Sound in games

Sound in games can be used to alert, immerse and inform the player. In many
genres of games there are many types of sound being used. Sound types like
Folly (noises made and added after filming), Acousmatic (sound that are made by
an entity off screen), Diegetic (noises the character can hear), Nondiegetic
(noises only the player the can hear), Ambient sounds (sounds off of the screen
that make it feel real), tension music (music that adds tension or speeds up) and
leitmotif (a reoccurring musical phrase to show the benefits to players/good
things happening).
The first game I have picked where sound stands out is Bethesdas Fallout 3. This
game is an RPG game and it uses nearly all of the sound types. In Fallout 3 you
run/ walk from location to location, as you walk your character makes sounds.
These are mainly sounds of footsteps, clothes rubbing together, dirt/ground
crunching under your feet and weapons jangling. These sounds are added after
the game is complete, this sound technique is called Foley and its where the
sound effects are added after the game is complete either because the
developers wanted realistic sounds for their game or to improve the sound
quality. Foley sounds require Foley actors to produce the sound.
Another use of sound is all of the Diegetic sounds in the game. These are noises
in the game that the character can hear. Mainly all sounds on Fallout 3 are
Diegetic this adds more realism into the idea that your character is the main
person and the player is second. These sounds on Fallout are mainly from your
PipBoy. These sounds are radio songs and the sound of static on radio, these
noises add the ability to have something to listen to while moving and realism to
what poor radio waves will sound like. Another example of Diegetic sounds in
Fallout 3 is when you or an enemy fires a weapon you can hear the fire of the
weapon and the sound of the built hitting the armour/metal if the object/enemy
is close. Also if you fire a weapon and you miss an enemy the enemy can hear
the sound and will be alerted to your presence. Also in Fallout 3 your character
can hear dialogue from other NPCs in the game which is triggered by your
character talking to them or passing passed them. One final example of Diegetic
sounds in fallout 3 is when you land from a fall or pick something up and start
smacking it around. The noise of you character hitting the floor can be heard
from NPCs, you and your character. When you pick something up and something
with it it makes a clanging noise which NPCs, you and your character can hear.
This alerts an enemy of your presence.
In Fallout 3 there are not many Nondiegetic sounds apart from music that plays
when the character is near enemies, in combat or triggers a storyline moment,
like when youre in the purifier and defeating the Enclave. This is also a form of
tension music as well. Also another sound type is a leitmotif. This is a reoccurring
sound that appears when the player (in this case) does something good, like
levelling up. When you level up you get a track that plays that excites the player
and alerts. Another type of sound technique used in Fallout 3 is Acousmatic
sounds; these are sounds that happen outside of the screens view. This adds

realism to the game and tension. These sounds can also alert the player of
enemies by their footsteps.

Another game I have picked where sound stood out is The Legend of Zelda
twilight Princess. This is an Action-adventure game for Nintendo consoles and it
uses mainly all of the sound techniques. On The Legend of Zelda twilight Princess
when you character runs, the ground reacts to wherever the footsteps are. When
you walk in the forest you can hear the sound of leaves crunching under your
feet and when your character walks through a cave or cavern you can hear the
echo of your feet. Its these little things that stand out to the player and add
more realism to the game. Also as youre moving around you can also hear your
sword and shield moving around and enemy footsteps around you. These are all
in the Diegetic sound category where the character can hear the sounds.
Diegetic sounds add realism to the game because it shows the character has the
ability to hear what the player can hear.
Another sound technique that is used in The Legend of Zelda twilight Princess is
Nondiegetic sounds. This is sounds that only the player can hear. These sounds
are normally used to alert the player as well as immerse. One example of this
sound technique in the game is when you walk from zone to zone the music
starts to play in the background. Only the player can hear this and it immerses
the player in the game. Another use of Nondiegetic sound is when you lock on or
get an alert from an enemy. Sometimes, if you played on the Wii the alert sounds
would come out of the Wii remote to show that these noises are only for the
player.
In every Zelda game they always have a leitmotif sound affect. These occurred in
the game when the player opens up a chest or pick up a piece of heart. These
sounds show the player that they have done a good thing or been rewarded.
These sounds are also reoccurring and known from this franchise (The legend of
Zelda). Zelda twilight Princess also use Acousmatic sounds. These sounds are
made by an entity that is off screen. These sounds are used to alert the player
and add realism. One example of this in the game is when you are near a fairy or
bug and you can hear the twinkling noise. Another example of Acousmatic sound
is when a enemy or monster is nearby and a musical segment plays to alert the
player of the enemies around them.
Kieren hiscock