We were asked what we think the most iconic game sounds are
I think one of the most iconic sounds ever made is the Hadouken from Street Fighter 2.
This sound is one of my favourites because it lets the player know a projectile attack is coming. The sound is also that iconic that it is easily recognisable.
we need audio in games because audio can tell the player certain things, for example when an attack from an enemy is thrown at the player there can be an audio cue to indicate to the player that they need to be prepared. Audio such as background music helps set the mood and atmosphere of the game too.
The difference in importance of sounds in different genres of games
We looked at audio in 2 different games: Ratchet and Clank, Metro Exodus. In these games the audio differs alot because of the different genres. Ratchet and Clank is essentially a cartoon game while Metro Exodus remains very realistic. Metro Exodus uses more ambient noises and generally sounds calmer which adds some tension, while Ratchet and Clank has many noises happening which makes it sounds a little chaotic.
ratchet and clank sounds:
bolt pickup sounds - non diegetic - affect
hit sound effect - non diegetic - affect
jump - diegetic - effect
helicopter pack - diegetic - effect
robot sounds - diegetic - effect
gun sounds - diegetic effect
back ground music - non diegetic - affect
boxes breaking - diegetic - effect
health regen - non diegetic - affect
trains - diegetic - zone
damage - diegetic - effect
inventory sounds - non diegetic - interface
slingshot sounds - diegetic - effect
ammo pickup - non diegetic - affect
bolt turning - diegetic - effect
walking - diegetic - effect
metro exodus:
wind - diegetic - zone
running - diegetic - effect
birds - diegetic - effect
shooting - diegetic - effect
enemy noises - diegetic - effect
dialogue - diegetic - effect
reloading - diegetic - effect
fire - diegetic - effect
bullet collision - diegetic - effect
The 2 different main types of sounds are diegetic and non diegetic sounds:
diegetic sounds are sounds which the character in the game hear as well as the player
non diegetic sounds are sounds which only the player can hear.
the 4 subtypes of audio are Zone, Effect, Affect and Interface:
Zone sounds are the sounds that are the environment such as animals and wind
Effect sounds are diegetic sounds during gameplay.
Affect sounds are non diegetic sounds that helps set the mood.
Interface sounds are non diegetic sounds that play in menus.