Sound in video games is something that many of us barely notice these days. Does the game make disappointed bleep bloops when you die? Is skin-prickling battle music starting when you enter a room with suspicious amounts of space and an unnerving number of health potions lying around? The noise when you heal or cast a spell or perform a combo just right… all of these things make a huge difference to video games, yet how much are we aware of them these days?
The simple answer is: not very, or at least not consciously. However, sound in video games is crucial. It makes a huge difference to the playing experience. Imagine playing a silent video game for a moment and you’ll realize just what we’re talking about here.
Okay, a huge amount goes into creating a game’s atmosphere - you’ve got colors, aesthetic, lighting, and more… but the sound is perhaps the most fundamental and, when done well, seamlessly blended with the other elements to be barely noticeable. Despite that, it’s enormously memorable - how many people can hum the Mario theme tune, the Final Fantasy victory noise, the Crash Bandicoot opening - and so on? So, let’s check out how sound has sculpted the path of video games throughout the decades!
Early Era Iterations
Although the very earliest video games - we’re talking those being tested on computers that took up entire rooms - didn’t have sound (hey, they were only just mastering computers at all at that stage), sound has been present since games became a “thing” for everyday people. The very earliest video games that most of us would consider actual games - we’re talking Pong, for example - came ready-equipped with sound… and that sound was actually enormously important.
The creators realized that sound could be used within the game to help players figure out what was happening, providing a backup to the visuals by varying the pitch and length of each “beep” and “bloop” according to whether the ball had bounced off a paddle, struck a wall, or a point had been scored. There were only three different sounds, yet here we have a great example of just how noise was already being used to enhance the video game and support the players’ understanding of precisely what was going on as it was happening.
A lot of us underestimate just how critical that sound is and how much we depend on it - it tends to be subtle and in the background, but if you ever play one of your games without the sound on - we’re talking any sound at all - you’ll pretty soon grasp exactly what we mean. So, onto modern games!
Video Games Today
Today, could you find a single video game that doesn’t make use of sound? Well, maybe, but it would be tricky! Sound is there to both maximize the experience and help the player figure out what’s going on - as well as to make the whole thing more engaging and enjoyable. For example, let’s take an online casino as our starting point. Most of the games here are pretty simple, but they’re still almost all enhanced by music that lets you know what moves are being made, when points are scored when a win is achieved, and more.
That’s true across the board! Take poker slots for instance. Here, you’ll find an array of noises specifically designed to give you info about what’s going on - especially when you win. Regardless of the platform you choose, wins will always be accompanied by congratulatory noises that shout out your success with glee. Chances are, if you’re a regular player, you’ll soon absorb and respond to this sound on a very deep level; it will give you a sense of victory and excitement, and probably even encourage you to play again.
Of course, that’s true in many other game iterations too, and they take it even further. Let’s check out Counter-Strike (super popular, after all!). Many things have fed into its success, like the graphics, the customization, and of course, the gameplay itself. Things like stickers that you can add to customize and personalize your game have played a part… but the sounds are absolutely critical to the game, and indeed go even further than just enhancing the enjoyment. Now, we’re talking about a fundamental element of the game.
When you’re playing things like Counter-Strike, the sound effects are suddenly even more important - because clues like footsteps can mean the difference between a win and a loss in this world. What does this do? Well, put simply, it massively dials up the immersion and makes you feel like you’re actually in the world, rather than removed from it. Sound is suddenly a huge part of what’s happening and has become a key mechanic, no longer a peripheral, a nice-to-have.
As we venture further into the world of VR and increasingly immersive game options, it’s easy to imagine that sound is going to play an even more important role, ratcheting up quickly to create worlds that are almost unimaginable to us at present. One thing is therefore very clear: the audio of video games matters a whole lot more than many of us realize, and that’s only going to become truer as time passes!
