world ( Bocking et al . 2015 ). The interactivity of video games in comparison to other media forms means that the player has a high level of involvement ( as opposed to passively watching a film ), which can both help and hinder immersion . If the physics of a game breaks ( such as a character becoming stuck in a solid game object ) then the player ’ s suspension of disbelief is broken , as the laws of physics in both the game world and the real world would stop the character from becoming suspended in a solid object .
This applies to sound too : if a non-player character becomes stuck in a loop of speech or song , it breaks immersion as it is either frustrating or humorous to the player - both cause them to momentarily break from the game world . Brown and Cairns ( 2004 ) developed a three-tier theory of immersion , believing that in order to experience total immersion , players must go through two stages . The first is engagement , where they learn to use the game ’ s controls and mechanics . The second is engrossment , where the controls become second nature and their emotions begin to be affected by the game . If we apply this theory to glitches , then the player ’ s break from immersion takes them back to the first tier , but to have become totally immersed in the first instance they must have created an emotional connection to the character and / or narrative which
MUSI272
means that a break from immersion is only temporary , and less work has to be done to get them back to a state of immersion . Although in other audiovisual media such as film the character will not experience glitches within the film world , the viewer could still have their immersion broken by mid-scene buffering or a scratched DVD , and this is a complete break from the film ’ s world , as all onscreen action is paused and all sound stops . In video-game glitches the rest of the world continues to function normally around the glitch , and the interactivity means that a player could walk away from a non-player character on loop or experiencing broken rag doll physics . What they gain from the interactivity is a sustained high level of engagement and a direct effect on multisensory events .
The more dynamic and reactionary the sounds are , the more likely a player will experience immersion , as their inputs have both visual and audio outputs that work in tandem . For example , in Ubisoft ’ s Assassin ’ s Creed II , the player pushes the ‘ jump ’ button and the character reacts by leaping up . As we see him land we also hear the sound of boots hitting the ground , combined with swishing cloth from his clothes and clinking armour . This audio cue creates a much bigger picture of a simple jumping action than we could ever experience visually , because the way in which the sounds are
93 processed adds depth to the scene and a greater sense of a multidimensional world . Sounds can now be generated by using algorithms , for example the footstep sound will factor in the force ( landing from a jump vs . stepping forwards ), the speed , the ground underneath ( grass vs . stone floor ), the character ’ s build and clothing , to create as authentic a sound as possible . Whilst procedural audio is not yet flawless , it was implemented as early as the Sega Mega Drive , which used the Texas Instrument SN76489 to create swoosh sounds using three square wave oscillators and a white noise generator .
We now have software audio generators such as Wwise ’ s SoundSeed , which can give an infinite variety of swoosh sounds without needing lots of memory or even lots of raw audio source files . For example , Ninja Theory ’ s Heavenly Sword used SoundSeed combined with a physics algorithm that determined the aerodynamics of object movement to create swoosh sounds that were unique and reactive . This use of sound synthesis is especially helpful for immersion in open-world games as the uniqueness of the environmental and reactionary sounds more closely mirrors the real world . This makes it easier for the player to get to a state of suspension of disbelief as their game actions have more tangible results .