Sound Effects in Video Games

[Koopaul]

I love to analyze things in video games but one thing that seems to get overlooked the most is sound effects. The amazing thing about how some people utilize sound effects is with human psychology. That they can make certain sounds pleasing to our ears and others alarming.

How is it that blowing up a ship in Star Fox 64 sounds lovely but when you blow up it sounds painful? They are both explosions right? So why does one sound better than the other? And they DO sound different. It has to do with the pitch and tone of the sound effect.

An enemy dies in Kirby, a delightful popping sound is made. You get hit a crunchy pow is heard. Popping is fun, humans love to pop things. So having a sound similar to that makes it sound like we did something right rather than wrong.

Look at the Wind Waker. Slicing and enemy in that game makes a wonderful cutting-through-construction-paper sound. While get sliced by a sword makes a more metallic sound interestingly.


Point is there is a lot of thought that goes into sound and many people rarely consider this.

[Fryguy64]

There's a reason for this, and it's a good reason. You'll like it.

"If something is designed well, then people don't even notice it's there."

This is an old design idea. Someone kills an enemy and it's satisfying, and this is helped quite a long way by the sound effect. But people don't associate the sound with the action. All you can say is that if you changed the sound effect, the effect on the player would change to a small degree.

One thing I notice about sound effects (if I concentrate really hard) is how often they're used to signpost you through the game. Sure you have other signposts, but a sound effect can be used to make you reconsider going one way in favour of another. And the thing is, it works in most cases.

They are one of videogaming's unsung little heroes. Maybe take a moment to listen to them. You may be surprised just how much work they're doing.

[Koopaul]

Oh yes, here's an example of sounds as a signpost screwing you up. Sonic Chronicles what a horrid game.

There are action commands during battle that you must tap the circles at the right time. If you get it wrong it will make a "DING" sound and if you get it right it will make a "DONG" sound...

Wait? "DING" for wrong? "DONG" for right?

That screwed me up so badly in that game! For the longest time I thought I was doing good hearing those delightful "DINGS"

Screw that game!

[Shrikeswind]

I just checked it out. It's not so much a "Dong" as it is a "Byoo," but that's just spitting hairs: it's still pretty well confusing. Descending notes strike a negative chord with people's think pans, so putting that sound as an indicator that you've succeeded would be confusing.