The specifics of computer science and technology pass most people by, but there are those that can make it do incredible things.
There are countless job descriptions within the Game industry: programmer, artist, animator, game designer, producer, etc. There are endless possibilities with careers in areas like sound design, although it could be seen as a vague term with many connotations. Slightly more concise are the roles of composers, audio content providers, musicians, sound sculptors. These are the jobs that bring us the kind of satisfaction craved by ‘gamers.’
In 1971, video games appeared on the market with the game ‘Computer Space.’ A year later, Atari ’s Pong, took its place in history. This console game was uncomplicated by today ’s standards; its few sounds were simple, single tone, electronically-generated bleeps. Atari ’s home entertainment offering in 1975 brought ‘Pong’ into our homes, but it wasn’t until 1977 that the Atari 2600 game system brought a slightly improved presentation of sound.
Over a small amount of time, stimulated by the need for the evolution of both technology and more diverse sound, various methods and audio processors where applied to aurally satisfy the player. In 1979, Mattel presented their Intellivision system, offering a sound generator capable of three-part harmony. Atari answered back in 1982 with their 5200 platform and a dedicated audio processor called Pokey. The Pokey chip used four separate channels that controlled the pitch, volume, and distortion values of each, allowing a four -piece ‘virtual band’ to perform for the first time.
This was a turning point for sound design in games as every new system had more audio resources to draw from.
“The audio of the 8-bit era games represents a interesting tension between game sound aesthetics and the series of pressures and constraints exerted by technology, by industry, by genre and by the very nature of games themselves.”
- Game sound: an introduction to the history, theory, and practice of video game music and sound design - Karen Collins
The original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985 used five channels of monophonic sound. Sega’s introduction in 1986 brought three monophonic sound generators using four octaves each into the ring. By 1989, the NEC Turbo Grafx brought six voices with stereo output and the Sega Genesis with 10 voices — both with a later add-on that allowed for CD quality audio. Throughout the 90’s, audio processors continued to improve, adapting synthesizer chips, 16 -bit processors, more memory, better compression and decompression algorithms, and even internal effects processors.
A strong correlation between the competition of rivalling companies pushing to out strip each other and the rapid increase and development of technology in ‘sound design development,’ resulted in more progressive techniques and sounds being achieved throughout the 1980’s and 90’s. Also clearly seen in present day, ego centred gaming institutions continue to battle each other to create or utilise more advanced and unique techniques to keep engaging with their audiences. This is essential for the growth and expansion of any evolutionary process.
22 kHz, 16- or 8-bit sounds are still commonly used, as pastiche or sometimes nostalgia. However, these audio properties were replaced in mainstream gaming with 44.1 kHz and16 -bit stereo sound (CD quality audio) as storage space, memory, and faster processors continued to improve, as did the increase in audio file sizes.
MIDI really never took off in gaming. Essential to other electronic art forms, a demanding public expressed their disappointment with it. Internal instruments gradually became better as sound card manufacturers included high-grade synthesizer chips, but because this quality differed greatly between manufacturers, what sounded good on one card sounded like a train wreck on another. This lack of consistency meant MIDI ’s eventual downfall in gaming, however, secondarily, Down Loadable Sounds and more advanced soundcards triggered further interest in MIDI capabilities through the use of ‘sound fonts.’ These are triggered from the games internal memory through sequencing data. This, in turn, revolutionizing game sound again. Composers could then pick and choose their own sounds, bypassing the system RAM and use the sound cards circuitry. Typically, most of the standard 128 MIDI sounds loaded on a sound card would go unused. Now, by loading a new bank of sound fonts before game play, all 128 sounds could be used, if needed, to make the audio a much more interesting experience.
Another interesting point has been since the advent of the web, and more specifically the move to online gaming, the same wants and demands apply. Java and Flash were used initially, designed to load quickly and usually re used one or two sounds for every thing. Having been stuck with small file sizes, facets as low as 8khz, using 8-bit mono and compressed file formats that do nothing to enhance the sound. As the broadband capacities got bigger, so to did the quality of audio and the creative vision applied to it.
Game developers understood the impact of superior music compositions and film quality sound effects. Their increased sound budgets allowed them to hire audio professionals to make this all happen. Composers and sound designers were brought in earlier in the development cycle, as part of the design team, instead of as an afterthought during the final phases of production. Eventually, video games became, and have become more like interactive movies where the psychological effects of music and sound will be dominant.
Developers tried to imagine a fully immersive virtual world, surrounded by sound, where hearing is essential for accurate game play. Hearing your footsteps, environmental sounds coming from air ducts, doors and moving objects, sounds reverberating, shell casings tinkling on the floor. This is evidently now the case with almost all contemporary Games.
“Sound offers a spatial freedom, as it is not limited to the realm of a computer display. In sound-based games, the game space can cover entire rooms and even larger spaces
with out depending on very expensive equipment. The players of sound based games can be encouraged to move around, as the omni-directional aspects of sound.”
- Audio Games: New perspectives on game audio - Johnny Friberg
As we race towards the future, the game industry just keeps expanding, as does the technology that allows this evolution. So many eventualities that were perceived as ‘pipe dream’ have already come to fruition.
Further more, in a modern day context (1996 - now), titles such as Call of Duty, Heavy Rain and Rainbow 6 Vegas to name but a few, all utilize 3d sound design to a high degree, even incorporating head sets so gamers can interact with each other. If paid attention to, these sounds enhance game play and allow for far more accurate spatial awareness of the gamers and their avatars within game levels.
The ‘binaural audio’ game Papa Sangre has no graphics short of a basic menu system and interface, providing a shockingly convincing 3D effect for the player/listener. It relies completely on sounds to direct the user through an imaginary world. A completely immersive mental world that if played with a little imagination, is highly expansive and hugely rewarding.
To conclude, as technology develops, so do gamers needs’ for greater detail, bigger levels, more depth and breadth to the emotional response games can evoke. Games appear to be fast becoming a multi-sensorial experience, steadily evolving in harmony and balance with technology.
We only have to think about Moore’s law of a long-term trend in computer hardware, that is that capabilities approximately double every two years. His prediction has proved to be uncannily accurate, in part because the law is now used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development.
Bibliography.
- Collins. K Game sound: an introduction to the history, theory, and practice of video game music and sound design
- Friberg. J Audio Games: New perspectives on game audio
- Grimshaw. M Game Sound Technology and Player Interaction: Concepts and Developments
- Wolf. M The medium of the Video game
Web links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry_practices
http://www.thegameconsole.com
http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/03/atari-vcs-2600
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