Here in 2022, video games are often a multi-sensory, cinematic experience. Even games played on mobile devices are carefully crafted to totally immerse the player into whatever world it is they’re exploring. In the age of the Metaverse, Virtual Reality and Web 3.0, it’s no wonder that gaming is as all-encompassing as it has become.
Far from simply being a convenient way to pass the time, playing video games is an experience that gamers treasure. Not only do titles need to have a gripping, movie-worthy storyline, but they also need engaging gameplay, a diverse selection of characters, and immersive, interactive visuals. Equally as important are the sound elements of a game, which, if done incorrectly, can make or break its future success.
Using Sound Design to Ensure Maximum Engagement
The sounds that gamers hear when playing their favourite games foster a deep sense of immersion. No matter how otherwordly a game environment could seem, the correct implementation of sound design grounds players in the gameplay, ensuring maximum engagement as they make progress through the game.
Sound can be a way to ensure realism in the gameplay, but it can also be a powerful way to motivate players to complete specific tasks. Sound, whether a musical score or more individual sounds, sets the tone of the game and should change as players work their way through it and achieve goals or missions.
It’s also one of the most powerful ways to evoke emotional responses in players. Game designers have the freedom to utilise sound and music in different ways throughout their creation.
In the iGaming sector, for instance, audio effects can be the most effective way to create an engaging casino gaming atmosphere. The sound of slot machine and spinning wheels elevate an online slots gaming title by establishing a sense of realism. In addition, music also influences and is present in the wide variety of environments that are recreated in the games, which allows them to increase the dose of realism and make the user live a unique experience.
Then, there are ways to use atmospheric soundtracks to immediately orient a player into the genre of game that they’re playing. Horror-themed video games are a great example; designers working on horror titles generate a palette of eerie sounds that build and build a sense of dread as the game progresses.
The Greatest Video Game Soundtracks
30+ years of video gaming has resulted in some truly unforgettable video game soundtracks and scores. Here are some of the most memorable, whose popularity has transcended the medium and broken into mainstream culture.
The Legend of Zelda – Koji Kondo
Koji Kondo was the most prolific composer of the Nintendo generation. While he was also responsible for the endlessly catchy Mario Bros. theme tune, it’s the music created for The Legend of Zelda that sees his name go down in history.
Tetris – Alex Kostov & George Strezov
As vintage as Tetris may be, there is yet to be a person alive who hasn’t memorised ‘The Tetris Song’ after playing this inimitable, catchy game. Interestingly, the theme started life as a 19th-century Russian folk song, Korobeiniki, but was arranged by composers Alex Kostov and Geroge Strezov to fit the debut GameBoy edition of the game.
Halo – Martin O’Donnell
For a game that’s been in existence since the start of the century, Halo is still considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Naturally, a game of this calibre deserves a suitably blockbuster soundtrack too. Martin O’Donnell’s creation packs a major orchestral punch; no wonder then that it’s the top-selling video game score of all time.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Jeremy Soule
Skyrim, easily the most epic instalment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, wouldn’t be half as epic without its blistering score from the ‘John Williams’ of game soundtracks. Jeremy Soule unleashed a true masterpiece with this score for the 2011 game, as evidenced in the 30-strong choral passages written in the game’s own unique language.
Using Sound Design to Ensure Maximum Engagement
The sounds that gamers hear when playing their favourite games foster a deep sense of immersion. No matter how otherwordly a game environment could seem, the correct implementation of sound design grounds players in the gameplay, ensuring maximum engagement as they make progress through the game.
Sound can be a way to ensure realism in the gameplay, but it can also be a powerful way to motivate players to complete specific tasks. Sound, whether a musical score or more individual sounds, sets the tone of the game and should change as players work their way through it and achieve goals or missions.
It’s also one of the most powerful ways to evoke emotional responses in players. Game designers have the freedom to utilise sound and music in different ways throughout their creation.
In the iGaming sector, for instance, audio effects can be the most effective way to create an engaging casino gaming atmosphere. The sound of slot machine and spinning wheels elevate an online slots gaming title by establishing a sense of realism. In addition, music also influences and is present in the wide variety of environments that are recreated in the games, which allows them to increase the dose of realism and make the user live a unique experience.
Then, there are ways to use atmospheric soundtracks to immediately orient a player into the genre of game that they’re playing. Horror-themed video games are a great example; designers working on horror titles generate a palette of eerie sounds that build and build a sense of dread as the game progresses.
The Greatest Video Game Soundtracks
30+ years of video gaming has resulted in some truly unforgettable video game soundtracks and scores. Here are some of the most memorable, whose popularity has transcended the medium and broken into mainstream culture.
The Legend of Zelda – Koji Kondo
Koji Kondo was the most prolific composer of the Nintendo generation. While he was also responsible for the endlessly catchy Mario Bros. theme tune, it’s the music created for The Legend of Zelda that sees his name go down in history.
Tetris – Alex Kostov & George Strezov
As vintage as Tetris may be, there is yet to be a person alive who hasn’t memorised ‘The Tetris Song’ after playing this inimitable, catchy game. Interestingly, the theme started life as a 19th-century Russian folk song, Korobeiniki, but was arranged by composers Alex Kostov and Geroge Strezov to fit the debut GameBoy edition of the game.
Halo – Martin O’Donnell
For a game that’s been in existence since the start of the century, Halo is still considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Naturally, a game of this calibre deserves a suitably blockbuster soundtrack too. Martin O’Donnell’s creation packs a major orchestral punch; no wonder then that it’s the top-selling video game score of all time.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Jeremy Soule
Skyrim, easily the most epic instalment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, wouldn’t be half as epic without its blistering score from the ‘John Williams’ of game soundtracks. Jeremy Soule unleashed a true masterpiece with this score for the 2011 game, as evidenced in the 30-strong choral passages written in the game’s own unique language.
Composing music – or compiling music – for a video game is no different to scoring a movie or television series. Video games need to be seen as interactive films; they tell epic stories, and narration is present in even the most basic of games. Music and sound in video games are often a cue, either for a specific action or to evoke a response in players, and should serve the overall encompassing experience of the game.
