Mobile Phone Games Issues in Sound Design
Comparing to a traditional stationary gaming setting is the first and foremost issue the difference in listening situation. The usual speaker settings will often have some spatial sound available at least to a distincting left/right.But mobile games can not guaranteed.People will only like to have the phone in their pocket, although headphones are available. If sounds are played on the speakers of the phone, they do not necessarily serve to immerse players in the game world, but may instead highlight the presence of the game device at the expense of immersion. In a mobile gaming situation, the sound has to deal with the various sound contexts of everyday life. Background noise, conversations and other activities may affect the intelligibility of game audio or mask the sounds so that they cannot be heard.Also, with enhanced-reality mobile gaming, spatial sound cues require a knowledge of which way the player is headed, which sets the demand for special technology such as, for example, a compass integrated into headphones with feedback to the
game device. Furthermore, bringing gaming out of the living room will mean that the sound design has to take into account all sorts of noises, which may affect the intelligibility of sounds relevant for the player.
Also something worth consideration is the social playability of mobile games. Whereas sound design for console and PC games could concentrate just on making a brilliant soundscape, social playability is an important issue in mobile phone game sound design. This is an issue that is rather unique for mobile games.The ideal volume of the sounds may
vary depending on the situation a player is in, not only providing maximum intelligibility, but social acceptability as well. Social playability also means considering the gaming context in a broader sense.So sound design for mobile devices has
to consider also how other people, not at all engaged with playing, will relate to the soundscape. This involves designing the game interaction as a whole in such a way that it fits in with the players activities. This is not to imply that games should not try to change players’ attitudes.We have argued that the use of sound can be used as a means to minimize the need for visual interaction with the device. In addition to being essential
to play functionality (allowing the players to use movement as a game mechanics), this also means that it is possible for a player to most of the time play unnoticed by others.
However, what we are arguing is that when designing games to be played in a social context, sound design (as well as the design of any other information channel) should not
be seen as independent design tasks.This may be a crucial factor for some player groups, if they do not want to be recognized as players when out in the city. The notion of social playability can also be thought of as connected with a larger shift in playing habits. What mobile is bringing to gaming is the ability for people to engage in play wherever they are – at a bus stop, in the workplace cafeteria, on the train.
Together with the communication possibilities of mobile devices, there is an underlying potential for a shift in how we look at the whole (computer) gaming experience: from a solitary and foremost private activity towards social interaction within a gaming context. With time, it is probable also that attitudes towards gaming in a social context changes and games and gaming (and, also, game sounds) are seen as a normal part of the everyday
activities of people.
The last issue worth considering is the mobile device limited the sound design and implementation.Technically, such issues as limited storage and the low-level controllability of sound somewhat tie the hands of designers if they are accustomed to the solutions available in pc or console gaming. Moreover, the mobile devices is often optimized for speech, the sound quality of handset is not fit for gaming work may not scale very well for all purposes.
There are long way to go for moible gaming to fix all the problems
Jun 18, 2008
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