The idea behind any type of production element is to be able to succeed in a balancing act. It needs to be a keen contributor to a collective effort (the creation itself), but also to be a standout feature that is a work of mastery in itself.
In this sense, we would argue that the production factor that needs to adopt this position in the most intense possible way remains sound design. It’s such a red thread of atmosphere that its role helps causality, immersion, and the idea of overall quality.
It’s a make-or-break factor that will always showcase intentionality and care about a production.
Why Gaming?
Since we’re going to speak on sound design in this article, we thought that the best way to approach this discussion is to focus on a certain medium. We could’ve talked about films and other pieces of cinematic art since they’ve been the true proponents of sound design ever since Hollywood was done with the silent movie era.
We have decided to talk about sound design within the area of video games. Not only that, but we think that it’s relevant to talk about it because it’s a medium with tremendous popularity, but adds a modern twist to it: interactivity.
Your actions within the video game, coupled with its atmosphere, make you feel like what happens in a video game has you as its protagonist. It’s a creative way to bring the player closer to the actual action.
It’s also really interesting to see how famous soundtrack composers make a linkbetween gaming and cinematic arts.
Yes, you have extraordinary video game-focused giants like Jesper Kyd and his legendary work on early Assassin’s Creed titles, but you have cases like Ramin Djawadi, who composed for franchises like Thief and Medal of Honor before having his big break in the world of Game of Thrones.
Given this link, it’s very interesting to see why sound design has such a powerful contribution. Let’s talk about it from different angles.
Standard Effects for Standard Sounds — Realism and Idealism
In the context of this article, standard effects are those that mimic sounds from real life. It’s something that you can call atmospheric since it realises the world that the game wants to portray. It’s more than just a link between reality and game fiction – it’s proof that a game can be what we want it to be.
This is where the theoretical conflict between realism and idealism takes shape.
If we were to talk about realistic standard sound effects, we would talk about pure immersion. You are in a world where clinking glass sounds like real-life glass, where honking is an inescapable part of the city atmosphere, and a world in which playing a realistic shooter game with headphones on can almost deafen you.
In the case of idealism, you start making production decisions that are not in tune with reality but, theoretically, contribute to a better atmosphere. Arcadey racing games (the antithesis of simulators) are a famous example. Many cars sound amazing and have distinct sounds amongst themselves, but they are far from realistic sounds. Such is the case with similar films that have inspired these games.
By deciding between these two on a case-by-case basis, you have clear intentionality. Deciding on setting up a balance between these two would probably mean making sensible decisions that help the complete product.
In this case, good sound design means making the right decisions based on the entire product that benefits from them.
Ambience — Immersion and Disruption
Ambience is where music comes in. Some pieces of art make a point out of avoiding music outside thediegesis (one of the most famous cases being The Wire). Others live and die by the music of that they use to create the atmosphere with.
We’d like to return to Assassin’s Creed. In this case, the ambience has always needed to work in accordance with other design elements because immersion was one of the core pillars of the franchise’s premises. It still is, which is why people still have an interest in the atmosphere.
It’s fun traversing Renaissance Venice, Crusader-era Damascus, or Ancient Greek cities, but the music is what gave it an air of originality that has attracted so many to this franchise and gave them a reason to stick around. Immersion for a narrative-driven game is always important, but it’s even more so when the setting of a game is one of its main attractions.
Disruption is something quite controversial because it can happen in various ways and for different reasons. Adding a layer of music that has no bearing or emotional connection to a realistic narrative is just bad production. As such, it’s disruptive.
In this sense, the greatness of a director who works closely with the sound producers is to identify the balance between what works and what doesn’t. Video games can always use testing to determine what works, when it works, and tweak it in post-production. It just takes a keen ear to understand what needs to change.
Pacing — Setting Up the Rhythm
Let’s presume that you get into a certain type of gaming for the sake of the sensations that it provides.
For example, you have the relatively controversial but highly popular slot games (and other games of luck). For those who have a knack for them, sound design must set up a pacing level that fits with the game. If you look into sound design in casinos and player behaviour, you’ll see that they value the pacing that comes with immersion.
Games of luck are a good subject of study because standard titles in this category tend to provide alert pacing in order to harness that inherent sense of excitement that they showcase. This is heavily informed by psychological design in entertainment environments — where sound, lighting, and rhythm all align to drive engagement.
It’s also a scenario in which you get into the standard elements of online gambling that fit well with the pacing of sound design. If a slot has high volatility (i.e., it provides rare but big wins compared to other slots), music with a crescendo level of tempo (pacing) can increase the anticipation of a player and convince them to keep spinning.
Conclusion
To conclude, sound design in gaming is a level of production that is very much a connecting rod. It keeps other elements in check by providing a level of immersion, pacing, and atmospheric presence that can make other elements of production work in a better connection.
Moreover, poor sound design can break immersion and become a disruptive element that shatters the natural connection between the game and the gamer.
As a last observation, we’d like to remind you to be careful about how much money and time you spend on gaming, regardless of how immersive it is!
