Game audio immerses the player in the game through dialogue, thematic music, and sound effects and that means clarity and consistency in the audio. Dialogue for games needs to be not only aware of the narrative in the overarching story but also what is happening in the nearby area. Game dialogue becomes more interactive when conversations can take different paths.

The game industry continues to grow and with it there seems to be a constant push to achieve the same narrative experience you would expect at the cinema on the big screen. The push for cinematic performances and experiences has also opened up the world of gaming to actors. Dialogue brings physical and spatial information about environments that our brain can analyze so we understand a situation of events. Choosing the right room to perform in is important as it needs to be large enough but also dead enough to hear the space the actor is in. If the room is too small and hasn’t been treated enough it will sound very “boxy” when actors are delivering very loud lines. If you have a larger room that is treated well enough when the talent delivers loud line you should be able to hear the controlled space/size of the room.

Our auditory system provides a lot of information about our surroundings and along with vision and our sense of smell provide information that helps us identify objects, situations and navigate in our environment. In VR, hearing is the only sense able to provide full spatial information going beyond our field of vision, guiding decisions and behaviours as well as understanding our virtual surroundings. Games with a strong narrative have provided the opportunity for more expansive, open world or branched storyline games, creating more complex and intricate dialogue systems which allow players more options in their game play without sacrificing the quality of vocal performance.  

Audio rooms are creative spaces in which to work. They help teams achieve a perfect compromise of very low ambient noise and reflection levels.  A studio designer has to strike a balance between rooms that designers could spend all day in and being fully acoustically treated for critical listening.  However, having a pro level space to record and mix can impact positively on work practises and raise the quality bar.