatiana Kozlova, and Yiğit Oruç, with contributions from Seden Bozdağ from outside the university—was released on the Steam platform. Serving as a concrete outcome of ARUCAD’s education and production-oriented approach, the game stands as an important example of student projects reaching professional digital platforms.
Sound Arts and Design student Jasmin Köşemehmetoğlu shared her experience of the week, saying: “The game I played most during my childhood was Minecraft, and its opening music has always stayed with me. Thanks to Game Music Week, I now think about sound and music in games in a much more conscious way.”
Together, these two events held at ARUCAD brought game music, sound design, and digital game production into a shared space, offering students, academics, and visitors a multi-layered experience centered on production, interaction, and exchange.
