How are Music and sound effects used within the video games industry?

I have chosen to investigate this question because it is an area of sound engineering that I am particularly interested in and also because I feel like the sound and music in video games is almost always overlooked and underappreciated.

The audio in video games plays a huge role in the overall experience for the gamer. As games become more immersive and cinematic a huge emphasis has been placed on the sounds that we hear whilst playing, just as the technology for creating visuals has improved over time, so has the technology for creating sound. Firstly, I will look at an early example of video game audio. The link below will take you to a 10 minute long clip of Asteroids, an arcade game developed by Atari in 1979.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYSupJ5r2zo

As you can hear the sounds are incredibly simplistic and there is no variation in the audio. CDs and MIDI did not exist at this point so they utilized much simpler ways to implement sound. Generally, it would have been done using analog signals. The game itself did not have a sound chip and overall featured just 13 different sound effects, generally comprising of beeping sounds at various different frequencies. Note however that this game lacks a soundtrack. Comparing this early example to a modern day game its easy to see just how far the technology has advanced over the years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoKSiHyElVU

That is a twenty-minute clip from the video game Destiny which was released in September 2014 and was developed by Bungie. From that clip you can hear multiple examples of audio techniques, which could not have been used in the early days of video gaming. You can hear panning; various different noises for guns firing and reloading, different enemies each have their own distinct sounds and screams, the sound of vehicles speeding up and slowing down, all of these sounds and more can be occurring at the same time yet are easily handled by the sound card. Unlike Asteroids Destiny has its own original sound track, composed primarily by Martin ODonnell and Paul McCartney. The music of the game has an ambient and orchestral feel to it and was very well received by critics. Personally, I feel that this highlights how much the video games industry has grown as games are now getting prolific composers and songwriters to help create their soundtracks much the way films have been doing for decades.

The Music in video games, much like the music in films, is designed to create a certain emotion in whoever hears it. Generally during a tense combat scene the music is loud and fast paced. Conversely, in an emotional character driven scene it may be ambient or sad sounding. Take the video game Left 4 Dead 2 for example. The game is not very story driven, it is mostly just action throughout and the music reflects this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrRYmluhna4 In that particular piece there is what sounds like a poorly kept violin and very fast drums. The violin sets the tone perfectly for the location in the game, which is set in the Louisiana swamps, and the drums keep the player on edge as they fight off hordes of zombies (the main objective of the game). Also, there is a distorted Bass sound, which sounds as though it is playing out of time with the rest of the music; this was most likely intentional to create an erratic atmosphere.

The Music in games can also make the atmosphere more relaxed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju4oFoSR9Ms The title screen music from Halo 3 was designed to sound nostalgic, epic and saddening simultaneously. This is accomplished in a number of ways. Firstly, the soundtrack is similar to the soundtracks of the previous installments in the Halo franchise; this is a smart move by the creators (Bungie), as they knew that this would induce the nostalgic feelings in gamers who had played Halo 3s predecessors, in turn creating a deeper connection with the game and the player. Secondly, its the slow pace mixed with the string sections and chanting chorus that form the sad tone of the piece.

Sounds used in games are created and implemented in a number of ways. The technique I will look at is Foley. Foley is the creation of sounds effects that are later added to a game in post audio production to create a better quality of sound. For example, gunshots can be recorded in a safe environment using a gun and a microphone, and this recorded sound can be used in the game. Foley is popular and widely used in the video games industry because of its diversity and high quality. Someone who works with Foley is called a Foley artist, these people are responsible for getting the correct equipment and materials and then finding the right sound for whatever theyre recording for.

David Collins, lead sound engineer at Lucasfilm, had this to say about Foley, Foley provides a level of immersion that you dont get with regular hard effects. It gives you a level of detail that, even if you dont register it, subconsciously it makes you feel like youre there.

Voice acting

As video games became the multi billion dollar industry that it is more emphasis has been placed on getting quality actors to play parts in games, sometimes leading to quite prolific actors being cast. One actor who has made a name for him self through his diverse voice acting abilities is Troy Baker. Troy has voiced countless video game characters, most notably of which is The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9akBjJZB29w

As well as this he played the main protagonist in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. In this game however it wasnt just his voice that was lent to the character but his face as well using advanced facial capture technology, again highlighting how much time and money is put into modern game development.

Above: Troy Baker in Advanced Warfare.

I have attempted to contact multiple video games companies but unfortunately none of them managed to get back to me.

Evidently, video gaming is an ever changing industry that is at the forefront of entertainment technology. This means that even though the sound and visuals we have now seem cutting edge, they will most likely continue to improve massively and make video gaming an even more immersive hobby.