The Effect of Sound

Okay, here is the truth. I love video games. I enjoy playing them, I enjoy talking about them, and I enjoy studying them. But I'm also a huge fan of music. Technically speaking, I know far more about the creation of sound and music than I probably ever will about the video game design process. Last month in part one of Mind Games I discussed the importance of music in video games. For the sake of brevity, I left out an aspect of significant importance during that discussion that I intend to address today: sound effects.

In his Gamasutra feature, "10 Tips: The Creation and Integration of Audio," journalist Tristan Donovan recounts the advice of several sound professionals in the entertainment software industry with an undeniably effective list of audio know-how. With tips detailing the role of sound in the process of immersion to the importance of involving the audio team in the design process from the stage of infancy on through to post-production, Donovan and his panel of sound professionals offer some incredibly helpful tips for both novice and veteran game designers alike.

Artisthousemusic.org

Full Sail University Director of Game Development Rob Catto offered a more simplified explanation of the role of sound in modern video games in an interview with Artists House Music a few years back. During the interview, he comments on how the inclusion of more senses will increase the factor of immersion in the overall user experience. What do we know from previous discussions? I'll save you the trouble of guessing by simply stating that immersion is very good. 

So how do sound effect enhance immersion? That's actually a good question, because a game that properly utilizes sound effects is one that doesn't leave you wondering "what was that sound?" In most cases, it should be a natural experience, and immerse players in an almost completely subconscious fashion. In order for sounds to have a natural feel, they should be appropriate for the situation. For instance, if you're roaming through a mansion riddled with zombies, a common sound effect might be the shuffling of feet around the corner, or a series of emotionless and painful groans coming from the other side of a door.

Here's another good example: in Grand Theft Auto, sound collectively plays a huge role in immersing players in the gameplay. The next time you load up a GTA title, pay close attention to the typical sounds of a big city: the passing of cars on pavement and the honking of their horns; the shouts of cab drivers and conversations of other pedestrians; the occasional sound of sirens and gunfire, somewhere off in the distance. It's a noisy and chaotic city, just like any realistic city of relative scale. There is really not much music at all until you hi-jack a vehicle and start blaring the car radio. This jumble of sounds and complete lack of music serves to further immerse players because it so closely resembles reality. It makes sense.

So it really all boils down to immersion. Just as the visual and mechanical experience must coincide (when I push the button I want to see my character react accordingly), it is equally important that the sound effects tie in closely with other elements of design. Designers shouldn't waste time on sound effects that don't matter, but they should not be too quick to write off a seemingly trivial sound effect as unnecessary, either. Finally, sound effects should be consistent throughout. I may cross an abandoned intersection over a hundred times without ever noticing the sound of my character's footsteps, but if I miss that sound even once, it may have an adverse effect on my experience overall. From a designer standpoint, you shouldn't fret that I didn't hear it the first hundred times; that means you have accomplished your goal, and I am thoroughly immersed.