Music and Sound Design in Gaming

Music is more than background noise. It influences how we feel and enhances storytelling. Just like in movies, video game music sets the story's tone. Whether it's excitement, fear, or sadness, sounds that add to these emotions are used to immerse players in the world of the game, before they even need to press a button.

Action

Action games match intense music with fast-paced gameplay, like DOOM: Eternal, where you rip and tear through hordes of demons to the rhythm of heavy metal music. Many impactful sound effects are used in these types of games. Each shot, swing, or explosion is designed to feel visceral, adding to the chaotic gameplay. These soundscapes push the player's adrenaline during this frenetic audio experience, where they support and amplify the gameplay.

Horror

Horror games use eerie and unsettling sounds to build tension. Silent Hill 2 Remake uses ambient noises like whispers, the screeching of rusty doors, and, at times, complete silence broken only by footsteps. These sounds, used at the right moment, can turn a dark hallway into a nightmare, making players constantly feel on edge. Additionally, the game’s soundtrack, composed by Akira Yamaoka, is able to add a nostalgic and haunting feeling to this classic survival horror franchise. Yamaoka blends industrial noise and melancholic piano pieces in the soundtrack to add to the game’s sorrowful vibe. Many songs feature dreamlike sounds that work together with the city’s fog to create mystery over the protagonist’s journey.

Adventure/exploration

Games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild use soft piano melodies to create a feeling of wonder. The soundtrack is carefully designed to complement the game’s open-world experience, where subtle auditory cues replace instructions to draw players towards puzzles or secrets. Instead of on-screen markers telling you exactly where you need to go, you might hear soft wind chimes (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) or a faint humming (Hollow Knight) that can guide you to your next activity. These signals spark our curiosity, which allows us to explore the game organically, where our experience will remain immersive and engaging, and seem like an invitation to explore these worlds at our own pace.

Music that reacts to gameplay 

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an excellent example of reactive music. Its soundtrack adapts to the player's actions and surroundings. When you ride through meadows or quiet trails, gentle guitar strums or other ambient tones are played, emphasizing the beauty of the world around the player. Once gunfights start, percussion and brass tracks start to add to the adrenaline of the conflict. The music ramps up as bullets fly, then gradually winds down as the last shot is fired. Reactive music avoids the staleness of repetitive loops and keeps the open-world experience from ever feeling empty or boring.

Sound design is a small detail that shapes the experience of a game. It guides our curiosity and heightens the tension in specific moments, which keeps us always engaged with the narrative. In this way, audio combines all aspects of a game into an amazing interactive experience, and no volume slider should be turned to zero.