diff --git a/src/components/academy/game/backend/backend.js b/src/components/academy/game/backend/backend.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..426eb5619c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/academy/game/backend/backend.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+const LIVE_ASSETS_HOST = 'https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/source-academy-assets/';
+
+// placeholder URL
+const TEST_ASSETS_HOST = 'https://localhost:8080/source-academy-assets/';
+
+// placeholder predicate
+export const ASSETS_HOST = true ? LIVE_ASSETS_HOST : TEST_ASSETS_HOST;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/components/academy/game/constants/constants.js b/src/components/academy/game/constants/constants.js
index c9451ca822..d42c4ca6bb 100644
--- a/src/components/academy/game/constants/constants.js
+++ b/src/components/academy/game/constants/constants.js
@@ -1,26 +1,27 @@
-module.exports = {
-  screenWidth: 1920,
-  screenHeight: 1080,
-  dialogBoxHeight: 260,
-  dialogBoxWidth: 1720,
-  dialogBoxPadding: 25,
-  fontSize: 44,
-  innerDialogPadding: 46,
-  avatarOffset: 46,
-  nameBoxXPadding: 50,
-  nameBoxHeight: 80,
-  playerAvatarSize: 300,
-  playerAvatarLineWidth: 10,
-  playerAvatarOffset: 40,
-  glowDistance: 30,
-  textSpeed: 0.02,
-  storyXMLPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'stories/',
-  locationPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'locations/',
-  objectPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'objects/',
-  imgPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'images/',
-  avatarPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'avatars/',
-  uiPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'UI/',
-  soundPath: ASSETS_HOST + 'sounds/',
-  fadeTime: 0.3,
-  nullFunction: function() {}
-};
+import {ASSETS_HOST} from '../backend/backend'
+
+export const 
+  screenWidth = 1920,
+  screenHeight = 1080,
+  dialogBoxHeight = 260,
+  dialogBoxWidth = 1720,
+  dialogBoxPadding = 25,
+  fontSize = 44,
+  innerDialogPadding = 46,
+  avatarOffset = 46,
+  nameBoxXPadding = 50,
+  nameBoxHeight = 80,
+  playerAvatarSize = 300,
+  playerAvatarLineWidth = 10,
+  playerAvatarOffset = 40,
+  glowDistance = 30,
+  textSpeed = 0.02,
+  storyXMLPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'stories/',
+  locationPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'locations/',
+  objectPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'objects/',
+  imgPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'images/',
+  avatarPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'avatars/',
+  uiPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'UI/',
+  soundPath = ASSETS_HOST + 'sounds/',
+  fadeTime = 0.3,
+  nullFunction = function() {};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/components/academy/game/create-initializer.js b/src/components/academy/game/create-initializer.js
index 5e7a32208c..a641ffc611 100644
--- a/src/components/academy/game/create-initializer.js
+++ b/src/components/academy/game/create-initializer.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import {LINKS} from '../../../utils/constants'
 import {history} from '../../../utils/history'
+import {soundPath} from './constants/constants'
 
 export default function (StoryXMLPlayer, story, username, attemptedAll) {
     function saveToServer() {
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ export default function (StoryXMLPlayer, story, username, attemptedAll) {
             }
         },
         playSound: function (name) {
-            var sound = new Audio(ASSETS_HOST + 'sounds/' + name + '.mp3');
+            var sound = new Audio(soundPath + name + '.mp3');
             if (sound) {
                 sound.play();
             }
diff --git a/src/components/academy/game/game.js b/src/components/academy/game/game.js
index 63b228f8cd..7dafbe772f 100644
--- a/src/components/academy/game/game.js
+++ b/src/components/academy/game/game.js
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 import createInitializer from './create-initializer'
 
 export default function(div, canvas, username, story, attemptedAll) {
-  window.ASSETS_HOST =
-    'https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/source-academy-assets/';
   var StoryXMLPlayer = require('./story-xml-player');
   var container = document.getElementById('game-display')
   var initialize = createInitializer(StoryXMLPlayer, story, username, attemptedAll)