Sound for Fantasy and Freedom - Game Sound Technology and Player Interaction: Concepts and Developments - page 32

the background soundscape of the game to give
a sense of human presence.
Apart from the above-mentioned rather objec-
tive and technical uses of speech and dialog, all
variations of subjective, expressive and dramatic
qualities of the human voice are also available.
A bad result uttered with an offensive voice will
be something radically different from the same
result uttered with a friendly and supportive voice.
Here, the thin border between computer games,
film, theater and other narrative media is clear.

as freed and part of the physical world through
the added sound.
Friberg and Gärdenfors use a number of
categories for the sounds in the TiM games
mentioned above. Most of their categories can
be seen as subcategories to the traditional sound
effect category. The categories listed by Friberg
and Gärdenfors (2004) are:

• Avatar sounds refer to the effects of avatar
activity, such as footstep sounds, shooting
or bumping into objects
• Object sounds indicate the presence of ob-
jects. They can be brief, recurring sounds
or long, continuous sounds, depending on
the chosen object presentation
• Character sounds are sounds generated by
non-player characters
• Ornamental sounds are sounds that are not
necessary for conveying gameplay infor-
mation, such as ambient music, although
they enrich the atmosphere and add to the
complexity of the game.

sound Effects Make it real

Events in the physical world generate sounds. It
is actually very hard to live and be active in this
world without giving rise to sounds. Sounds heard
in the physical world are the results of events
involving physical objects. Explosions in a com-
bustion engine, oscillations of the vocal cords in
your throat, putting down your cappuccino cup
on the saucer. Sounds are the proofs that you are
still firmly attached to the physical world of your
senses. The absence of sound, on the other hand,
could be the sign that what you are experiencing
is not real, that it is a dream or virtual reality.
A green rectangle silently moving over a
computer screen is probably perceived as just
a green rectangle on the screen. But if you add
the sound of a heavy stone dragged over asphalt
to this simple animation, the green rectangle au-
tomagically turns into a heavy stone. Sound and
computer game audio is a bridge on which the
virtual visual worlds can travel out and become
part of the real, physical world.
Ambient or background sounds are the sound-
ing counterparts to the graphic background. Hav-
ing no ambient sounds is like having a pitch-black
visual background and can be perceived as an
almost physical pressure on the ears. Adding just
a virtually inaudible ambient sound to the virtual
world of a computer game can create an immedi-
ate experience of presence and reality. The silent
virtual world that was locked in can be perceived

In GameFlow terms this means that sound
effects and ambient, background sounds can add
to several of the criteria for player enjoyment.
Presenting a lot of stimuli to the player on vari-
ous channels is crucial for the ability of the player
to concentrate on the game. We are also used to
constantly interpreting the soundscape surround-
ing us, and a well designed game soundscape will
have great potential to grab the player's attention
and help them focus on the game. Sound effects
are today absolutely necessary for feedback to
the players of computer games. Everything from
game control commands issued by the player to
virtual events caused by non-player characters can
be signaled and embodied using sounds.
Sound effects and ambient sounds are very
important for player immersion and to involve
the player emotionally and viscerally in the game.
Many of the sound stimuli that reach our ears are
processed subconsciously and handling sound