Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Sound is Not a Simulation:
Methodologies for Examining the
Experience of Soundscapes
Linda O' Keeffe
National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland
AbstrAct
In order to design a computer game soundscape that allows a game player to feel immersed in their
virtual world, we must understand how we navigate and understand the real world soundscape. In this
chapter I will explore how sound, particularly in urban spaces, is increasingly categorised as noise,
ignoring both the social significance of any soundscape and how we use sound to interpret and negotiate
space. I will explore innovative methodologies for identifying an individual's perception of soundscapes.
Designing virtual soundscapes without prior investigation into their cultural and social meaning could
prove problematic.
INtrODUctION
Within a real world all the senses are exposed
to information, sight, sound, smell, and touch.
Within a gameworld, we are currently exposed
to an overriding visual experience and minimal
sound information. There is a deficit of sensory
information occurring within this digital world
and, as more people move towards gaming and
virtual communities, this deficit must be examined.
For digital virtual worlds to create a convincing
immersive experience with the technology that
is available, we must explore sound as well as
sight in the construction of gameworlds from a
sociological perspective.
Simmel (as cited in Frisby, 2002) argues that the
exploration and navigation of a space, particularly
an urban space, impacts all of the human senses.
Equally he suggests that when exposed to multiple
inputs of both internal and external stimuli, we
make choices, such as movement and interaction,
based on the sensory information of a given space
(Simmel, 1979). In the design of gameworlds,
we must examine this concept of sensory input
as both a method of navigation and socialisation.
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