Sounds of the World: Guiding and Motivating Players Through Sound Valences
Kirk BALTZELL
Level Design
Sounds of the World: Guiding and Motivating Players Through Sound Valences
For my thesis, I used Nico Fridja’ s Valence Theory to examine how designers can push and pull players with sound. My research aimed to show the effectiveness of using sound to support player navigation and to understand the intent behind player choices.
With a background in music and theatre, I consistently find myself drawn to the wholistic design of games to craft meaningful and engaging player experiences. Sound has historically been a bit of an afterthought within tight development processes and timelines; yet when used intentionally, it can be one of the most impactful ways to evoke emotional responses.
In this level, players are tasked with exploring the ruins of a cursed village using sound valences to make their way towards the haunting, endless song of a lost princess.
This project pushed me to engage with highly contextual subjects of player motivation, valences, and sound, and helped me to hone the analysis and response to player choices within deeply personal and difficult-to-define scenarios. While sound remains difficult to quantify, my research displays that the intentional use of sound is an integral part of crafting a meaningful and impactful player experience.
Over the course of roughly one year, I researched, developed, and tested a single-player level for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim called“ Sounds of the World.”
22 LEVEL DESIGN