Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
levelsignificantly.Someplayersmayalsohavesomedegreeofhearingloss(thereis
also a condition called tinnitus, when people perceive some additional noise in their
ears; for example, ringing, buzzing, whistling, clicking, and so on), since they may
have some trouble in perceiving sounds.
Therefore, you should first think about your game without any audio (I'm not talking
about audio games). Don't use stimulus based only on sound. Game situations
should use visual methods, but the sound can be a pleasant supplement to them.
Music should be less important than sound effects if we are talking about game
mechanics; however, it plays a significant role in enhancing the mood of the game,
especially when it is interactive; in action sequences, melodies are more effective, in
disquieting scenes they give some sense of suspense, and so forth. Even silence,
when the music suddenly stops, can be used as the element of a story. But the music
should be pretty unobtrusive to be comfortable for the ears; players can simply get
tired of it, as music accompaniment can sound very monotonous and importunate
(this is why a contextual melody suitable in real time is a good solution). So there
should be an option to turn the music off and that option should not be a part of the
sound effects control.
