Categorizing video game audio: an exploration of auditory-psychological effects

Abstract

This paper investigates the subject of video game audio and how it can be categorized in order to deliver a message to a player in the most precise way. The proposed categorization, with a new take on the diegetic spaces, can be used a tool of inspiration for sound- and game-designers to rethink how they can use audio in video games. The conclusion of this study is that the current models' view of the diegetic spaces, used to categorize video game audio, is not fit to categorize all sounds. This can however possibly be changed though a new proposed model - the Flexible Game Audio Model for Categorization (FGAMC) - which rethinks how the player interprets audio.