Music and Sounds in Games?

[zeroality]

Well, I just listed the filenames of Irot's entire soundtrack that I have in a PM to him to check if I got everything up-to-date.

While I was doing it, I noticed the filenames and realized what they were for. Music/Sounds to be playing during events like "Bug Catcher Encounter" and it made me wonder...

How important is sound/music in a game to you? The reason I ask is because I'm completely deaf and have been since birth. I have never heard a sound, as you can hear them. I do have a tolerance range of around 100-110 decibels in my right/left ears respectively. For comparison, a lawnmower is around 90 db. I wouldn't even pick that up at all (at least not with my ears).

If a sound is close enough and loud enough, then I do pick up on it. But I'd say something at 100 decibels from a 3-6 inch range would probably be what you would identify as a whisper? I would probably be more focused on the vibrations in the air and the echoing effect than the sound itself so I'm not too sure how to describe it.

Anyway, I wanted to give you guys an idea of how deaf I am so that you could respond appropriately. People have always been curious about my being deaf since it obviously does not show at all online, unless I directly admit it. I wish people wouldn't be so timid or awkward about asking me questions about it, because I honestly don't mind. The opposite side of the coin is also true, I am extremely curious about how you people perceive sound and how it affects you. I honestly don't know much about it, because I've never thought about it for the most part.

How does a sound or a music track affect you when playing a game? Why is it so important? Does the game change if the sound is off? Why do people nearby sometimes get annoyed with it? How does a "beep" or "chime" affect the quality of the game?

As you can see, I have no idea about any of it and am curious so I would really appreciate responses! Feel free to ask me anything you want as well, we're obviously not too strict about on-topic stuff around here. You won't offend me, don't worry. I look forward to reading your responses!

[Konrad]

Sound can separate a good game from a great game. Music is something that often goes unnoticed, but still has an effect on the player. Music can evoke fear, joy, melancholy, urgency, calmness; any human emotion can be expressed by music. People rarely think about the background music in a game, but it really helps to set the tone of the game.

The smaller sound effects are just as important. Sound effects become annoying when they are played too often or when the sound is unpleasant. However, good sound effects help to draw the player into the game and to give a different kind of reward to completing a task. Mario gets a few notes for a one-up, but getting an extra life is common for Mario. Sonic needs to collect 100 rings, which is quite an arduous task, and Sonic gets triumphant fanfare for meeting this goal.

One thing I never understood about the deaf is how someone without knowledge of sound can think. When I think, I have an inner voice that speaks my thoughts. I am pretty much talking to myself in my head. What I can't fathom is how someone who doesn't talk can think something through. Do you use a different sense, like seeing the words in your head? How can someone who has never heard a spoken word learn a written language and alphabet?

I can't imagine not hearing anything. I've been involved with music for years, and until I get the paperwork in at the end of the semester, I'm actually still a music major.

Maybe one day you'll be able to get a cochlear implant and be able to hear. Right now its expensive, but prices can only drop as the technology improves. I know I'd want one, but then again, if I were deaf I wouldn't know what I was missing.

[SilentSentinel]

Wow, you are right. I would have never guessed that you are deaf from any posts on here.

My favorite sound effect is when you find a rupee in a Legend of Zelda game. Sound is of course secondary to actual gameplay elements like plot and controls, but it often makes a game into a work of art. And allows for awesome metal remixes of songs on Youtube. I listen to remixes of Tales of Symphonia songs when I work out.

One thing I never understood about the deaf is how someone without knowledge of sound can think. When I think, I have an inner voice that speaks my thoughts. I am pretty much talking to myself in my head. What I can't fathom is how someone who doesn't talk can think something through. Do you use a different sense, like seeing the words in your head? How can someone who has never heard a spoken word learn a written language and alphabet?

This has always caused me to wonder. I can't figure out how I would organize my thoughts without sound, or even learn how to grasp the concept of a language, yet somehow it is done.

[Irot_Rebod]

Music... sound... noise... this is my life. I can't imagine a moment in my life devoid of sound. As I type, the rattling window shades rhythmically dance as the fan hums its constant E in the background. I could compose a song from it... it could be background music for my life. As an empathic person, I get depressed imagining a life where my hearing comes to an end. I don't want to pity you, I'm sure you relish things in life that I'd find mundane due to my lack of sensitivity outside of music. As Konrad mentioned, hopefully one day a cochlear implant could be a practical option for you.

As for me? Background music in video games (or any media, really) is essential. A good composer (Uematsu, Kondo, Williams, Zimmer, Elfman, etc.) will create a track that is crucial in communicating and evoking a response from the listener/viewer that graphics/story might not be able to accomplish on its own. It may sound cheesy, but music is literally another language that doesn't require studying to understand. In any type of media, it is up to the composer to skillfully spin their knowledge and talents into the moment that the audience is in. If the composer fails their job, then the entire moment is lost no matter how great the story or graphics may (or may not) be. I suppose as a music major, I'm completely biased. I won't argue that.

tl;dr - Music (BGM/Sounds/Noises) are crucial to my enjoyment of media.

[NyteFyre]

Sounds are a part of everything we know, and do. Rhythmic sounds can help some people concentrate better, while the more skilled can use sound alone to identify many things, such as if they're being tailed, or when something seems off from the norm. However, because sound is such an omnipresent part of our lives, we often fail to notice many sounds, due to the way our brain works, and can miss out on many things. To listen to just the sound of a forest is enough to evoke a sense of beauty we have never experienced, but because we're so busy with our lives, we fail to notice this subtle beauty. There are even signs that sounds can literally, though only minutely, affect human behavior.

As the above have stated, in reference to gaming, Sound and music alone can make or break a game. A game can suck terribly in many areas, yet still be above average if it has a great soundtrack. Take the game Dante's Inferno. It was a very substandard rip-off of God of War. However, it's Cerberus Boss theme is awesome enough to score it some points in the gaming industry. In Final Fantasy, major boss battles, such as Sephirioth have grand, and awe inspiring, fully orchestrated themes, that evoke a sense of wonder, and amazement, simply from what you hear. Some sound can even trigger memories, or remembrances of past experiences. When most people hear a sort of digital, 8-bit sound track, what do most gamers immediately think of? The original Sonic and Mario games, and even the original pokemon games.

As Konrad stated, most of us have sounds going on in our head at all times, be it our own voice in our head repeating what we're reading, or typing, or just random noise, such as a song you hear on the radio. Most of the time when I read, I imagine what the character's themselves may sound like, and before I know it, their 'voice' replaces my own when I read their lines, thoughts, or actions, and may include several other characters as well. It's a fun habit, really.

In fact, Sound even gets me up in the morning. I'm a sort of light sleeper, so I wake up just before my parents get into my room to wake me up, simply from hearing their footsteps.

However, not all sounds are great, grand, and glorious. Some sounds are very harsh, and grating on the ears, almost to the point of making them bleed, and causing temporary deafness, in some cases. Some sounds are so gut wrenching that you feel like your head is going to rip in half. But that's life. Everything has it's good points, and it's bad points, even sound.

[Cyndadile]

I noticed that you mentioned being deaf somewhere else, and I immediately asked myself about the importance of sound. Most people don't think about it that much, but music serves a variety of purposes. It portray's tone, emotion, increases suspense and drama, and, for me at least, makes me feel at ease. Noises outside of games seem just as important. Even just hearing birds in the background seems to belong as much as seeing a blue sky, or stars at night. Also, I've wondered the same thing as Konrad and rage.

I've always wanted to have a conversation like this one, but I've always been afraid of going to someone and asking what it is like to be deaf. It seems like it would be somewhat insulting, but I'm glad that you're willing to talk about it.

[Reliability]

Also, I've wondered the same thing as Konrad and Reli.

Que?

Just posting to say aye to pretty much what IR said.
And also, as Facebook representative, I have stalked all of your profiles and hence my knowledge of zero's deafness prior to this topic. *the joys of low-privacy social networking*

[Cyndadile]

Que?

That wasn't what I posted!!! Edit post button, yay.

Sorry, I saw "mod", dark blue name, and the letter "R", and immediately associated it with you.

[Tyrannigon64]

Sorry, I saw "mod", dark blue name, and the letter "R", and immediately associated it with you.

I associate Reli with that black Spinda thing with Jigglypuff eyes and Butterfree wings.

...while the more skilled can use sound alone to identify many things,

I can tell half of the Pokemon just from their cries XD.

You've pretty much heard it all from everyone else. I only have one thing to add: Sometimes, music can add to the mood of a game in a way that visuals or even written text cannot convey. For example, Super Mario Bros. has some awesome, bouncy, happy music in most levels (the first and third level of every world, i.e. n-1 and n-3). If no one's home, turn up the speakers to the max, and put your ear real close to the speakers so maybe, hopefully, you can here this awesomeness if you haven't before. I think that Super Mario Bros wouldn't seem as happy if I did not associate this song to it.

I wish people wouldn't be so timid or awkward about asking me questions about it, because I honestly don't mind.

Since you said that, I have a few questions. How do you communicate with people? Do you use sign language or something? Also, does being deaf make you feel left out in any way? How were you educated? That may sound like an obvious question to you, but the rest of us had to listen to the teacher as (s)he explained stuff to us for over half the class (at least, that's how I see it in TV shows, and that's how I was taught). How do people convey sarcasm to you? Or do they not? Are you able to speak despite being deaf?

One thing I never understood about the deaf is how someone without knowledge of sound can think. When I think, I have an inner voice that speaks my thoughts. I am pretty much talking to myself in my head. What I can't fathom is how someone who doesn't talk can think something through.

That's only occasionally how I think. Most of the time, I think in a way that's hard to describe actually. It's as different from speech as sign language is. Plus, it's much faster, and can portray visuals. I don't necessarily think like "I want to eat an orange," I might think something along the lines of "I want to eat (insert picture of orange here)." I don't even think of the words at all, most of the time.

EDIT: One last thing; be glad you'll never have to hear the song "Friday." mefan started a thread in the Forum Games called "50 Reasons to Hate the Song 'Fiday'" it's that bad.

[sifira]

I feel like I should be writing an essay in response to this topic. D:
Music and sound effects, especially in games, are important to me. It gives me something to associate game mechanics with while I'm learning how to play, and allows me to suspend disbelief long enough to get drawn into a game. Music also lets me form memories of things easier. For example, every time I hear any song from Madonna's Ray of Light album, I think of WoW: Burning Crusade because I listened to it a lot while I was playing it. Without that music, I don't think I'd remember as much about that part of the game.

EDIT: One last thing; be glad you'll never have to hear the song "Friday." mefan started a thread in the Forum Games called "50 Reasons to Hate the Song 'Fiday'" it's that bad.

It's so bad it has almost a million dislikes on youtube. :s

I wish people wouldn't be so timid or awkward about asking me questions about it, because I honestly don't mind.

People are too used to being PC everywhere. :x

[Tyrannigon64]

It's so bad it has almost a million dislikes on youtube. :s

Wrong. It has more than a million dislikes.

[zeroality]

I'm so tired. I'll respond to this after sleep.

[zeroality]

Wow, I was really impressed with the responses here. You guys described it very well. I do understand better now.

Since you said that, I have a few questions. How do you communicate with people? Do you use sign language or something? Also, does being deaf make you feel left out in any way? How were you educated? That may sound like an obvious question to you, but the rest of us had to listen to the teacher as (s)he explained stuff to us for over half the class (at least, that's how I see it in TV shows, and that's how I was taught). How do people convey sarcasm to you? Or do they not? Are you able to speak despite being deaf?

EDIT: One last thing; be glad you'll never have to hear the song "Friday." mefan started a thread in the Forum Games called "50 Reasons to Hate the Song 'Fiday'" it's that bad.

Man. I am deaf but I've still heard about that song Friday. I had to ask people what the heck they were talking about and they explained it. Crazy how it's become such a phenomenon.

When I communicate with people, it's preferably online or not at all! But if I had to talk to someone out on the street, in a store, or whatever then it's usually on a pen and paper. Sometimes I can read their lips well enough (it varies from person to person) to be able to follow what they're saying but most people have problems understanding my speech. It takes some getting used to, I guess. My family can mostly understand me fine, and I had a hearing roommate that picked up on it after a month or two.

I also use sign language to communicate with my mom/sister and other deaf people or people who know sign language. I can do either American Sign Language or Signing Exact English. Most people who know ASL can understand SEE but pure-SEE signers will usually have difficulty understanding ASL.

As for being left out, not really because I mostly don't care. I mean obviously if I go to a party or some other social gathering by myself then yeah I'm not going to be interacting very much, unless someone is willing to write on pen/paper or knows sign language. I lived with my aunt/uncle for a while and pretty much nobody knew a lick of sign language so I just smiled and nodded a lot. It annoyed my aunt. "DONT NOD IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IM SAYING!" lol

Honestly, I just brush 'em off and get by. I don't really care about it much. When I'm on the street, and I see someone trying to talk to me, I just make the generic hand-to-ear motion and they get the idea then move on. It's helpful actually, I can't imagine how much bullcrap I probably get out of having to listen to.

I started school in a special class for the deaf within public schools then moved on to elementary/jr high with sign language interpreters in regular public school classes. The teacher would speak and the interpreter would sign what they said. Then if students asked questions, the interpreter would transliterate that as well and the such. If I had my own question, or had to give a presentation or whatever then I would sign and the interpreter would speak for me. We would have to work it out, where I would pace myself so they wouldn't lag too far behind in speaking.

I would do my reading, my homework, and the such and I always did very well in school - except math. I've always been bad in mathematics for some reason, while excelling in everything else.

When deaf people speak, you can see sarcasm in their facial expressions or how they sign, body language and stuff like that. Hearing people? Well, it's not like I have conversations with them! If they sign, then they can do the same - body language, facial expressions, and "intonation" of their signs.

I can speak, thanks to 10+ years of speech therapy. I got tired of doing it in 8th grade and stopped. I had to sign papers and stuff to release the school from the obligation and such. Sometimes I regret doing that, as I would probably be able to speak a fair bit better if I had continued for another few years into high school. If you're hearing me speak for the first time then chances are low you will understand me. I can say some words pretty well like "bathroom" or whatever, I just have to speak slowly and carefully - and do have to repeat myself a bit. A lot of times, it ends up with me having to ask for pen/paper or whatever, using hand motions.

One thing I never understood about the deaf is how someone without knowledge of sound can think. When I think, I have an inner voice that speaks my thoughts. I am pretty much talking to myself in my head. What I can't fathom is how someone who doesn't talk can think something through. Do you use a different sense, like seeing the words in your head? How can someone who has never heard a spoken word learn a written language and alphabet?

Maybe one day you'll be able to get a cochlear implant and be able to hear. Right now its expensive, but prices can only drop as the technology improves. I know I'd want one, but then again, if I were deaf I wouldn't know what I was missing.

I kinda laughed at this. I don't know how to explain it?? I do think to myself all the time and even carry on conversations in my head. I even "think ahead" and sometimes theorize how conversations with someone specific (like if I'm planning to talk to someone about something) and I will carry on the conversation in my head. I'll approximate their responses to my responses, and think about what I want to say in response to their responses and so forth. I'm sure that's normal?

But uh, I don't know how to explain it. I don't hear sounds in my head, no but I do have a thought process in terms of words and images just as you guys are saying you do. I talk to myself (silently) all the time and sometimes even make myself laugh, things like that.

Sometimes I will fingerspell something with my arms at my side or say something in sign language (to myself, or in reaction at something like the TV or computer) but it's subconscious and doesn't really happen as often as it does in my head. I haven't used sign language much in the past 10 years or so, outside of talking to my mom/sister so I am a bit rusty.

I don't hang around with deaf people much. They're just... well I don't mean to be insulting but they're freaking morons. Just so far beneath me in terms of intelligence, social iq, and things like that. I grew up in the hearing world, not their world. Most of them were placed in state institutions for the deaf at a young age and stay in "packs" after they graduate. They live nearby and visit, and stuff like that. They differentiate it by saying "deaf world" or "deaf culture" and there's the "real world" or "hearing world/culture".

As for learning language/alphabet, etc - that's why so many deaf people are so far behind in terms of intellectual capacity. Their parents don't take the time to learn sign language and teach it to them, so by the time they get to school they're already several years behind in language development. The schools do what they can to catch them up but yeah, even at that young of an age, the damage is already done. :\

I'm just lucky I had a mother who cared enough to learn sign language herself and work with me, etc.

If I missed any questions, let me know.

[zeroality]

Oh and, the cochlear implant thing. It's not a fix-it-all cure. I'm probably too deaf for that to even help, and even if it did help it would have a minimal impact.

Not worth it. If there were a way to get 100% perfect hearing, I might consider it but until then no thanks. I'm actually fine as I am, I enjoy being deaf. There are a lot of advantages.

[ImmunityBow]

Interesting topic. I can't watch videos or play games without sound, or at least not for long. It's just too strange, somehow I don't feel immersed enough or something, so I can't focus my attention on it.

[STT]

Music... sound... noise... this is my life. I can't imagine a moment in my life devoid of sound. As I type, the rattling window shades rhythmically dance as the fan hums its constant E in the background. I could compose a song from it... it could be background music for my life. As an empathic person, I get depressed imagining a life where my hearing comes to an end. I don't want to pity you, I'm sure you relish things in life that I'd find mundane due to my lack of sensitivity outside of music. As Konrad mentioned, hopefully one day a cochlear implant could be a practical option for you.

As for me? Background music in video games (or any media, really) is essential. A good composer (Uematsu, Kondo, Williams, Zimmerman, Elfman, etc.) will create a track that is crucial in communicating and evoking a response from the listener/viewer that graphics/story might not be able to accomplish on its own. It may sound cheesy, but music is literally another language that doesn't require studying to understand. In any type of media, it is up to the composer to skillfully spin their knowledge and talents into the moment that the audience is in. If the composer fails their job, then the entire moment is lost no matter how great the story or graphics may (or may not) be. I suppose as a music major, I'm completely biased. I won't argue that.

tl;dr - Music (BGM/Sounds/Noises) are crucial to my enjoyment of media.

I'm very much like this too, even to the point where I find myself turning off sound effects to just get the music from games. You guys have no clue how big my VGM library is. XD Adding to IR's list of great composers, I have to say ZUN. If anybody here plays Touhou, you'll know how awesome he is at it. There isn't a single track in that series that's even bad. Also Japanese, there's U2, (not to be confused with the pop band) who did work on Touhou 10.5 and 12.3. Did You See That Shadow? is an amazing track for a title theme.

For more mainstream games with a commercial release outside of Japan, games like Final Fantasy and Zelda spring to mind immediately, but then there's also the Dragon Ball series, as the music is just about the only thing in that series that keeps getting better. Raging Blast's camera sucked.

Even for remixes, Japan is an amazing place for them. I love such doujin circles as WAVE, O-Life Japan and IOSYS, but then there's also different bands entirely like Team Nekokan that did a version of the ever-famous I Can't Defeat Air Man!. Though for O-LJ, if any of you get the chance listen to this. Touhou + Orchestration = awesome.


More about how I receive sound and music though is that while not being a particularly great composer myself (*glares at IR in envy*), I'm a really good critic of modern music. For example, if you ask me to critique a song by say Justin Bieber, even though I think JB sucks, I can give REASONING that has to do with the topic to PROVE that he sucks. Most would just say he sucks and leave it there.

Anothet thing about me is that I'm not biased towards any genre. I may not LIKE country, but I can tolerate it. Though if I had to choose, I'd be a huge metalhead. XD

[zeroality]

Forgive the bump, but I thought this was worth posting for anyone interested. I didn't ask MeekRhino for permission to post his part, but I figured he'd be alright with it.

I remember reading a thread a while back about you being deaf (sorry about the random abruptness). I was just reading a post that you made regarding the username changes and was reminded of that thread. I mention this because I noticed that you used "an" instead of "a" before the word. When I first noticed it, I assumed it was a simple mistype, but then I remembered that thread and thought I should tell you, because it might actually be important sometime. It is "a" in this particular case because, despite "username" beginning with a vowel, it is pronounced with a consonant sound. I don't know if you care, but i just thought I'd mention it.

MeekRhino

PS Sorry if I offended, but I think I remember you saying that you were pretty open about it. Also, I'm sorry if I misunderstood and this really is just a mistype.

Not offended at all. It's difficult sometimes to know when to use "a" or "an" because of the vowel sounds, as you said.

I've just made it a general rule to use "an" with any word starting with a vowel. I'll keep that one in mind though, thanks. :) I actually asked my teacher about it in English 101, she said it was difficult without knowing the sounds and said that was a pretty safe rule of thumb.

Funny story behind this is that I've always been conscious about it since I watched this movie. Deaf characters were a minor plot in it, and they used a printout from one of the TTY (phones) to determine a deaf person wrote it - because he omitted usage of "an" and only used "a".

That's just stuck with me since.

[MeekRhino]

Of course, I have no problem with that.