Sound in games : an Overlooked Element.
The three main parts of a game are often considered to be graphics, gameplay, and sound. While people argue which is most important, few consider that sound can be turned off, and as long as the player can see what they are doing graphics are not that big an issue. Minecraft uses blocks and low-resolution textures, but the gameplay makes it a hit. Gamers have been conditioned by companies that graphics are the main point of games, making indie developers feel that they cannot compete. But everyone overlooks sound, and how to utilize it (or the lack thereof). Some companies spend quite a bit composing audio, and it shows (LoZ, HALO), but some indies don’t have as many resources and tend to think that you always need sound running in your game. That may be true for RTS and RPGs with turn-based battles. Consider Minecraft’s approach to audio. Hardly any sound plays, you only hear environmental sounds for much of the game. Occasional riffs play to accent the game, or instill fear. Rather than trying to use sound for every minute of your game, just use environmental sounds (footsteps, animal sounds, water). Slow music is great for horror games, but if the player only hears footsteps, breathing, and a heartbeat any sudden sounds will make them jump. Few horror games have ever affected me, but the regenerators from RE4 always tensed me. All you heard was breathing and growling, then you saw them shuffling toward you. They were hard to take down early in the game, and tended to stay hidden. Another series that creeped me out was Metroid Prime. The Chozo ghosts appeared with some special effects, and were hard to hit early on. Sounds and music are great for causing different emotions, but sometimes you need a little silence to set the player up. Don’t be afraid to edit audio files that are freely available, a slower or faster beat can be all you need. Start looking for music and sounds at the start of your project, it can also give you ideas if you are stuck.
Sound in games : The player dreams.
Sometimes you want to further the game’s story through a dream, or you may want to randomly insert dreams into a game for variety. Many games have done it different ways. Sometimes there is white around the edges of the screen, or a filter changes the scene’s color (monochrome, sepia, etc.). But that never conveys the feeling that you get from waking up in a dream. Waking from nightmares can causes confusion, or the feeling of a hangover. To cause a similar feeling you need a dichotomous disconnect. This can be most easily achieved with binaural beats. Binaural beats tend to cause different effects to the listener. Playing them during an alternate part of a game (such as a dream or memory) will cause the player to notice, audibly as well as visually, a difference. It can also cause slight disorientation afterward as the player readjusts. Sometimes you want make a dream interactive; the use of background noise (either white or binaural) will also mark a difference. Sound is powerful, it can cause altered mental and physical states, but the lack of it can also be useful.