Sound in Electronic Gambling Machines - Game Sound Technology and Player Interaction: Concepts and Developments - page 10

games marketed to children to sonically represent
the player's character's death as a not particularly
negative event. This may in fact even be silence
upon the character or game's end (the equivalent
of not hearing a losing sound in a slot machine),
a fun “raspberry”, a game show-like losing sound
(as in Rocky and Bullwinkle on the Nintendo En-
tertainment System (NES)), or a cheery “try again”
music (as in the Jetsons or Flintstones game-over
music for the NES). On the other hand, in more
adult-oriented games, the player's death can be
a much more negative event with serious funeral
dirges. It may be worthwhile for sound designers
to explore the possibility of including both more
losing-type sounds in other places within the game,
in order to increase the acoustic frustration the
player feels, thus enhancing the impact of win-
ning sounds and increase emotional engagement.
Psychological studies have shown that frus-
trative non-rewards are considerably motivat-
ing. In simple terms, “failing to fulfill a goal
produces frustration which (according to the
theory) strengthens ongoing behavior”, leading
to cognitive regret, encouraging persistent play
in the desire to relieve the regret (Griffiths, 1990;
see also Amsel, 1962). Note King, Delfabbro, &
Griffiths (2009):

Likewise, the concepts of near misses and
losses disguised as wins are elements popular
in slot machines but rarely—if ever—heard in
computer game sound. One might imagine, for
instance, a “mini-game” within a larger game in
which the player is sonically teased with almost
winning a bonus round or is given the impression
that they have won more points than they actually
have within that bonus round. This would prob-
ably, of course, only be useful for certain types of
games aimed at certain types of players. One can
imagine this effect in a Wii casual game designed
for all ages, for instance, but less so for a big
budget first-person shooter title on the Xbox360.

slots, Familiarity and brands

Important to feelings of player comfort and emo-
tional connection to the machine is the role of
branding EGMs by using well-known intellectual
property. Popular songs are often used to attract a
player to the machine and to cause players to feel
more comfortable and familiar with that machine.
Similarly, sound can play a role in branding by
certain companies which create distinctive win-
ning sounds in an effort to have their sounds heard
over the din of the casino. Indeed, branded EGMs
are becoming both more commonplace and more
popular in casino environments. Whereas once
producers of popular culture sought to remain
apart from the perceived negative connotations
associated with the gambling industry, today films
like Top Gun , and Star Wars , television game
shows like Jeopardy!, Deal or No Deal and The
Price Is Right , and musical acts like Elvis Presley,
the Village People and Kenny Rogers all have
branded EGMs (Dretzka, 2004). Familiarity with
a television show, film, person, place, musical act
or sport can, for instance, entice players to the
machine because it may “represent something
that is special to the gambler… Players may find
it more enjoyable because they can easily inter-
act with the recognizable images and music they

Video games have also become longer and more
complex, making a punishment like permanent
character death an unappealing feature, particu-
larly for a less committed, casual playing audience.
Common forms of punishment in games include
having to restart a level, failing an objective, or
losing resources of some kind, like items, XP or
points. (p. 10)

It is possible, therefore, to improve the sound
of losing tied to these lesser events, in order to
tap into the acoustic frustration effect seen in slot
machines. While we typically hear sounds tied to
these events in current games, a stronger sense
of loss (and thus, upon winning, reward) may
improve player involvement.