Twin Fox Studio

Have you ever tried to play your favorite game completely without any sound? If so, you’ve probably noticed that it changes the feeling of the game quite a bit. After all, what would ‘The Legend Of Zelda’ be without the famous chest opening sound? Either way, more often than not, sound design is easily overlooked even though it adds so much to the game. Let me show you why sound design is so important for video games and how you can utilize it to your advantage.

The Importance Of Sound Design 

A lot of us don’t realize that sound is one of the most important aspects of creating an immersive video game experience. While the graphic usually catches our attention first, the sound comes immediately after. But no matter how stunning a game looks, without sounds… It would feel weird and strange to us. 

While our eyes capture what the game looks like, how the world is built or the way the characters look, our ears are already busy with taking in the auditory aspects of the game. If you’re in a forest, you’ll hear the birds sing, the leaves rustling under your feet and the wind blowing through the top of the trees. It would probably feel like a wonderful safe afternoon walk, right? 

But what if it’s eerily quiet and all you can hear is the howling of some wolves and some ominous music in the background? Suddenly even though you see the same image… You get wary of your surroundings and move around more carefully.

As you can see, music sets the tone for a game. It makes it more immersive, helps to convey feelings and can even provide players with important feedback to help them through the game world. 

The Different Uses Of Sound

After we gained a general gist of what sound can do for a video game, we can go into more detail. Let’s look at the different kinds of methods people use to incorporate it in their projects and how they affect the gameplay.

Ambience

Ambiance sound refers to the background hum in a game environment. This could reach from the subtle chirping of birds in a forest to the bustling chatter in a crowded room over to the eerie creaking of an ancient castle. Unlike distinct sound effects for actions & events like gunshots or explosions, ambience is very subtle and just compliments the scene.

A good ambience soundtrack makes you feel present in the game and enhances the feeling of immersion. No matter if it’s rustling leaves that tell you that it’s windy or the distant waves crashing against the show that hint of an ocean nearby. Sounds transport you beyond the screen and into the game world.

The subtle sounds also help in creating emotions for the player. For example, crackling ice beyond your feet evokes a sense of danger, while the chatter of your classmates creates a lively atmosphere. 

It also helps with worldbuilding if you add dripping water in a cave, suggesting it’s wet or if you can hear distant machinery in a factory which hints at the world’s depth and life beyond what you can currently see. This helps to fill in any blanks and makes the world feel bigger than it actually is.

Music

Music plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall experience and goes beyond mere background noise. It acts as a powerful narrative tool, mood setter, and sometimes it’s even used as a gameplay mechanic. You can convey emotions through it, foreshadow events, and even subtly reveal character traits through music. A melancholic melody might hint at a character’s internal struggle while a triumphant theme could signal an upcoming victory. 

Music is especially important if you want to set the mood for each scene of your game. From the peaceful ambiance of a serene forest to the heart-pounding intensity of a fierce boss battle. It creates an emotional atmosphere in the game world and controls the whole feeling of the moment. For example, upbeat music motivates players to explore while suspenseful scores keep players wary and on the edge. 

Games also utilize music to control how fast the player moves. Racing games love to use fast techno music to encourage the player to drive faster. Story games that want you to slow down often play calm and somber music to help you relax. Some games even make it the main focus. For example, rhythm games rely entirely on music for their gameplay. You either have to move according to the music or hit buttons in a certain rhythm. 

Sound Effects (SFX)

Sound effects are just as important as music or ambient sound. They can be subtle yet impactful, or loud and explosive, depending on the desired effect. They add even more realism to the environment and pull you in even further. 

SFX are also used to give the player feedback for their actions like when you pick up a coin in Super Mario or if you land a headshot in Call of Duty. It not only gives the player a clue of what’s going on but it also has a very satisfying effect. It makes them feel better and it can become very addicting as well.

The use of SFX also reduces the UI elements by a lot if you use them correctly. If there were thousands of notifications all the time, it would overwhelm the play. Imagine getting a notification for every little thing you pick up or for every bullet you shoot. It would just clutter your screen but using sounds gives the player the exact same information.

Jump ‘n’ Runs also love to give their character different kinds of sound depending on what kind of movement they are currently making. Just look at “Super Mario 64” and the many sounds Mario makes throughout the game. Even though you can’t see what’s going on, I’m sure a lot of you can picture what Mario does in your head.

Voice Acting

Voice acting helps the characters to come to life and enhances the experience of your player massively, especially in story-driven games. Actors can convey emotions through their voice which would be impossible through text alone. Even small subtleties like a small laugh or a deep breath can tell a lot about the character.

Voice actors also give characters a lot more personality thanks to vocal inflections, accents, and the emotional range of the human voice. Having the right voice for the character is very important to really sell the idea and to make them feel relatable and engaging.

Characters don’t have to speak full sentences in order to be understood. A lot of games like Ori and The Blind Forest or The Sims have their own little language while others communicate rather cryptically like the Animal Crossing characters or the Korok Seeds in Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Quality Of Sound

The sound design should be unique and memorable. It really helps to set your game apart from the rest, really contributing to its identity and atmosphere. Make sure to integrate it seamlessly with the game’s visuals, narrative, and gameplay mechanics to create a cohesive experience for the player.

Only use high-quality recordings, make sure the sample rates are appropriate, and make sure that nothing is lost during the compressing of the files. This will ensure both clarity and richness of the sound design in your game. Also always keep the dynamic range of your sounds in mind since it’ll prevent any monotonous audio levels. Give the explosions a really impactful and booming sound while you keep the ambient sounds quiet and subtle.

Seamless blending of various elements like dialogue, effects and music creates a coherent and immersive soundscape. Make sure to loop and time your soundtracks correctly to really help elevate your sound design. A break in the music during a boss fight can be distracting, while perfectly timed highs and lows can take the player to the next level.

Using spatial audio to enhance realism by accurately positioning sounds will make things way more realistic like a passing car or if an enemy comes from the left or right. You can immediately tell the difference if you implement the sound of a running machine for a whole room or if the sound is coming only from the device itself. 

Sound design goes hand-in-hand with the graphics of a game. Both of them complement each other perfectly and add more to the game experience itself. From the very moment the player launches your game, they will be accompanied by sound. Without sound, a game would just feel incomplete and lacking. It helps to convey emotions and make a game feel more immersive & responsive. After all, sound design can really make or break your game if you know how to use it.

If you’re interested in the importance of sound design, you’ll probably want to become a Game Sound Designer. You can read more about this job in the article down below:

What Is A Game Sound Designer? – Twin Fox Studio