Hey, Listen! - An Exploration of Game Music as Provider of Information: An Exploration of Game Music as Provider of Information
Translated title
Hey, Listen! - An Exploration of Game Music as Provider of Information
Authors
Sønderup, Mads Maretty ; Olsen, Jacob Lynggaard
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-06-02
Pages
118
Abstract
Spil som kunstform udvikler sig konstant og når nye højder. Spilmusik spiller en vigtig rolle i de fleste moderne spiloplevelser, ofte ved at sætte stemningen eller signalere, hvilken type gameplay man kan forvente (fx kamp). I lineære eller håndlavede spil ønsker designere ofte at guide spillere i, hvor de skal gå hen, og hvad de skal gøre, men dette sker sjældent via musik. Dette speciale undersøger musiks potentiale som informationskanal: Kan musik alene bruges effektivt til at styre spilleres valg i en virkelig spiloplevelse? Problemformuleringen lyder: "Hvordan præsterer spillere i et spilsenarie, når den information, der er nødvendig for at komme videre, udelukkende gives gennem associativ musik?" Her forstås associativ musik som musik, der er knyttet til bestemte elementer, steder eller handlinger i spillet. Gennem en stærkt iterativ proces med flere produktions- og testfaser blev der udviklet et spil som en testplatform på industrielt niveau. I alt blev der gennemført 8 tests: 5 var foreløbige og guidede den løbende udvikling. Den endelige iteration blev evalueret i 3 separate tests—én offentliggjort online og én afviklet lokalt—begge med kontrolgrupper. Derudover blev der lavet en bonustest for at undersøge, om præstationen ændrede sig, når spillere udtrykkeligt blev bedt om at lytte efter musikken, hvilket ellers ligger uden for studiets hovedmotivation. Resultatet var, at der ikke blev fundet signifikante forskelle i præstation mellem de grupper, der modtog musikalske hints, og dem der ikke gjorde. Det tyder på, at spillere ikke er vant til at modtage vigtig, handlingsbærende information udelukkende gennem musik.
Video games as an art form continue to evolve. Music plays a central role in most modern games, often setting the mood of a scene or signaling the type of gameplay to expect (for example, combat). In linear or hand-crafted experiences, designers often want to steer players toward specific choices, but this is rarely attempted through music. This thesis examines music as a channel for information: Can music alone effectively guide player decisions in a real game scenario? The core question is: "How do players perform when the information necessary to progress is provided solely through associative music?" Here, associative music means music linked to specific in-game elements, locations, or actions. Using a highly iterative process with multiple production and testing phases, a game was built as an industry-grade test platform. Eight tests were conducted: five preliminary tests informed ongoing development. The final iteration was evaluated in three separate tests—one released online and another conducted locally—both with control groups. Additionally, a bonus test examined whether performance changed when players were explicitly told to listen for the music, which falls outside the study’s main motivation. The results showed no significant performance differences between groups that received musical hints and those that did not. This suggests that players are not accustomed to receiving important, actionable information through music alone.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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