Architectonics of Videogame Sound Design: The Use of Sound and Music in Creating Immersive Virtual Spaces
Dorsa Kafili, AnnMarie Brennan · Architecture and Culture · 2024
Sound is both an atmospheric and functional element of understanding one’s orientation within a space, whether real or virtual, evoking a sense of spatial awareness. With videogame engines becoming increasingly prevalent in architectural practice for constructing virtual spaces, coupled with the growing interest of architects in videogame design, an opportunity emerges for the intentional designing of sound as an essential spatial component. By examining the role of audio in videogame environmental storytelling, this article provides insights for environmental designers, world-building artists, and architects seeking to comprehend dynamic sounds to narrate their digital stories using interactive and non-linear storytelling media. It does so by illustrating how videogame sound designers and music composers create and integrate sonic experiences that respond to in-game environments in three case studies. This research was conducted through a series of interviews with leading videogame sound designers and music composers, regarding the details behind the auditory components of videogame world-building.