Sound in Games
When players play a game they enter the magic circle a fictional reality governed by the rules of the game. The more immerse the game the more the player believes in the magic circle. Sound and music are the most impactful element when it comes to creating such an immerse experience.
All games have sound. Think the sounds the players in a football game might hear, the voices of the other players shouting out plays, the whistle of the referee, the crowd cheering, the band playing music. All of these sounds are what help to create the magic circle for the players, a world where nothing else matters except working as a team to get the ball across the goal.
Sounds in games not only bring the game world to life they provide auditory feedback and cues that guide and engage the players.
Explore the psychological impact of sound on players' emotions and behavior. Discuss how sound can be used to create tension, excitement, and immersion. Explain the concept of audio cues and their role in guiding player actions.
Play: Escape Team
📝Critical Thinking | 🕒30 minutes | 📂Required Resources: Printed pieces and dice
This activity is designed to help students identify how audio can dynamically impact gameplay and player engagement.
Discussion
Play the training mission of Escape Team using the rules provided. After completing the mission, discuss how is audio implemented into the game? Can the game be played without the audio? How does the audio engage the player? What other games make unique use of audio?
Sounds in physical games
Many of the sounds from physical games come from external sources. However, even before video games, there have been several games that have made use of audio components over the years. Early carnival games made use of sound. One example would be the iconic Strongman game, which a player would use a hammer or mallet to hit a puck attached to a tower. If the player uses enough force the puck will rise high enough to hit a bell, the sound of the ringing bell indicates success.
In 1979 board game Stop Thief, in which players use a handhold calculator-like electronic and sound effects device called a crime scanner, to catch the thief; was one of the first board games to be marketed with sound.
Sounds in Video Games
Early arcades were made on circuit boards which did not have sound capabilities. However, creative electrical engineers were able to simulate sounds by modulating an oscillator. Because of the limitations of this technology the only sounds were beeps and buzzes.
The earliest arcade game to have sound was Pong in 1972. When the game was near completion, Nolan Bushnell the founder of Atari playtested the game, and said, "Well, where's the sound? I want to hear the roar of the crowd and applauding". Al Alcorn, the engineer working on the managed to create a beep for serving the ball and a buzzing sound for when the ball hit the paddles. Since then the sound effects in Pong have become iconic and have been imitated in many other video games.