Game Audio Innovation: Can Games Go That Little Bit Further?

There are many technical advancements that are being studied which will change the way game audio is approached. Ideas such as procedural audio and generative music are areas surrounding this research into the advancement of game audio. They look into creating real time audio assets whilst the game is running, using analysis and physical modeling as a way to recreate the sounds. Although this leads to a list of positives (non-repetition, reduced memory footprint and more control), it also comes with its negatives (CPU usage, difficult to debug). This is why it is currently being looked into, as a way to get around the cons and begin implementing this approach into games. We can see the generative music approach already happening in some games, one example being Spore, where renowned composer Brian Eno has implemented a generative and reactive music system which cooperates with the games events.

Creative Innovation

Although technology is one area that guarantees to innovate the way games operate, I want to discuss how games can be furthered aesthetically and inspire people on an emotional level. Game audio/games themselves have experienced a substantial increase in opportunities due to new developments that allow complete freedom in approach. As new technologies arise, so do new approaches to sound in games. It is evident that many games are leaning towards the Hollywood style of production, and with the industry growing bigger and bigger each year, hiring the London Symphony Orchestra to play the score seems a reasonable idea. But then again, is it entirely necessary? Can games instead go artistically further than those forms of media they base themselves upon?

It takes a lot to create something so sonically innovative in games, that it can change our musical preferences and expectations. Typically, people presume that the more time and funds a sound designer or composer has, the closer the audio will reside to these assumptions. This is usually true in most cases, as more money equals more opportunities to enhance the production (Such as hiring musicians and orchestras). However, I personally like to think opposite of this approach can yield greater results, when approached carefully….

Limbo

Limbo (2010), an arcade game from Playdead studios is renowned for it’s innovative and refreshing approach to both game and audio design. The Audio Director for the game is ‘Martin Stig Anderson’ who prior to Limbo, worked in the field of acousmatic music. His experience in this genre of music is present in the game, he utilises the audio in a unique way to fortify the aesthetics of the game. By only using samples usually associated with sound design, alongside the software on his computer, the unique score for limbo was born.

‘For me it has a much bigger psychological impact when you turn a naturalistic soundscape into abstraction by making your sound effects play as music rather than adding some traditional background music.’

-Martin Stig Anderson

Limbo definitely boasts the idea of less is more. The plot itself is completely ambiguous and left for the player to make sense of; therefore this style of music goes hand in hand with the style of the game.

3mins40 –Example of musical approach

What really strikes me about its sonic approach is how the boundaries between music and sound design have been blurred to create a completely immersive atmosphere, as reiterated by Anderson:

‘What I found interesting in relation to audiovisual media was that soundscape and acousmatic music together embraces the entire continuum between representational and abstract sound, in this way dismissing the traditional dividing line between sound design and music’

-Martin Stig Anderson

This approach undoubtedly comes from principles associated with acousmatic music and when its incorporated into a game that shares similar intentions, it delivers outstanding results. It may be down to the nature of the game itself as to why it is so effective, but maybe the idea of merging the sound design and music into one medium could be taken into other games. In my opinion, it helps the game to feel like a finished product on a very professional scale.

7:12 – Sound Design/music

This approach to a soundtrack can also be seen in many independent and arthouse films, arguably due to the budget for production that they have. The blurring of sound design and music is musical device that can be used to create ambiguity within the on screen visuals. An example of this effect in PI:

Limbo is a recent game, like many others, that has reminded game developers that games have the power and resources to be regarded as artistic or something completely innovative. They can now communicate emotional ideas on a much larger scale than a film, creating a completely new kind of immersive media output that inspires both those who play games and also those who design them.