Unit 73 Assignment: Sound for Computer Games

Name: Noel Pells

Lecturer: Josh Rai

Qualification: BTEC Level 3 Games Design

Unit 73: Sound for Computer Games

Assignment 1 – Understanding the use of music in games and the methodology of recording and production.

The Last of Us

The Last of Us is a survival horror and adventure game developed by Naughty Dog, and released for the PlayStation 3, and later remastered for the PlayStation 4. The Last of Us is a game that really relies on its story to immerse the player and get the involved with what is happening between the characters. Obviously the soundtrack needed to be emotional and tense to fit with the important story scenes, the survival gameplay and combat. The soundtrack was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, and I am going to be focusing on the main theme.

Psychology of Sound

One of the main features of the soundtrack is that it makes the player feel different emotions depending on whats going on. It is very important that the soundtrack does this otherwise the player may not feel the emotion that the game developers want them to feel, and the soundtrack in the Last of Us definitely delivers. The opening theme for the game sets you up for the adventure ahead. It's a mysterious track, and also sounds sad and peaceful. To me it basically sums up the whole situation and the current state of the world in the game. It's deserted, and the infected and nature have taken over and swallowed everything that people built and loved, however the world is still quite a peaceful place in lots of areas, and life goes on. If someone played the track to me and I had no idea where it was from, the first thing I would think of would be a deserted area like a desert (because of the guitar. It has a western feel to it,) or a place where something upsetting had taken place. 

The horseback scenes in the game also add to the western feel.

The music in the Last of Us is used to deliver information to the player as well as assist the emotion during certain scenes. The music and sounds help with the players perception, which is basically their awareness of the environment they are in. The most common sound effect that relates to perception is footsteps. Most games use them, and they allow the player to hear where about's an enemy is. A sound that is exclusive to TLoU is the sound of a Clicker. Clickers are very dangerous infected, and they make a creepy clicking sound. This is how the player can tell if one is near. Since this sound is linked to something life-threatening, it changes the mood and makes the situation very intense as the player has to temporarily change their play style to either sneak past the clicker or kill it.

Theory of Sound

The main theme for TLoU is quite a peaceful tune, so it would have a low amplitude. Since the song is fairly slow, the frequency won't be too high either. The pitch of the song in general isn't too high, however some high notes on the guitar are used at times. 

Audio Environment

Audio environment is similar to the psychology of sound, since it also involves what the player is supposed to feel. Atmosphere is very important in a survival horror as it makes everything feel more alive. The game producers may want the player to feel slightly unsafe in a certain area, so sounds of things falling of a shelf or wood creaking. Other things such as the sound of wind whistling or water dripping would be used too. I think the example of the clicker sound also applies to this, as it's one of the more recognisable sounds in the game.


In terms of the type of sound that was used for TLoU, I think it was most likely stereo or surround, because both allow the player to hear things around them and tell where something is.

Sources

The music in TLoU was all composed originally. And as you can see in the video below, at 50:42, Gustavo Santaolalla uses PVC pipes and other objects to get different sounds. This could be classed as foley. He also explains that he recorded things in different rooms of his studio because each room gave a different sound to the instruments. One of the rooms being the bathroom!

Game Music
The purpose of the music in TLoU is to get the player immersed in what is happening between the characters and to feel strong emotion. It also plays a bit part in the gameplay, especially in combat or when sneaking around trying to take people out using stealth, because it adds tension.

Legal Issues

Even though Gustavo Santaolalla composed the music, after it was finished Sony most likely copyrighted it, which means that Santaolalla won't be able to use it anywhere else. However they could have done it differently and still allowed Santaolalla to use the music if he needed to.

Halo 2

Halo 2 is a sci-fi first person shooter and was developed by Bungie and released in 2004 for the original Xbox and PC. The soundtrack was composed mainly by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. I am going to be focusing on the main theme.



Psychology of Sound

Unlike the peaceful, sad song from the last of us, Halo 2's theme tune is very loud and rocky. It uses lots of loud, distorted guitar and dramatic sounding drums. These instruments were used because Halo 2 is a first person shooter. It's an action packed game. Having a loud and impressive track at the start of the game is really going to get the player hyped up and even more excited about playing the game, and it gets them in a serious mood. When I hear this track, I think of action and excitement, and lots going on in the game. The track is telling the player that this is going to be an epic game, and it's like it's getting the player ready for what's to come.

Like most first person shooter games, information is given to the player via sound in other ways too and helps with their perception. Gunshots, explosions and people talking enhance the feeling of what is happening around the player and it keeps them aware.

Theory of Sound

The main theme for Halo 2 is a lot louder than TLoU, so the amplitude is higher. The song is also faster so the frequency is higher. In terms of pitch, the Halo 2 theme uses a lot of low sounding drums, however distorted guitar is used that can be quite high pitched at times.

Audio Environment

Since Halo 2 is a first person shooter it needs to have lots of loud and dramatic sounds to immerse the player in the battles.

Sources

Like TLoU, Halo 2's soundtrack is completely original. For Halo 2's soundtrack, I think more was done electronically, and I don't think any foley was used. No stock sounds/free sounds were used either.


Game Music

As I briefly mention in the psychology of sound section, the purpose of the main theme and soundtrack in general is to get the player in a serious and excited mood. It get's them in the correct mindset and lets them know that what is taking place is serious and the player needs to try their best.

Legal Issues

The Halo 2 soundtrack is most likely owned by Microsoft, however, like I mentioned with TLoU, the composers may still have access to the tracks if Microsoft is okay with that.