Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Let's discuss the function of sound both inside and outside of the game environment. For this we'll
introduce a new term to keep in mind—
diegetic
. No, it's not a book by L. Ron Hubbard. The word comes
from the Greek word
diegesis
, which means “recounted story”, and refers in this case to whether a sound
seems to come from the game environment, or not. Let's examine further:
Diegetic Sound
Diegetic sound is sound from sources that are visible on the screen or that are implied to be present
because of actions occurring in the game.
Examples of diegetic sound can include the following:
• character voices
• sounds from objects on screen
• music from musical instruments shown in the game.
Diegetic sound is any sound originating from a source within the game's world. This can also be referred
to as actual sound.
Non-Diegetic Sound
Non-diegetic sound, as you have likely guessed, is sound from sources that are neither visible on the
screen, nor present in the action.
Examples of non-diegetic sounds include the following:
• the voice of a narrator
• a sound ef ect that is added for dramatic ef ect
• the music soundtrack.
Non-diegetic sound comes from
a source outside the game's story
space. Non-diegetic sound is also
called commentary sound, though it
certainly includes much more than just
commentaries.
•
Dynamic audio
is audio that is
designed to change, either in response
to the user, or in response to changes in
the gameplay environment. Dynamic
audio encompasses both of what we call
interactive audio and adaptive audio.
•
Interactive audio
is a sound event
that occurs in response to the player
directly. In other words, if a player
presses a button on a controller, the
character on screen might move in
Interactive audio provides a direct relationship to an action that produces identical
or similar results. Adaptive audio takes into account one or more game factors
(Health in this example) in addition to the action to create dif erent results.
