For week 8 we had a guest lecturer come in and talk about audio in games, named Jessica Saunders. This lecture was very insightful. It was interesting to see how audio in games is broken up into different components, and what components I could keep in mind for my own Game Design Document.
What is game audio?
Game audio can be categorised into many different sectors however the main two are asset creation and implementation.
Asset creation– This stage is creating a sound that will fit into a game.
Sectors:
- Music- Composing diegetic and non-diegetic music
- Foley- Using objects in the real world which can then be used to sound like something else. This adds depth and realism to a game, making it more immersive. To use foley you need to be able to study movement and how something may sound.
- Dialogue- This can be from a script to screen from voice acting.
- UI- This is anything that makes noises on-screen. For example clicking a button in-game may give off a certain sound.
- Walla- Background noises typically used in crowd scenes or busy areas.
Implementation– This stage focuses on importing asset creations into the game engine.
Sectors:
- Sound integration- Importing sound files to the game engine.
- Dynamic audio- Sound effects that change based on the players actions.
- Spatial audio- Ensuring audio is placed in the correct spaces to give the player a sense of location.
- Performance optimisation- Making sure audio does not negatively affect the game’s performance.