MUSI272 onscreen are trying to represent. It can make the game world feel larger than it is on our limited screen space.
If we combine this idea of sound representing experience with Gilmore and Pine’ s( 1999) theory of immersion, we see the connection between sound synthesis and player engagement. Pine and Gilmore’ s theory suggests that participation is either‘ active’( such as controlling character movement) or‘ passive’( such as watching an in-game cut scene), and that this results in an experience ranging from‘ absorption’, where the player’ s attention is grabbed by an onscreen element, to‘ immersion’, where the player feels a part of the game. These parameters are then combined to create an experience ranging from‘ entertainment’ where the player is absorbed but passive, to‘ escapist’ where the player is immersed in active participation. In the opening scene of Far Cry 4, the player is visually experiencing the‘ entertainment’ state. The player is being introduced to the game’ s environment passively, being absorbed by the scenery. However, the synthesis of sound starts to take the player from the absorption state a little closer to immersion, as it engages the player in a more active form of listening. The sound-world moves from the soft string pad and pan flute that accompanies the snowy mountains to a very present, and starkly modern in contrast, sound of a car rushing past, that has inherent motion. To achieve the state of‘ escapist’ play, the game has to create context and a frame of reference for a game world in which the player can become engrossed. This use of sounds to represent a complete experience expands the game world past the player’ s screen, establishing from the very beginning a vast space for the rest of the gameplay to develop in and expand, improving the probability that a player will become totally immersed as the
narrative unfolds and they begin to have their emotions influenced by the characters and narrative.
The use of an originally composed non-diegetic score to aid immersion works with Brown and Cairns’ s( 2004) theory that to be immersed you have to become emotionally invested and emotionally affected by the video game. The use of non-diegetic music often mimics that of film, relying on tropes from film-music cues to create a mood for a scene or an emotional response from the player. Act 1: Mission 7- Shock and Awe from Activision’ s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare mimics the rescue scene from Ridley Scott’ s film Black Hawk Down in both its plot and music. In Black Hawk Down we hear the motif shown above; in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare we hear the motif shown below. Whilst the instrumentation is different, they both use an underlying semiquaver movement to set the pulse with an accent on the first
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