On Monday, we had a session with Dave Milln on audio and sound design. Sound is obviously a crucial element in every medium, not just in games, because it enhances immersion and connects the audience to that imaginary world. Sounds are also commonly used for branding, which may not be applicable to this project, but it is a good thing to keep in mind in case I work at a studio later on. Most importantly, audio could be used to inform and provide feedback, for example, give us a signal when we level up, pick an item, and make it more rewarding.
Key note: 3 main functions
- Anchoring: Immersiveness, believability
- Informing: Reward and Feedback, influence mood, direct focus
- Branding: Make it iconic, identify a franchise
Dave gave us some advice when designing audio. Overall, there are 3 important things to consider:
- Function: Which function does it belong to in the 3 functions above
- Categories: Music, sound effect, or voice over
- Diegetic or non-diegetic: Does it exist outside or inside the game world
Knowing all 3 things would make it easier in both the designing and scoping processes. It is vital to know not only what to create but also how many resources it takes to create it as well. Similar to art, audio also needs a moodboard, and even if we are not the ones designing audio, we should be able to explain it to other people, as specifically as possible. Lastly, audio, same as every other design aspect, should be made collaboratively alongside your development process, not just an afterthought.
Since my game is set in a futuristic world, I tried to look at games with the same futuristics, post-apocalypse genre, and then quickly noted down some soundtrack at the end of the talk, which I further developed in (Ideation: Sound)
Machinarium – 00 By the wall
The last of us – astray
Far lone sails – Not alone
Stray – Dead City
Dead Space – Zero gravity
Dispatch – Fvke the stars
Leave a Reply