An Acoustic Communication Framework for Game Sound: Fidelity, Verisimilitude, Ecology

Abstract

This chapter explores how notions of fidelity and verisimilitude manifest historically both as global cultural conventions of media and technology, as well as more specifically as design goals in the production of sound in games. By exploring these two perspectives on acoustic realism through the acoustic communication framework with its focus on patterns of listening over time, acoustic communities, and ecology, I hope to offer a model for future theorizing and exploration of game sound and a lens for in-depth analysis of specific game titles. As a novel contribution, this chapter offers a set of listening modes that are derived from and describe attentional stances towards historically diverse game soundscapes in the hopes that we may use these to not only identify but also evaluate the relationship between gaming and culture.