Kenneth Young | |
|---|---|
 Kenneth Young | |
| Background information | |
| Born | |
| Genres | Video game music |
| Occupations | Composer, musician, sound designer, audio director, writer |
| Instruments | Fiddle,guitar,nyckelharpa,cello,viola,mandolin,Concertina,ukulele |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Media Molecule |
| Website | kennyyoung |
Kenneth Young, also known asKenneth C. M. Young orKenny Young, is a Scottish freelance audio director, composer, sound designer and writer.[1][2] He is best known for his award-winning work on the audio experiences inMedia Molecule'sLittleBigPlanet andTearaway video game franchises, and themusic ofTeam Asobi'sAstro Bot games.[2]
Young was born inEdinburgh,Scotland, and had a strong musical upbringing, learning the violin from the age of six, but chose not to pursue performance as a career[3] and instead went on to study an undergraduate degree in Music Technology at theUniversity of Edinburgh. That course introduced him to working creatively with sound and he went on to gain an MA in Sound Design atBournemouth University[4] for which he received a distinction.[2]
Young began his professional career in 2004 working as a junior sound designer in the centralised audio department ofSony London Studio.[4] He worked on a broad range of different gaming experiences and hardware platforms, fromaction-adventure games such asThe Getaway: Black Monday andHeavenly Sword to more family-friendly and innovative titles such asEyeToy: Kinetic.[2][5] He has described this period as "an apprenticeship" and a "baptism by fire"[6] which stood him in good stead for his future game audio work.[4]
Young left Sony in 2007 and joinedstartup video game developerMedia Molecule to establish their audio department and "makeLittleBigPlanet sound awesome".[4]
LittleBigPlanet's audio aesthetic: minimal, playful yet endlessly customizable building blocks of sound and music that support, underpin and emphasize the playfulness inherent in the game's unique art direction, character design and game design structure. Rather than seamlessly flowing together, the varied pieces of music work together much like the patchwork evident in the game's visual assets, nowhere is this aesthetic more evident than in the many user created online levels. Again, a difficult game to imagine working without the many unique aspects to its audio direction.
— Rob Bridgett, Game Audio Culture, p. 44[7]
The audio experience inLittleBigPlanet was very well received, garnering an exceptional eight GANG award nominations in 2009, more than any other game that year,[8] and four academy nominations.[9][10] Young and fellow composer Mat Clark won the GANG awards forBest Original Instrumental (for "The Gardens") andBest Interactive Score.[11]
ForLittleBigPlanet 2, Young built upon the eclecticism of the original's soundtrack by working with six other composers,[12] the results of which achieved a nomination in 2012 forOutstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition from theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[13]
Tearaway's folk-infused soundtrack received a 2014British Academy Video Games Award nomination forOriginal Music[14] and is notable for its hand-made aesthetic, being written and performed entirely by Young and co-composer Brian D'Oliveira.[15] Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton considered it one of the best video game soundtracks of 2013, writing "It's jarring to hear out-of-tune instruments in a video game; we've become so accustomed to pitch-perfect digital performances that any hint of humanity is startling. I'd like to be startled like this more often".[16]
On 27 February 2015, Young announced that he was leaving Media Molecule to pursue a freelance career.[17]
The official video game soundtrack album forTearaway was released alongside the game as a pre-order bonus on 22 November 2013.[18] The album was later made available via thePlayStation Network.[19]
The official video game soundtrack album forTearaway Unfolded was released alongside the game on 8 September 2015 via thePlayStation Network and on 16 October 2015 viaiTunes.[20][21]
The official video game soundtrack album forTethered was released alongside the game on 27 October 2016 via thePlayStation Network and on 27 February 2017 viaSteam.[22][23]
The official video game soundtrack album forWonderWorlds was released on 11 December 2017.[24]
The official video game soundtrack album forAstro Bot Rescue Mission was released on 30 January 2019,[25] with a vinyl album following in August 2020.[26]
The official video gamesoundtrack album forAstro's Playroom was released on 12 March 2021.[27]
The official video gamesoundtrack album forAstro Bot was released on 5 October 2024.
Young started the website gamesound.org in 2005 "as a useful resource for those who work in, aspire to work in, or wish to learn more about game sound".[2] Most of his own writing featured on the site is focused on the subject of the use of voice in games.[28] He has twice won the GANGBest Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast award for his articlesThe Use of Voice in Portal 2 (2012) andThe Mix in The Last of Us (2015).[29][30]
He has also written for designingsound.org,[31] and contributed a chapter to the bookProduction Pipeline Fundamentals for Film and Games, edited by Renee Dunlop, entitledThe Game Audio Pipeline.[32]
Young was co-writer ofTearaway's andTearaway Unfolded's voice script with the game's lead creator,Rex Crowle.[4]
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Nominated | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition[33] | Astro Bot |
| Won | New York Game Awards | Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game[34] | ||
| Won | Game Developers Choice Awards | Best Audio ("Special Thanks")[35] | ||
| Nominated | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Game Music Cover ("Bot of War")[36] | ||
| 2024 | Nominated | The Game Awards | Best Score and Music[37] | |
| 2021 | Nominated | BAFTA | Audio Achievement[38] | Astro's Playroom |
| 2020 | Nominated | IGF | Excellence in Audio[39] | Knights and Bikes |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Sound Design In An Indie Game[40] | ||
| Nominated | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast[40] | Thoughts On Game Audio History' | ||
| Nominated | MCV/Develop | Audio Innovation of the Year[41] | Knights and Bikes | |
| Nominated | Develop: Star Awards | Best Audio[42] | ||
| Nominated | Game Dev Heroes | Sound[43] | N/a | |
| 2019 | Nominated | Game Audio Awards | Best Game Music[44] | Astro Bot Rescue Mission |
| Won | Guildford Games Awards | Creative[45] | ||
| 2018 | Nominated | HMMA | Original Song - Video Game[46] | |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Music for an Indie Game[47] | WonderWorlds | |
| 2017 | Nominated | Best Interactive Score[48] | Tethered | |
| Nominated | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast[48] | The VR Soundscape of Secret Sorcery's Tethered | ||
| 2016 | Nominated | Music of the Year[49] | Tearaway Unfolded | |
| Nominated | TIGA | Best Audio Design[50] | ||
| 2015 | Won | GANG | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast[51] | The Mix In 'The Last of Us' |
| 2014 | Nominated | BAFTA | Original Music[52] | Tearaway |
| Won | GANG | Best Handheld Audio[53] | ||
| Nominated | GDC | Best Audio[54] | ||
| Nominated | SXSW | Excellence in Musical Score[55] | ||
| Nominated | Golden Joysticks | Best Audio[56] | ||
| Nominated | GMAs | Outstanding Achievement: In-Game Music[57] | ||
| Nominated | GMAs | Best Soundtrack: Western[57] | ||
| Won | IGN | Best PS Vita Sound[58] | ||
| Won | The Vita Lounge | Best Soundtrack[59] | ||
| 2012 | Nominated | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition[60] | LittleBigPlanet 2 |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Use of Licensed Music[29] | ||
| Nominated | GDC | Best Audio[61] | ||
| Won | GMAs | Outstanding Achievement: Licensed Music[62] | ||
| Nominated | NAVGTR | Original Light Mix Score, Franchise[63] | ||
| Won | GANG | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast[29] | The Use of Voice inPortal 2 | |
| 2009 | Nominated | BAFTA | Original Score[9] | LittleBigPlanet |
| Nominated | Use of Audio[9] | |||
| Nominated | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design[10] | ||
| Nominated | Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack[10] | |||
| Won | Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance[10][64] | |||
| Won | GANG | Best Interactive Score[11] | ||
| Won | Best Original Instrumental[11] | LittleBigPlanet (for "The Gardens", tied with "Main Theme" fromAfrika) | ||
| Nominated | Audio of the Year[8] | LittleBigPlanet | ||
| Nominated | Music of the Year[8] | |||
| Nominated | Sound Design of the Year[8] | |||
| Nominated | Best Original Vocal: Choral[8] | |||
| Nominated | Best Use of Licensed Music[8] | |||
| Nominated | Best Dialogue[8] | |||
| Nominated | GDC | Best Audio[65] | ||
| Nominated | TEC Awards | Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Entertainment Sound Production[66] | ||
| Nominated | Spike VGAs | Best Original Score[67] | ||
| Nominated | Best Soundtrack[67] |
