For this week’s blog post I will be exploring in further detail, the analytical framework I have built in order to investigate and research my area of interest regarding my DA. The analytical framework for my DA will be looking at three individual concepts/theories and how they interact and overlap one another.
The following statements outline the theories I will be exploring in regard to my chosen topic:
Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound play a vital role within video games.
Audio influences the way we experience and interact with video games.
Audio evokes a connection between player and character.
You might be asking yourselves how do both diegetic and non-diegetic sound play important roles within video games? They’re just an audio component. Well, Inger Ekman discusses a perfect example of how diegetic sound can influence the players experience with a game, Ekman calls on the Thief series (Storm, 2004) and explores how the use of diegetic sound imitates the sounds of a player character’s footsteps and how this forms a crucial role in playability of the game. “Guards can hear the player move and there is a comparatively stable and understandable relationship between how loud the footsteps sound to the player and how well they can be heard by guards at different distances.” (Ekman, 2005) This statement is a prime example of how diegetic sound within video games can influence the players experience and alter the path of the game, thus playing such a vital role within the gaming industry.
A study conducted in 2010 looked at three key aspects of game audio, volume, timing and source. This study looked at several variables of audio within games along with why and how they impacted and influenced player’s experience. As a result of the study, the research conducted suggests that “loud sound effects are more likely to be effective at evoking sudden and shocking emotions in the player than soft sounds.” While also stating that “softer sounds, however, may serve as a good atmospheric tool that can enhance immersion and set a mood.” (Toprac & Abdel-Meguid, 2010) With this in mind, it can confidently be said that audio elements enhance the players connection to their in-game character, thus evoking particular sensory responses, feeling emotions of pleasure, fear, anxiety and more.
Much like results of gambling, “gaming companies talk openly about creating a “compulsion loop,” which works roughly as follows: the player plays the game; the player achieves the goal; the player is awarded new content; which causes the player to want to continue playing with the new content and re-enter the loop” this compulsion loop is also present within video games. (Davidow, 2012) Although in this case we are focusing on the rewarding sound the player hears, whether it be a completing a basic task within the game or completing a level, most if not all games generally have a distinctive sound which acknowledges the accomplishment which has been made.
Game audio can hold several roles varying from background noise such as music to character dialect, both these aspects of audio play a significant role in influencing how the player experiences the game. For example, game audio such as music “carries with it a continuity aspect (background), an emotion aspect (spooky VS comical), and a tempo aspect (fast VS slow).” While speech is often used in games that are based around human and human-like characters as a way “to communicate information to player in a natural way. One can overhear conversations that give valuable information, or one can be given a briefing or command from nonplayer character.” (Parker, & Heerema, 2007) Lastly, added sound effects can also play another key role in influencing the players experience and how they interact with he game and other characters or components within the game. They can be very direct and informative, or they could simply act as confirmation that a requested activity has taken place, or an achievement has been acquired.
Both diegetic and non-diegetic game audio, influence the way in which we as the audience perceive and engage with video games, they inherently influence the action we take within the game and the pace at which we experience certain in game events. Audio is not only a key aspect of video games purely for pleasure and aesthetic purposes, but audio also shares the ability to influence game play through basic gestures and character narration. Certain audio techniques, background ambience, soundtracks, diegetic and non-diegetic audio all aid in developing a connection between player and character, this results in a more fluent and entertaining play through of the game, as the player experiences the game through the characters perspective.
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