When I think of playing video games, many different images come to mind. Not just the ones I see on the screen, but also the technology and the active process of playing. One thing I don't readily think of is sound. However, the aspect of sound with video games is just as, if not more, important than the use of our eyes. Indeed, when I hear a music tune or sound effect from Super Mario or Sonic The Hedgehog, it is immediately recognizable. The effects of sound do not only allow us to enjoy games, but also can help us connect to them emotionally, provide us with motivation (faster music helps us play more efficiently, for example) and keep us immersed in the environment of the game we are playing, in order to get more enjoyment. Background music specifically "...is used to communicate aspect of the narrative, convey emotion, and enrich the experience of the player (Fu & Zhang, 2015)."
With the further development of technology, including high definition graphics and realistic, surround sound, video games "positively affect social richness, or the extent to which a medium is perceived as socially intimate and immediate, by more accurately communicating the visual and verbal features of other social beings (Skalski and Whitbred, 2010, p. 70-71)." In other words, the level of immersion into the video game increases when visuals are combined with music and sound, and in turn, increases enjoyment of the game.
Although music has a great effect on this enjoyment, I think that more subtle sounds can also have an effect on immersion. My husband was recently playing a Virtual Reality demo of "The Last Guardian." It is an action adventure game, in which players control a boy who befriends a giant half-bird-half-mammal creature, Trico. Trico follows you around, and helps you through your quests. At one point while playing, my husband lost sight of Trico. Suddenly, he "felt" his presence next to him, and when he turned, Trico was sitting there. Although he isn't sure why he felt that way, I suspect that there was some low frequency sound that alerted him to Trico's arrival. Whether it was meant to represent his breathing, or a shift in the air caused by his mass, it was something indeterminate that had a great effect on how realistic the game was, and in turn, how immersed my husband became in playing.
I think that with all art, some sort of transportation to an idea or a feeling or a world is important to convey. When teaching visual art, we often forget that we use all 5 of our senses when experiencing our world around us, and sound can be an effective tool to convey messages too. Anything from music to sound effects to subtle shifts in bass or frequency, sound can evoke feeling and presence too. This is important to teach as well, that we must not only critically investigate visual forms of representation, but evaluate all forms of representation that are used to change or redefine our worlds.
References:
Skalski, P. and Whitbred, R. (2010) Image versus Sound: A Comparison of Formal Feature Effects on Presence and Video Game Enjoyment. Cleveland State University. P. 67-82.
Zhang J, Fu X (2015) The Influence of Background Music of Video Games on Immersion. J Psychol Psychother 5:191. doi:10.4172/2161-0487.1000191