Game sound is important as it gives the game context, individuality and depth. In the final mission of Halo 3, a section of the OST is playing in the background in order to increase the tension as the Master Chief escapes the Ring
in Grand Theft Auto, the player is thrown from a car and dies, initiating the ‘wasted’ sound effect.Non-diegetic sounds include the commentary of a narrator, an original soundtrack (OST) or SFX added for dramatic effect. Non-diegetic sound is external to the in-game world and is only heard by the player. Non-diegetic sound is a sound whose source is neither visible on-screen nor has been implied to be present within the game’s world. Here, the sound is implied.įor example, the sound of distant gunfire and explosions may be audible in the background of an FPS game, despite the fact that the guns and explosions are out of sight of the player. It is important to note that diegetic sounds can also occur off-screen where the source of the sound is not visible. a non-player character (NPC) says something to the player and the player hears the recording of a voice actor.pressing the acceleration button in a racing game leads to the sound effect of a car revving up.in Super Mario, Mario jumps and an iconic sound effect accompanies the jump.It is a sound which you would be able to hear if you were inside the game’s world. There is a fair bit of overlap between the two terms, but non-diegetic sound usually refers to a game’s soundtrack, background ambience and narrative commentary.ĭiegetic sound usually refers to a game's sound effects, background ambience and the dialogue which takes place between characters.Īny sound that originates from a source within the video game’s world is referred to as diegetic. Game audio can generally be split into two separate categories, diegetic and non-diegetic sound.