For example, tense music might bump up your adrenaline, making you more inclined to remain locked into the game. Orchestral, composition heavy pieces reinforce the genre in epics such as Halo and atmospheric, atonal pieces are fundamental to the dark mood of horror games such as Silent Hill.Įssentially, a good soundtrack enhances the emotion of a video game, making it a more absorbing experience. In most games, a soundtrack will occupy the background of the sonic environment.įast-paced, beat-driven music can provide additional energy and excitement in racing games. Employed as a narrative or worldbuilding tool, an OST enhances the game's mood and underpins its genre, ultimately contributing to the game’s memorability. Much like in cinema, an original soundtrack is used to complement and augment the mood of the in-game world. Video game sound also drives the emotion of a game. Sound effects provide important gameplay cues for players where they clarify or reinforce player actions, giving feedback on the player’s decisions.Īre your character's shields running low? Is your gun out of ammo? Are there enemies nearby? – Sound effects can provide all the cues needed to give a player feedback on their in-game situation, without having to engage visually with a graphical user interface (GUI) or heads up display (HUD). Iconic video games are synonymous with their soundtracks and SFX, and it is beyond doubt that a strong palette of sound is integral to the player’s overall experience of a game. Game sound is important as it gives the game context, individuality and depth.
In the final mission of Halo 3, a section of the OST is playing in the background in order to increase the tension as the Master Chief escapes the Ring
Non-diegetic sound is a sound whose source is neither visible on-screen nor has been implied to be present within the game’s world. Here, the sound is implied.įor example, the sound of distant gunfire and explosions may be audible in the background of an FPS game, despite the fact that the guns and explosions are out of sight of the player. It is important to note that diegetic sounds can also occur off-screen where the source of the sound is not visible.