Manon jacobs gradassignment_1529185

Video Game
Audio In A
Museum
Environment_
Manon Jacobs

CREATE THE NEXT STEP

VIDEO GAME AUDIO IN A MUSEUM ENVIRONMENT

BY

Manon Jacobs

GRADUATION ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATION OF
THE INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATION AT THE UTRECHT UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED
SCIENCES

UTRECHT, 08-01-2012

Video Game Audio in a Museum Environment
Research Report
Manon Jacobs
1529185

Crossmedialab

International Communication and Media - Faculty of Communication and Journalism
Hogeschool Utrecht

Supervisors Lab: Jelke de Boer & Michiel Rovers
Supervisor HU: Theo Bors & Evelyn Bekooij-Westerhoudt

Date 08-01-2012

Research Report - VIDEOGAME AUDIO IN A MUSEUM ENVIRONMENT - Page 3

Abstract
The subject of this bachelor thesis is immersive audio design. For museums, this is
a topic of interest, since this sector is increasingly attempting to create new museum
experiences. We will look at this from the perspective of video games; what is video
game audio, how can it be analyzed? What is immersion in video games? Visitors and
the museum environment will also be discussed. Immersion in the museum environment
will be described, and examples will be given. Through literature research, the different

taking into account the research done regarding video game audio, eight separate video
games are analyzed:

music from one of the games, after studying the results of the analyses. The research

and third featuring two different audio tracks, from a video game.

Conclusions

in a museum environment;

research;

surroundings;


Acknowledgements
I would like to thank a few people for helping me getting this project to where it is now.

me getting back on track after having lost my way.


Table of Contents
Introduction pg 08

1 Sound in video games pg 09
1.1 The utilization of sound in video games pg 09
1.2 Immersion in video games pg 11

2 The museum environment pg 13
2.1 The museum visitor pg 13
2.2 Immersion in the museum environment pg 15

3 Factors influencing museum visitors pg 16

4 Video game audio analyses pg 17
4.1 The List pg 17
4.2 Analysis Tools pg 19

5 Video game audio in a museum environment pg 22
5.1 The Location pg 22
5.2 The Research Set Up pg 23
5.3 The Participants pg 24
5.4 The Questionnaire pg 25
5.5 Data Collection pg 25

6 Results and analyses pg 27
6.1 Results and Analyses: Video game audio analyses pg 27
6.2 Results and Analyses: Video game audio in the Universiteitsmuseum pg 35
6.2.1 The Perception Research: Demographics pg 35
6.2.2 The Perception Research: Visitor perception pg 37

7 Discussion pg 40

8. References pg 42

9. Appendix pg 44
9.1 PMSV Scale pg 45
9.2 Questionnaire pg 48
9.3 Questionnaire Results pg 56
9.3.1 Questionnaire Results: Raw Data pg

List of Images
Image 1: Joseph Bouys’ Plight, 1985. pg 12
Image 2: Musée d’Art et d’Industrie La Piscine. pg 14
Image 3: Uncharted 2. pg 27
Image 4: Red Dead Redemption. pg 28
Image 5: Halo: Reach. pg 29
Image 6: Fallout: New Vegas. pg 29
Image 7: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. pg 31
Image 8: Grand Theft Auto IV. pg 32
Image 9: Bioshock 2. pg 33
Image 10: Dead Space 2. pg 34


List of Tables
Table 1: Possible auditory game effects pg 15
Table 2: Video audio components matrix pg 21
Table 3: PMSV Scale pg 25
Table 4: PMSV Scale II pg 25
Table 5: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Analysis pg 27
Table 6: Red Dead Redemption Analysis pg 28
Table 7: Halo: Reach Analysis pg 29
Table 8: Fallout New Vegas Analysis pg 30
Table 9: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm pg 31
Table 10: Grand Theft Auto: IV Analysis pg 32
Table 11: Bioshock 2 Analysis pg 33
Table 12: Dead Space 2 Analysis pg 34
Table 13: Perception research: Age and groups pg 35
Table 14: Perception research: Groups and gender pg 36
Table 15: Perception research: Gender pg 37
Table 16: Perception research: Groups and education pg 37
Table 17: Perception research: Groups and museum visit frequency pg 37
Table 18: Perception research: Groups and Annoying - Relaxing pg 38
Table 19: Perception research: Groups and Disgusting - Pleasant pg 39
Table 20: Perception research: Groups and Novel - Recognizable pg 39
Table 21: Perception research: Groups and Emotional - Cold pg 39


Introduction
This graduation project revolves around the term ‘audio design’. Audio design is used

important part of the entire gaming experience. Without its audio components, a video
game would not be as compelling and immersive as it is with its designed audio.

well-known in the games industry, and sound has been used successfully for a long time
to create immersive environments in game worlds.

For museums, this is also a topic of interest, since this sector is increasingly attempting to
create new museum experiences.

The question remains whether it is possible to use the way apply video games audio in a
different, physical, environment; in this case in a cultural institution like a museum.

experience of an environment, sound is key. There are already many examples of sound
being used to do exactly that. These mostly exist in commercial settings, but also
organizations such as museums are beginning to show interest in this topic.

games, can be implemented in a museum environment to add to visitor experience and
immersion.

Main research question:

To what extent does video game audio in a museum environment affect visitor
immersion?

Subquestions:
1 How can video game audio be analyzed?

environment?


1 Sound in video games
1.1 The utilization of sound in video games
Video game audio has not been, until recently, regarded to be as important as the visual
aspects of video games. More and more video game developers are realizing that to
grasp and hold the attention of the audience, designed audio needs to be created and

behind the music and sounds of a video game.

Video game audio encompasses every aspect of video game sound. That includes sound

described and used in analyses by Karen Collins, one of the pioneering researchers in
game audio:

any in-game music from an in-game source, such as a radio. However, It is often

video games have overlap between the two. For example, in the Silent Hill game series,
the music is riddled with mechanical sounds that can also be contributed to physical
objects in the game environment. This audio design adds to the tension the player feels,
and is exactly what the composers wish to achieve for these horror games.

in a very subtle manner. For example; dripping water, and echos in an in-game cave.

game, be it through menus, or shortcut buttons.

Game sound researcher Kristine Jørgensen (2006) describes a different way to
approaching video game audio. In 2006, she wrote a paper on the different functions of
video game audio. She begins by describing the two different contexts in which a video
game can be viewed; the role it has in supporting a user system, giving
feedback when needed, and how the audio provides a sense of presence in a virtual

context comprises of the way video game audio smoothes the feedback given to the

is the world that the users are asked to believe in; an imaginary world created by the
video game developers. This imaginary world can be very similar to a real world setting,
such as a realistic war game, for example the original Call of Duty game, which features
French villages that are based on actual existing locations. The imaginary world in a
game can also have no real-life equivalent, and can feature magic, dragons and orcs,
such as World of Warcraft. Both of these contexts need sound to involve the player and
complement dramatic events in the game.

Diegetic and extra-diegetic (also known as non-diegetic) sound, are terms no longer

In gaming, this extra-diegetic sound has a different though very similar role. It is used


uses involves Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, in which the character can say “I cannot do
that”, which is clearly a system message, imbedded diegetically, to inform the player,
which is an extra-diegetic function.
This is where Jørgensen introduces the term transdiegetic. These are the sounds that are
diegetic, as shown by the World of Warcraft example, but which serve a functional and
practical purpose, mostly in informing the player.

Collins also touches upon theories used in media other than just video games, such as
linear and non-linear media. Linear audio, for example a song, begins at a point (the
starting point), and ends at the end of the song. A train can be taken as an example:
Linear audio starts at the front of the train, the locomotive, and ends at the last train car.
Non-linear audio means that the audio could very well start in the middle of the train,

She also explains that every single audio cue has to be designed to be able to stand
alone, because at any given moment the player can do something that cannot possibly be
predicted. There is no actual ‘correct’ way for the audio to be played. This, however, does
not hold true for every game. More recently a popular game series, called Uncharted,

Uncharted game, Drake’s Fortune, leads the protagonist through far away lands in search
of treasure. All of the in-game events are set, and the only non-linear audio is that created

as the player moves his avatar through the world.

user-oriented purpose. Many other theorists, such as Collins, only mainly focus on the
second context; the designed audio that is focused on adding atmosphere and, for
example, dramatic touches to the video game. Jørgensen relies on auditory display
studies to explain how she sees video game audio in the functional, usability-focused
role. These auditory display theories mostly involve two kinds of different signals, being
auditory icons, and auditory earcons (Walker & Kramer, 2004).
Walker and Kramer describe auditory icons as sounds that are made to resemble real-life
events, while earcons are sounds that are abstract, and most likely cannot be recognized

that closely resemble, or are the same as, their real-life counterparts, for example the

sound believable, such as the casting magic. Earcons are not completely abstract,
however. The magic effects just mentioned often blend existing real-life sounds, such as

Collins also touched upon a very similar subject, describing two different sound events
(e.g. something happens in the video game, and a sound is played accordingly.
Interactive audio refers to sound effects that are initiated by the player directly, for
example, when the user presses a button, the character uses an item in-game. When
sound corresponding to the action is heard, the player receives feedback and receives

term used to describe audio and music that reacts appropriately to - and even anticipates
- gameplay.” (Whitmore, 2003). These two ways to regard audio in video games makes it
evident that indeed these kinds of designs can become much more complicated than the

This is the video game sound that set to happen at a point in a game and that cannot

moment. On the other hand of the spectrum there is the game-rendered audio. This is the
in-game audio that is non-linear and created as the player moves along in the game.


Jørgensen established four different functions sound can have in video games. This
is unlike the method Karen Collins uses, who created categories within game sound,

These functions are highly intertwined with auditory earcons and icons. The player

enforce what effect their actions had in the video game. For example, when shooting a
gun in-game, in most games when the bullet hits its human target, a dull thud is heard,

Atmospheric functions encompass many different parts of the audio design of a game,
from the more subtle types of music (background music, for example when entering a
city in World of Warcraft, anything from war-drums to choirs singing can be heard) to
general ambient sounds such as howling wind and animal noises.

Jørgensen studied these functions by having two groups of people playing the same
game, with one group having the game’s audio. According to the results, it was far

hear when people were yelling from different locations in the game, they could not hear
enemies approaching, etc. They could not orient themselves in an in-game
environment as easily as the group that was allowed the game audio.

Closely related to the orienting functions are the control-related functions, which allow
the player to control unseen areas of the game. Often these functions are implemented
in strategy games such as Civilization, and Age of Empires. Because those games can
get rather chaotic, the audio used to notify or warn the player is used throughout, and
is vital to smooth gameplay.

These are the auditory functions that are implemented to make it easier for the player

Scrolls game Skyrim, different categories of items have different sounds. Picking up/
selecting a book sounds different from handling a two-handed sword.

In the next chapter, I will focus on how exactly immersion is reached, and what this
immersion entails.

1.2 Immersion in video games

platforms. One of the oldest media known to strive after immersion is written text;
“Immersion is giving in to the seduction of the text’s story, to be blissfully unaware
of one’s surroundings and the passing of time as one escapes into the pleasure of
reading.”(Whalen, Z., 2004). Most theorists describe immersion similarly. The second

of ‘dipping an object or person in liquid’), is ‘deep mental involvement’. This is exactly
what video game designers want to achieve, a game that is so enthralling, that the player
becomes so involved, he or she becomes immersed. In the early days of video games,
the mere entertainment value of a game was the biggest focus. However, even then,

keeping people playing and playing.

Nowadays, video games have, as mentioned in the previous chapter, gone through

worlds are created now, and players can use game consoles and personal computers to
access them.


video games.
The two contexts in which video game audio can be regarded (mentioned in the previous

developed enough, immersion can be comprimised. For example; feedback to user is
given in an incorrect manner/at an inopportune time. Or there is too much focus on the

world must be accepted and believed in by the players, the so-called suspension of
disbelief.
Jørgensen (2008) describes two different approaches when looking at how a user
responds to video gameplay audio:

image 1: Joseph Bouys’ Plight, 1985. Image source: http://collection.centrepompidou.fr/mediaNavigart/
plein/3I/01/3I01909.JPG

events rather than objects.This relies on so-called “contextual auditory comprehension”.
A requirement for understanding the context, is experience; learning through trial-and-
error.

sound and the information it provides.

within ecological psychoacoustics (McAdams), and game researchers (Stockburger).
Collins takes a less extreme position, arguing that video game audio “adapts to
gameplay”, but she does not recognize the role of video game audio in an instructional

and the objects associations that result in how a user interprets videogame audio.

A subject very related to immersion is the suspension of disbelief. This is a moment
in time in which a video game, through interaction between console or pc and player,
in-game events and an interactive in-game environment, becomes part of actual reality

modeling and design of the in-game world, suspension of disbelief is easier than ever
before. However, at the time of writing, full immersion is yet to be achieved through
consumer gaming systems and games. For the rest of this thesis, however, I will be using
immersion to indicate the rate at which a person is suspending his or her disbelief.


2 The museum environment
in the museum. The difference most notable between the goals of artists and museums
is what exactly they commonly strive for; artists often try to create a complete immersive
experience, which then is a part of their art work. This often includes darker areas, video
screens, and audio tailored to the experience, which sometimes means complete silence.
A famous example of one of these art works is Joseph Beuys’ art installation ‘Plight’, on
display in Paris, at the Centre Pompidou. It involves a minimalist setting featuring a single
piano, and padded walls for complete and off-putting silence.

Museums, on the other hand, generally have other motives for seeking immersion; they
want to be able to pull relevant works of art into one area, and want to take a step beyond

These kinds of endeavors mostly involve the more educational museums; such as those
featuring technical advances through the ages, natural- history museums, etcetera. The
examples I have on museums incorporating immersive experiences, can be found in
subchapter 2.2; Immersion in the museum environment.

2.1 The museum visitor
Some of these museums have focused on creating a context for people in which they are
better able to understand the objects in the area, or can create an emotional connection
to them. The concept of creating a context comprises of 3 different ‘sub’-contexts: the
personal, social and physical context. This method is called the interactive experience
model, developed by Falk & Dierking in 1992. These contexts are created by whoever
designed the museum, but also by the curator and the museum visitors themselves,
depending on the:

1.: Personal context: What are the visitor’s personal preferences? His/her motivations?
2.: The social context: With whom does the visitor come to the museum? Family or
friends? People with the same interests?
3.: The physical context: What route does the visitor take? How is the lighting? What can
be found where?

The audio design of a museum is part of the physical context, and this is then in turn the

experience of an environment both positively and negatively, and can shed different
shades of light on an object and area.

A large group of visitors to museums are informal visitors. These informal visitors are
part of the Repeat Visitor and the Family and Children categories as described by Black

visits and people’s motivations to visit a museum:

and fun.


want many facilities, such as restaurants.

visitor can also be an informal visitor or family and children.

up what special exhibitions are on and more times than not these visitors have a
subscription to the museum.

general when compared to the other four categories. In the past, museums tended to
focus too much on this group when designing and setting up the museum.

The repeat visitor, the family and children and to a lesser extent the regular visitor
categories are the people who want interactivity, and a ‘fun experience’. To better cater
to these growing groups, museums have been exploring possibilities in how to enhance

Image 2: Musée d’Art et d’Industrie La Piscine. Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/4/44/La_Piscine_Roubaix.jpg

Falk has developed more categories for museum visitors; analogyies with slightly more
humorist undertone; ‘the shoppers’, cited from Hein (1998):

what they want to see;

next group;

them and become more engaged with exhibits than they had planned.”

Another interesting analogy is one by Veron and Lavasseur, 1989, based on animals
(cited from Hein, 1998):


Most of these theories are based on the expectations of visitors, what they expect to

the experienced visitor, who wants to be engaged, and surprised, and the inexperienced
visitor, the layman, who needs a reference box and/or a story to relate to.

2.2 Immersion in the museum environment
As mentioned above, this research focuses on the museum environment, rather than
single art objects. To illustrate the topicality of this subject, I’ve described a number of
examples of immersion below, that I came across myself. All three of the following

La Piscine - Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, in Roubaix, France. Here, a visitor can, when
entering a pool area of the museum, hear typical pool sounds; laughing children,
splashing of water, etc. This area contains many different works of art, from textile works,
to ceramic sculptures. Clearly the pool and the accompanying sound effects are a way
to pull the environment together, and create a framework in which the objects are to be
seen.

Afrika Museum, in Berg en Dal, near Nijmegen, NL. An exposition which took place
between April-October 2011 was called Blueprints of Paradise. In it, several different
ways in which African cities could potentially evolve were demonstrated. These ideas are
the fruits of a contest the museum organized in collaboration with ‘African Architecture
matters’. The winning ideas were created in a large room, with a sunroof, so that much
light could enter. The different sections of the ‘city’ were complimented by sounds and
music, talking people and car noises at the busstop, merchants yelling out the prices of
their wares in the market area. This eclectic whole made for a chaotic and almost over-
whelming experience, showing a glimpse of a real African city.

National Aquarium, Baltimore, MA, USA. The national aquarium of the US has an audio
tour called ‘Imagine Life Underwater’. This audio tour adds more than just explanations
to each area the visitor comes across. Every step of the audio tour, be it the stingray
compound or the seahorse tank, is complimented by sounds of the ocean, for example,

added. This immersive experience at the aquarium is very different from most audio tours
available at museums all over the world, as most of those comprise solely out of a voice
informing the listener on the details of the subject at hand.

There are quite a number of museums that have exhibitions focused on immersion alone,
however, these revolve completely around immersion, as opposed to using immersion
to complement existing environments. These museums, for example, have a separate
installations revolving around a single topic, such as the ‘Vital Space’ exhibition in the
Miami Science Museum’s Immersion Theatre. In this exhibition, visitors are enclosed into
a smaller room, in which the visitors (mostly primary school aged children) are told they
are in the body of an astronaut, and can do all kinds of assignments.

For the remainder of this thesis, I will solely focus on the immersion as mentioned before
in this subchapter; augmenting existing environments.


3 Factors influencing museum
visitors
Through Falk and Dierking’s Interactive Experience model, we have already seen that the

the museum visit. I will look at the physical context of that model to answer the subques-

environment?’

An obvious physical factor for people visiting a museum is of course their own bodies.
They grow tired after spending a certain amount of time wandering around, and because
of that, spend less time studying each art object or exhibition as time passes. Falk and
Dierking argue this is a combination of both physical exhaustion, and psychological
factors. One could argue that if visitors were to experience an immersive environment
during their museum visit, it should not be located at the end of a museum route This
could mean the entire experience could be wasted on people who are too tired and ‘done’

Griggs concluded in 1990 after studying visitors to London’s Museum of Natural History,

of a museum route.

Inside the museum environment, the exhibition room, itself, it is important for exhibi-
tion designers to realize that visitors do not “stop, look, and absorb all the information
presented”. Falk and Dierking note that even though exhibition designers intend for an

visitors will follow that path. A group may look at one object, then skip to a case 2 casings
ahead, etcetera. This only changes when the visitors are accompanied by a guide or
other museum staff member. This defeats the purpose of setting up an exhibit in
chronological or hierarchical order, which is what many designers tend to do.

Often visitors are so overwhelmed by the many sights and sounds in a museum
environment, that they are forced to discriminate, say Falk and Dierking. Visitors are
drawn towards exhibitions that are the most compelling, the ‘loudest’. An important thing

times, visitors are used to different surroundings; smaller rooms, lower ceilings, not as
much bright light. It is then a different sight when they enter large corridors, even larger
exhibition rooms, and high ceilings, all of which are often found within museums. That
kind of environment can be quite intimidating.

Sounds and smells can leave lasting memories with a visitor, and he or she will be able
to connect very distinctive sounds or smells to a certain museum environment, long after

experience of whatever he or she is observing at that moment. Psychological studies

German and French music, respectively. North et al. describe in a consumer oriented
study that even though the customers were unaware of the music, they would select
French wines over German wines. In a similar manner, Alpert & Alpert (2006) discovered

the shopping environment.

immersively. To be able to implement a video game’s immersive audio track into a

can be transferred from a virtual environment into a museum environment.

4 Video game audio analyses
Before analyses of video game audio can place, a selection of suitable video games has
to be made.

game audio analyses. This early list was based mostly upon personal experiences while
playing games, through asking questions such as “Which games gave me an immersive
experience?”, and “What video game audio do I really recall from the top of my head in

Nintendo 64 game consoles. Although these game audio scores are memorable, they
were not exactly immersive when it came to the effects and ambient sounds. When it was
established that more recent video games would have to come into play, the list below
was compiled. Behind each game title is the reason why they were placed on the list:

Cataclysm). World of Warcraft was chosen because its immersive music design holds up
for thousands of hours of gameplay, in addition to its immensity (10.2 million subscribers
as of November 2011, Gamasutra) and the fact that the audio has been tailored to each
region, class and race makes World of Warcraft an interesting subject for audio analysis.

This game is, just like World of Warcraft, a Role
Playing Game. Although this game’s sound effects and especially dialogue and voice
acting are quite poor, the music encompasses many hours of composed music, giving the
fantasy world an extra dimension.

This game was selected because it has a very unique atmosphere to it; a
sixties dystopy with music from that era, combined with a very immersive ambient sound
track create an illusion of being there, kilometers under the ocean’s surface.

The reason Fallout was placed on this list is because of the complete
loneliness the game can provoke. The music, barely noticeable at times and more intense
in the face of danger, combined with the ambient noises of the desert (howling wind,
tumbleweeds) are doing a perfect job at creating the illusion of a large, barely habited
wasteland.

This game is much less serious than many of the
other games in this list; the dialogue is often witty and funny, and the music is cheerful

The music in Halo: Reach differs from the two games mentioned above,
because the soundtrack has many different styles of music, ranging from electronic dance
music to epic-sounding orchestra fueled classical pieces, tailored to different kinds of
contexts within the game.

The sounds from the distance when roaming the prairie are what

cicadas chirping; a feeling that the player actually is in the Wild West persists throughout
Red Dead.

4.1 The List

version. Due to more research that had gone into what games received awards and
praise for their audio designs, and level of immersion. This resulted into a list of eight
video games, each having their own, unique features. That part was very important in the


process, as repetitive results were undesirable.
Some more criteria were formulated, as it was deemed important to be able to properly
compare the games across the board without having to worry about them being too
different to compare:

wants to take next.

Red Dead Redemption (http://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption/)

Spaghetti western setting, a cowboy (the protagonist) is being blackmailed by the govern-
ment to do some dirty jobs they do not want to do. The sounds and music are perfectly
made to give a good impression of the life in the ‘Wild West’. The game also features
great voice-acting.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/)

Third expansion of the popular multiplayer online game, with twelve million players world-

and great sound effects.

FallOut: New Vegas (http://fallout.bethsoft.com/)

mutants and other monsters. The story has many possible routes and endings.

estimated by the audio feedback.

Halo: Reach (http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/default.aspx)

In 2552 the human race is in war with the Covenants, an alien race. A last attempt to save

There are many sound layers in the game, and the weapon sounds are elaborately
-
ations they’re applied to perfectly.

Bioshock 2 (http://www.bioshock2game.com/)

The story takes place in a dystopy in the sixties. The player is a so-called ‘Big Daddy’,
a creature whose body is fused with an atmospheric diving suit. The many different
monsters and NPCs in the game all have unique voices and sounds.

Uncharted 2 (http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/uncharted-2-among-
thieves-ps3.html)

The player plays protagonist Nathan Drake through an adventure with many similarities to

The game’s sound design includes music as elaborate as a game soundtrack. The
sounds that can be heard while playing a level in a jungle-like setting are elaborate, and
taken from actual nature.


GTA IV (http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/)

Nico Bellic, an Eastern-European war veteran, is this game’s protagonist. The location is

The specially designed radio stations give the illusion of a real, breathing and changing
world.

Dead Space 2 (http://deadspace.ea.com/)

infect people with a virus that transforms them into necromorphs; monsters that need to
be dismembered.

4.2 Analysis Tools
The next step, after having established the video games that were to be analyzed, was
the creation of proper tools that would used to practically and systematically analyze the
audio design of the video games.

A checklist was seen as a good tool, due to the initial simplicity that would be possible, in
combination with more extensive explanations. The basis for the checklist is composed

(2005) and Collins (2007):

When looking for possible ways to analyze video game sound, a similar experience to
Stockburger’s was had when he did the same:

Many times when a possible
useful source was found, the article or book merely focused on the music used in video
games. A similar experience was had when looking for content on audio designers them-
selves, concerning their view on the video game sound design. In interviews, they would
only be asked about the video game’s composed music, or the obvious sound effects,
such as explosions. Even though these were very interesting, they could not be used as a
basis.
The knowledge accumulated throughout the theoretical is utilized in analyzing the
games. Being able to categorize and name the many different elements of video game
audio increases the opportunity to extract and learn from the video game audio.

To analyze the sound used in video games a general applicable framework was created,
that would work with a range of games, and not just ‘that game, on that console’. Firstly,
the possible effects games could have, in terms of audio were extracted using the table
below (see next page):


To inform the gamer

Evoke associations (different situation, for example in real life)

Make the visuals believable

Table 1: Possible auditory game effects

However, this method proved to be too ‘messy’; the data accumulated was too extensive
in terms of detail, and when answering the questions in the table with simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’,
the results were far too ambiguous.

I selected which effects worked with what audio component, with the components music
and sound effects having all of them, because these comprise an important part across
all effects.

Interface sound (the sound pressing certain buttons make, using items in your in-game
inventory, etc.) has the least effects, as it is a component which cannot be missed, but
suits a very clear purpose.

In addition to the above mentioned components, there are four categories below that I will
use to cross-examine the audio used in the video games I will analyze:

This includes interactive audio (as explained by Collins 2007). This section is on how
the game informs the gamer audio-wise. For example, the ‘ding’ sound when a player
reaches a new level in World of Warcraft, or when the character tells the player in
different ways when a spell or other method of attack cannot be used (“I can’t do that
yet”).

Emotion that is showed by in-game characters, or for example threatening music put

Out: New Vegas, where the protagonist wakes up and is greeted by a friendly NPC
(Non-Playable Character). The words uttered by this person put the player at ease.

The behavior evoked by the game in the player, for example the sudden appearance of
a necromorph in the game Dead Space 2, accompanied by intense sound effects and
music. This is likely to elicit a physical effect on the player, such as trembling, or even
vocal responses.

This important concept for video games comprises of the fact that it is important for
players of video games to let go of reality for a short while. The gamer must accept

video game. This is necessary to enable immersion for the player (Woyach, 2008).
The problem with video games is that certain things (probably most, depending on the

when the player’s character hits the water in the earlier GTA games, to being able to
dive for prolonged amounts of time in many other video games. Examples of making
the game as believable as possible include dialogue between in-game characters,
ambient sounds and appropriate sound effects.


matrix:

Information Emotion Behavior Suspension of
Disbelief
Music
Ambience
Dialogue
Sound effects
Interface effects
Table 2: Video game audio components matrix

The combination of this matrix and the list of possible effects listed above allowed exam-

The set-up of the analyses are described below, in steps.
The game is initialized; the tester becomes accustomed to the controls. This would take
about 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the video game, as several were already
known to the reviewer had already played many of them before.
The analyzer would try to get past the introductory part of many games, to get as much
exposure to the video game’s audio as possible. In practice, this meant often getting past,

character (World of Warcraft). During this time, the analyzer would be jotting down key

After this point, the notes would be reviewed, and a decision would be made about which
part of the game should be focused on for the in-depth analysis. Also, the game’s audio
options are studied, to see whether any customization would be possible, so that the

Now, a print-out of the analysis matrix is used. As soon as something was deemed
noteworthy, the game would be pauzed, and the event or situation in question would be
described.
The next step consisted of looking over what had been written down so far (mostly the
very obvious notes) and seeing what else needed looking at.
This part is the most arduous; the actual searching for what is needed (for example,

vital to make sure that that particular category does indeed not occur in the video game at
hand.

The games were analyzed at my place of residence and at the Crossmedialab. At home
a Sony Trinitron television, a Playstation 3 Slim for the Playstation compatible games and
my MacBook Pro, for World of Warcraft were utilized. At the lab a Sony Bravia LCD 40”
television, a Playstation 3 and an Xbox 360 S were used to analyze the video games.

The results of the video game analyses can be studied in the video game analyses
subchapter in the research results chapter.


5 Video game audio in a museum
environment
After analyzing the results from the video game audio analyses, the exploration of options
for the perception research began. A location was to be selected where the research
could be conducted, so that relevant participants could be reached.

5.1 The location

(Faculty of Communication and Journalism; FCJ). The reason for this was that such a

research. An audio set-up could be assembled precisely as required, without interfering
with anything another location with another owner could have, such as off-limits areas
and limited incorporation of the equipment.

After some consideration, a decision against a controlled museum-like environment was
made; a room at the FCJ would not resemble a museum enough to justify conducting the
research there. There would be a whiteboard that would have to be covered up, as well
as any equipment that would be unable to be moved. Of course the room would have
had to be emptied of all chairs and table. The initial problem remained; the fact the room
at the FCJ is not an actual museum environment does not weigh up against the positive
side, which was the ability to control the test environment and any respondents ‘chosen’.
The participants would not be museum visitors, they would mainly be students, and they
would most likely also not behave like they would in a museum, because they would be at
school, in a school-mood.

Other options were explored, as now the decision was made that a museum environment
would be the way to go. Via Olga Steen, researcher at the Crossmedialab, contact was
made with Ria Aalders from the Universiteitsmuseum (University museum). I sent Ms.
Aalders an e-mail stating my intentions, and an explanation of my intentions, and what my
research was about. A positive reply was received, and I was able to meet her that same
week.

Ms. Aalders offered several options in terms of rooms in the museum where the research
could be set up. She had already mentioned the Rariteitenkabinet (Cabinet of Curiosities)

skeletons and fetuses on formaldehyde. The collection belonged to Jan Bleuland. For my
purposes, what was actually on show did not matter very much. I wanted a space that
was not too large, and had a practical shape. The shape matters for the audio equipment
that I will explain in the next chapter. In the case of the Bleulandkabinet, the room had too
many height differences, making an even dispersion of sound next to impossible. Also, it
was slightly too large.

introduce science to a wider public. As the visitors here would not be observing objects,
but rather conducting tests, the Kennislab quickly dropped from my list of potential rooms.
The same happened to the Jeugdlab (‘Youthlab’), an area very similar to the Kennislab,

Connected to the Jeugdlab is the Rariteitenkabinet. This Cabinet of Curiosities is based


brim with eye catching, exotic objects. This room is 7 by 2.5 meters, and rectangular in
shape. Six Marot-Cabinets line the walls, and there are simple glass showcases.

-
landkabinet and the Kennislab. After this hallway, the visitor can choose to either take the

-
tenkabinet. One must pass through the Jeugdlab and ascend several steps in order to
reach the Rariteitenkabinet.

5.2 The research set-up

video game (when it is present) (see Results & Analyses - Video Game Audio Analyses).

All the games in the analysis list were thoroughly played through, and audio recordings
were collected using Audio Highjack Pro, taking the audio directly from the game, and
saving a sample. After collecting twenty audio recordings of about three minutes each, I
began comparing the snippets.
I chose from the games that I had analyzed the audio from the one that had the most
diverse music, as I’d like to be able to compare the audio, without having to take
completely different games into account. This game turned out to be World of Warcraft.

Gnome starting area, in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. This music is very light-hearted
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20346227/._Audio1.
mp3.

called Deepholm, also from the most recent expansion pack, Cataclysm. The music has

the following URL: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20346227/._Audio2.mp3. More intense audio
snippets were recorded, but these would be too direct and harsh for the environment. For
example, the start-up screen of World of Warcraft has a very ominous and intense sound-
track, but would be too violent for the Rariteitenkabinet.

A set of speakers and a subwoofer were placed (Logitech X230 speaker set) concealed

A workstation was set up at the Jeugdlab, so that I was able to see who entered the

questionnaire on the Rariteitenkabinet. I did not state what the exact purpose was of the
research, and I would not mention the audio. Oftentimes, the visitors would ask me after
participating what the subject of my research was, and I’d explain.


5.3 The participants
The participants in the perception research at the Universiteitsmuseum consist of all
visitors visiting the Rariteitenkabinet. On weekdays, the visitor-count is low, and not all

two Sundays, a Thursday and Friday, and a Saturday. As indicated above, the weekend
days were much more rewarding in terms of time spent and respondents found.

Generally all people leaving the Rariteitenkabinet were prepared to cooperate with the
research. Only three people misinterpreted the attention directed at them, and replied
negatively; most likely they thought I wanted to sell them something, or perhaps they
simply did not speak Dutch. There were also instances in which, for example, a family
wanted to share two questionnaires amongst four individuals. For the very young children

cases where older children wanted to share one survey, they were requested to either

The fact that a large number of children would be participating in the research was not
-
kabinet, mostly families were visitors.

-
tions answered with threes, for example) or the people participating had not understood
what was expected of them, and answered, for example, in text, instead of circling the

To support the children that visit the Jeugdlab, personnel is present to guide the visitors
through the activities. On one of the Sundays the research was conducted, one such
employee was present. She also accompanied a group of visitors into the Rariteitenka-
binet, where she gave additional information on the objects in exposition. This has most

to know why all these questions were asked, and what the research exactly was about.
They were told that they could ask as much as they wanted after participating, and indeed
were told afterwards what the research was about.

The questionnaire used (see Appendices) was printed double-sided on A4 paper. The
participants used a provided number two pencil.

time-limit concerning the duration of the research in combination with low visitor numbers
on weekdays.


5.4 The questionnaire
The questionnaire created for the perception research was consisted out of several
general questions such as the gender of the participants, and how often they averagely
visit museums. The other part of the questionnaire consisted of questions based on the
Perceived Message Sensation Value (PMSV) Scale by Taylor and Francis (2002). This is

scales:

1 Unique 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Common
2 Powerful Impact 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weak Impact
Table 3: PMSV Scale

The remainder of the scale has been copied to the appendices.

The respondents choose a number per scale, indicating their choice. For example, when
they found the Rariteitenkabinet to be very unique, they selected number one. In the

The PMSV scale was translated for use in the survey, as the main target group was
Dutch.

Several scales were left out of the questionnaire, mostly when they were deemed irrel-
evant or disadvantageous. They are the following:

8 Not creative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Creative
14 Weak soundtrack 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strong soundtrack
17 Strong sound effects 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weak sound effects
Table 4: PMSV Scale II

the Rariteitenkabinet. If the research had been conducted in, for example, an art gallery,

A choice was made to not ask the respondents about the audio in the Rariteitenkabinet
(questions fourteen and seventeen), as this may have attracted attention to the subject of
the research, and thus created polluted results.

The results of the questionnaire, and the conclusions drawn from it, can be found in the
research results chapter.

5.5 Data collection
The data collected through the questionnaires was entered into a MacBook Pro using
the software program Numbers, the mac equivalent of Microsoft Excel. This happened


level of education.


6. Results & Analyses
6.1 Results & Analyses: Video Game Analyses
This chapter includes the results and analyses of the video game research.
It is concluded with the selection of the best option of video game audio to use in the
museum environment perception research.

indicates that that particular box is non-applicable.

This game was analyzed using a Playstation 3. The most noteworthy and unique feature
of this game was found to be the suspension of disbelief through the dialogue between
in-game characters. This continued throughout the video game. The video game relies

locations seamlessly. Almost all audio in Uncharted is diegetic; solely the snippets of

Drake’s Fortune.

Disbelief
Music Music speeds up “Epic” music, You get worked up The music is just like
when danger is feeling of great- b/c of the sped up
imminent adaptive music
surroundings
perfectly

Ambience Rustling of leaves / / Fluttering wings
in jungle, dripping (pigeons) in city
water in caves

Dialogue Film-like Opinion on char- / In-game characters
cutscenes, inform acters changes speak to each other
you of story line during gameplay

Sound Bullets make Genuinely scared Sounds of animals Beep in ‘ear’ after
effects different sounds for character after startle player (Bats grenade goes off close
when hitting weapon sounds screeching) by
different materials

Interface Feedback / / /
effects through clicking
when navigating
the menu
Table 5: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves analysis

Image 3: Uncharted 2. Image Source: http://www.kingquagmire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/
uncharted-2-among-thieves_2009_02-03-09_09.jp


This video game was tested using a Playstation 3. One of the most gripping features of

Also, the dialogue makes RDD very immersive; the gamer really attaches him/herself to
the in-game characters, and when one of the main characters dies, the emotional effect
is much larger than one would expect from a video game. The music makes the different
places a player can go truly feel alive: In a saloon, the widely known Wild West style
piano music is played.

Disbelief
Music Non-diegetic music Feel like you’re Quick and heavy /
snippet when you in the Wild West bass when you’re in
(violins, whistling), pursuit of an enemy
adaptive when the --> you’re at the tip
situation changes of the chair

Ambience Sounds of cicadas Makes you feel / Gives a proper ‘feel’
during the night, lonely of the Wild West
birds of prey during
the day.

Dialogue Information on the Makes you attached Was genuinely sad Proper accents and
protagonist’s history, to character when protagonist uses of words
and on the story died
progress

Sound Real-sounding People you shoot You get really tense
effects weapon reload scream out in pain when you’re under distance
effects

Interface The “whoosh” sound Pressing sound / /
effects when navigating the sounds like cocking
menu revolver; gets you in
the mood
Table 6: Red Dead Redemption analysis

Image 4: Red Dead Redemption. Image Source: http://images.wikia.com/reddeadredemption/images/d/
d1/80.jpg


This game was tested using an Xbox 360 S console. Assistance was given by a fellow
Crossmedialab graduate student, Dennis Houtzager, who had played Halo: Reach
several times before. The reason his help was needed was that after analyzing several
other games, the changes in movements on the screen and the feel of different controls
was giving me motion sickness, resulting in nausea and head aches. This most
probably happened in combination with the lack of ventilation and the high temperature in
the room.
Halo: Reach has several strong auditory icons, such as the clicking of an empty weapon,
or the roar of an engine when operating a vehicle.

Disbelief
Music Informs of battle Player gets more Drive vehicles faster /
situation excited b/c of drums in-game, because
of guitar play

Ambience Technological / / /
sounds’ inside
compounds

Dialogue Real time info from You get to know the / The alien race
teammates team mates; get (Spartans) speak
attached to them English

Sound Beeping sound Finally hearing Get very stressed The sound of bullet-
effects when weapon the breaking of when hearing the based weaponry
overloads, when an enemy’s armor beeping sound of a
weapon burns gives feeling of nearby grenade
hands, burning satisfaction
sound

Interface Clicking between / / /
effects menu items

Table 7: Halo: Reach analysis

Image 5: Halo: Reach. Image Source: http://www.haloreacharound.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/
reach91.jpg


Fallout: New Vegas was played using a Playstation 3. The adaptive music in the game is
really the most interesting out of the entire sound design. It changes with every situation;
when there is no current danger or excitement, the music can barely be noticed. But as
soon as the protagonist is faced with danger, the music speeds up with invigorating speed
and rhythm. Also, the music inside the in-game venues add much atmosphere; the sixties

Disbelief
Music The background Get scared because Act tense b/c of scary Sets the setting for
music speeds up w/ of danger and the music western/post-apoca-
danger unknown lyptic feel
Ambience Desert sounds - info Feel lonely when you / Makes the settings
on where you are just hear crickets believable
Dialogue You get quest info Dialogue can be When the conversa-
from in-game char- tion turns bad, you
acters for the characters tense up
Sound You can tell by the / The sounds of the All guns have unique
effects sounds of the gun protagonist getting sounds, very realistic

shooter is sounds) makes you
cringe
Interface Selecting menu item / / Opening/closing
effects proper and clear doors, very realistic
‘click’
Table 8: Fallout: New Vegas analysis

vegas-screen.jpg


World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was analyzed using a MacBook Pro. As described in the
table below, the music in this game differs greatly per area, thus creating a unique experi-
ence per stage in the game. These soundtracks really make up a large portion of how a
player feels when questing in a certain area, or when he’s in a dungeon group. Mostly,
the areas early on have a happier tone to them, where the higher level areas are often
grim and threatening. Also, the transdiegetic manner in which the game gives feedback
on a player’s actions (“I’m out of mana”, I can’t do that yet”) is very informative.

Disbelief
Music Informs you on where Sad music accompa- Get very tense when /
you are located, nies sad parts of the in dungeon and the
happier music means game
starting area, heavy

area
Ambience Howling wind when / / Enables immersion;
you’re in mountainy dripping water in
areas caves, screeching
bats
Dialogue Info about your Dialogue can be / /
character “I can’t do
that yet” for the situation the
characters are in
Sound You hear when spells / Frustration when Flapping wings of
effects are cast and arrows you hear a rogue dragon
are shot cloaking/decloaking
Interface When you loot / / /
effects creatures, sound is
played to inform you
of looting
Table 9: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm analysis

Image 7: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Image Source: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/wp-content/
uploads/2010/07/WoWScrnShot_071510_141143.jpg


Grand Theft Auto: IV’s audio design is unique in several ways compared to the other
games that were analyzed. Firstly, there is no continuous music in the background when
playing this game. All music is diegetic, which means that the source of the music can

The radio stations featured in the game all have a unique character, varying from hip-hop
music to talk-radio to ethnic radio stations. The radio can only be listened to when driving
a vehicle, making the suspension of disbelief an easy step to take.

Disbelief
Music Mission complete; / When radio plays Radio in car, you
snippet of music is fast music, you drive hear music, leave the
played faster car, no music
Ambience / / / General city sounds
add to immersion
Dialogue Directions for You get attached to / Very believable char-
missions the avatar, hate the acters through great
bad guys more dialogue
Sound Distinct bleep when When you hear Motorcycle sound
effects info box appears sound of the char- makes you shoot effects are very
acter being hurt, you realistic
feel bad
Interface When you select an / / /
effects item a bleep sound
is played for your

Table 10: Grand Theft Auto IV analysis

IMG 8: Grant Theft Auto IV. Image Source: http://gtaworld.org.ua/uploads/posts/2009-01/1233334983_
thegtaplace_exclusive_tlad_screenshot_01.jpg


This game was played on a Playstation 3. Just like in GTA: IV, much of Bioshock’s

range from radios to areas which have speakers that have music playing through them.
However, in contrast to World of Warcraft, Bioshock uses music to inform and immerse

sound effects of the weapons/plasmids (genetic alterations) are convincing earcons, with

noise.

Disbelief
Music / Creepy music, makes / Music often comes
you scared
source
Ambience Dripping water / On you toes the Cracking sound
informs you that entire time indicates windows
you’re underwater are under a lot of
pressure
Dialogue People help you talk You get more / /
through the radio involved with the
story through the
dialogues
Sound You get effects feed- Clicking indicates that Sounds of monsters Sounds of cracking of
effects back when hacking your gun is empty; get you to the edge of glass; you’re kilome-
machines you panic your seat ters under the ocean
surface
Interface Feedback while / / /
effects scrolling through
menu items
Table 11: Bioshock 2 analysis

Image 9: Bioshock 2. Image Source: http://images.wikia.com/bioshock/images/2/2e/Rapturecentralcom-
puting_bigdaddy.jpg


Dead Space 2 was also analyzed using a Playstation 3. It seems as if the entire sound
design of Dead Space 2 was designed around creating the scariest game possible. This
has resulted in very intense music, which adapts to the level of danger the player is in (for
example, the proximity of Necromorphs). The sound effects that are paired with the space
mutants are very high and screechy; creating an earcon that is very recognizable and
effective in warning and scaring the player.

Disbelief
Music Distinct sets for Scary music scares Constantly tense, /
different moments in you sweaty hands
the game
Ambience Screaming monsters Screaming monsters Footsteps get you on Creaking of space-
in the distance, keep you tense the edge ship
workings of the ship entire time
Dialogue In-game characters Get to know the char- Other characters /
inform you acter better scream at you,
making you run faster
in-game
Sound Dying monsters make Disgusted by the / /
effects distinct noises monster noises

Interface Navigating the menus / / /
effects gives clear feedback
through clicking

Table 12: Dead Space 2 analysis

Image 10: Dead Space 2. Image Source: http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gamelife/2011/01/ds2_3.jpg


As said in the perception research part of the methodology chapter, music was chosen
as a focus after lining up the results of the video game analyses. They seemed to have
the most impact on the player from all the categories. Another reason for choosing to
use video game music as opposed to, for example, sound effects, is that they would
completely be ripped out of context, resulting in what most probably would be complete

every visitor of the Rariteitenkabinet in a similar fashion. If, for example, ambience would
have been chosen, the surroundings that they were designed to enhance would not be

from the perception research.

World of Warcraft (WoW) was chosen as an ideal candidate for the extraction of the
music snippets, as its music score isn’t adaptive to changing circumstances, it only differs
much from one area to another. This means that when recording the audio, it remains
more constant than with different video games that do feature dynamic audio. Another
reason for choosing WoW as the source for the audio is that there are large differences
per area; one soundtrack can be upbeat and happy, the other intimidating and dark. This
allowed for a relatively straightforward search for the best music samples.

6.2 Results and analyses: Video game audio
in the Universiteitsmuseum
The baseline research, which featured no audio, took course over two days; Sunday the
twenty-second of May, and Thursday the twenty-sixth. The visitors to the Rariteitenka-
binet were not introduced to any audio during these days. There was a clear difference
between the amounts of visitors for those two days; on Sunday twenty responses were
-
tance of researching beforehand the most advantageous days for research.

very upbeat and playful piece of music, from World of Warcraft’s Gnome starting area. On
Friday the twenty-seventh of May, and Saturday the twenty-eighth, this part of the percep-
tion research took place.

The third group of respondents visited the Rariteitenkabinet to the second soundtrack,
the darker, grimmer music of the Deepholm area. On the day that this part of the research
-
kabinet over the course of six hours. Thus, this part of the research was completed in one
day, contrary to the others.

6.2.1 The perception research: Demographics
Group
No Audio Audio 1 Audio 2 Total
Age 16- 11 6 6 23

17-21 2 0 0 2
22-35 2 12 10 24
36-55 8 6 7 21
55+ 2 1 2 5
Total 25 25 25 75

Table 13: Perception research: Age and groups


The table above features the ages of the participants, across the three separate groups.
As you can see, the participants during the baseline research were fairly young, in
comparison to the other two groups. Also, the overall participation of people in the age
groups 17-21 and 55+ is extremely low. This is quite different from the national average,
as 55% of museum visitors in the Netherlands is 55 or older (Museummonitor 2009).
This is most probably due to the fact that the Rariteitenkabinet is directly adjacent to the
Jeugdlab (‘Ýouthlab’) where children can conduct all kinds of experiments. All the visitors
over 55 seemed to be grandparents, enjoying a day at the museum with their
grandchildren.

Because a visitor can only reach the Rariteitenkabinet through the children’s area, many

located, all together. Seeing as the overall ages are low, not just in the baseline research,
but also in the other two groups, one might argue that the results of this research cannot
be taken as representative of all museums. Nevertheless, it would be near impossible to
select a museum that is.

Gender
F M Total
Group No Audio 15 10 25

Audio 1 9 16 25

Audio 2 12 13 25

Total 36 39 75

Table 14: Perception research: Groups and gender

Gender
Frequency Percent
Valid F 36 48,0

M 39 52,0

Total 75 100,0

Table 15: Perception research:Gender

Tables 14 and 15 show the gender division across the research. One can clearly see that
there were more females participating in the baseline research, without audio, in
comparison to the other two groups. However, group Audio 1 had more male than female
participation. Taken overall, both genders were almost equally represented; 52% males,
48% females. This deviates from the national average; in 2008, 56% of museum
visitors was female (Museummonitor). It will be interesting to see whether the
difference in gender has a great impact on the answers of the No Audio group and the
Audio 1 group.


Education
HBO MBO Primary Secondary WO

Group No Audio 6 2 12 2 3

Audio 1 6 2 6 1 10

Audio 2 6 3 7 0 9

Total 18 7 25 3 22
Table 16: Perception research: Groups and education

In the above table, the younger participants are again easily noticed; the number of
participants with primary school or lower education is quite heavily represented. An
interesting outcome is the fact that all three groups had exactly 6 participants who have
had an HBO-level education. The national average of people with a higher education
(HBO or WO) is 28.9%. Among the participants, this number is 53%, so this is far above
the national average, but still a little under the average for museum visitors in the
Netherlands (59%).

The fourth question in the perception research questionnaire concerned the frequency of
museum visits. Participants were able to select whether they visited a museum seldom
to never, once a year, once per quarter, once a month, or more often than once a month.
The table below shows the participants’ responses:

Freq visit
Seldom - Seldom-
1/month 1/quarter 1/year 1+/month Never Never

Group No Audio 7 11 4 2 0 1

Audio 1 5 11 7 1 1 0

Audio 2 6 16 3 0 0 0

Total 18 38 14 3 1 1
Table 17: Perception research: Groups and museum visit frequency

The answers given were in line with the Museummonitor 2009; most museum visitors
frequent museums about 4 times a year, making them ‘repeat visitors’.

6.2.2 The perception research: Visitor perception
perception research participants. I have chosen not to draw any actual conclusions from
the answers, as the conditions and general conduct were not optimal. The number of
participants per group is not large enough to draw any statistically founded conclusions
from. However, as several results are interesting, and may indicate a correlation, I have
listed the clearest and most interesting results below.

The PSMV scale questions
The participants were asked for their opinion using the PSMV scale. The most notable
results are described and analyzed below, however all of the answers were processed
using SPSS and can be found in table-form in the Appendices.


Annoying - Relaxing
Very Very
- annoying Annoying Neutral Relaxing relaxing


Audio 1 0 0 0 6 13 6

Audio 2 0 1 0 11 8 5

Total 1 3 3 22 33 13

Table 18: Perception research: Groups and Annoying - Relaxing

the Rariteitenkabinet after they left it. However, the results do show there is a difference
between the different groups, with people willing to choose a more ‘extreme’ answer, i.e.
in this case, ‘Very annoying’ or ‘Very relaxing’. This may be connected to the fact that the
number of children participating was, as mentioned before, quite high, and children do
tend to have less trouble with forming strong opinions on matters and voicing them.
Table 14 shows interesting results regarding whether or not the participants found the
Rariteitenkabinet to be ‘annoying’ or ‘relaxing’, or somewhere in between. The visitors
that heard Audio snippet 1 when in the Rariteitenkabinet, found it to be more relaxing than
the people in the Rariteitenkabinet without audio or with the other, more sinister Audio in
the background; 19 out of 25 versus, respectively, 14 and 13. The music in Audio snippet
1 is very upbeat and happy, thus this could have led to people being more relaxed while
visiting the Rariteitenkabinet.

Disgusting - Pleasant
Very Very
Group - disgusting Disgusting Neutral Pleasant pleasant

No Audio 1 2 3 11 6 2

Audio 1 0 0 3 6 12 4

Audio 2 0 0 3 12 6 4

Total 1 2 9 29 24 10
Table 19: Perception research: Groups and Disgusting - Pleasant

This question was implemented because of the graphic nature of the Rariteitenkabinet.
To me personally it did not seem like a very large issue, but I was told by Ms. Ria Aalders,
my contact at the Universiteitsmuseum, that quite a number of people fall ill during their
visit. 64% of the Audio 1 participants judged their visit to the Rariteitenkabinet to be
‘Pleasant’ or ‘Very pleasant’, against 32% in the base group (they responded mostly with
neutral, and 5 people in that group found the environment to be ‘Disgusting’ or ‘Very
disgusting’) and 40% in the Audio 2 group. These results seem to be in line with the
results of the Annoying - Relaxing question, seemingly indicating a general more pleasant
atmosphere being experienced by the participants when visiting the environment with
Audio 1 playing.


Novel - Recognizable
Recogniz- Very recog-
- Very novel Novel Neutral able nizable
Audio 1 0 2 5 4 11 3
Audio 2 0 6 3 4 8 4
Total 1 15 11 16 23 9
Table 20: Perception research: Groups and Novel- Recognizable

When including this question, the expectation was that perhaps through the introduction

Rariteitenkabinet to be more ‘Recognizable’ when confronted with the Audio 1 snippet
in the background; 56% answered with ‘Recognizable’ or ‘Very recognizable’. 48% of
the participants in the Audio 2 group chose one of those answers, and only 28% of the
No audio group. This could be because of the repetition in the music; the audio snippets
were put on a 3 minute loop.

Several of the questions were answered largely with ‘Neutral’. I believe this is because
of the fact that when the participants were posed a question they could not immediately
place in their own experiences, An example of a question that was answered with mostly
‘Neutral’ is the Emotional - Cold question:

Emotional - Cold
Very
- emotional Emotional Neutral Cold Very cold
Audio 1 0 0 3 17 2 3
Audio 2 0 1 0 15 7 2
Total 1 3 7 47 11 6
Table 21: Perception research: Groups and Emotional - Cold

62% of the participants chose to answer this question with ‘Neutral’. This also happened
with the following questions:
Thrilling - Restful: 55%
Activating - Sedative: 51%
Large Impact - Small Impact: 45%

However, I do not regret giving ‘Neutral’ as an option. This could be a sign that the
question is not clear enough, or it simply does not apply to many people’s experiences.

Seeing the results of this research, there is almost no denying that the video game audio

visited the Rariteitenkabinet during the Audio 1 phase, had an overall less scary
experience, and seemed to have a more positive and pleasant experience.The difference
between that music piece and Audio snippet 2 did not seem to be extensive, however.
One of the expectations was that that snippet added a darker dimension to the
environment; perhaps a scarier experience. Unfortunately, this could not be observed in
practice.

In the next chapter, I will discuss the approach taken for this research, and my advice for
future research and implementation.


7 Discussion
Because the research was held at the Rariteitenkabinet in the Universiteitsmuseum,
many more children than I had initially anticipated participated in the questionnaire.
This was due to the kabinet’s location inside the museum; one has to travel through the
Jeugdlab (Youthlab) to reach it. This meant in practice that after doing several fun
experiments inside the youthlab, children and their parents/grandparents went to take a
look at the Rariteitenkabinet. Often this resulted in people entering and leaving the
environment after spending a mere minute inside, as something unexpected had
occurred, which is not all that strange when dealing with children. Sometimes I had to ask
people, who wanted to participate in the questionnaire, to go back inside and spend some
more time in the Rariteitenkabinet. I feel that a combination of all these things happening

the questionnaire, and how they experienced the Rariteitenkabinet overall.

However, because of the location, I was able to conduct the research inside a real
museum environment, as opposed to a simulated environment, and with actual museum
visitors, as opposed to test subjects invited to a location. I believe that up until a certain
point that holds up against the negative consequences of my choice for the
Rariteitenkabinet.

Ideally, I would have liked to have many more people participating in the research.
Instead of 75 participants in total, I would have preferred that number per group.

-
tionnaires in total. At one point, I wanted to ask a birthday party group for their opinion.
Sadly, this particular group was not interested, and many of the adults expressed their
apologies saying that they did not have the time. This was due to the length of the ques-
tionnaire, and that brings me to my next discussion point, the questionnaire.

In retrospect, after listening to feedback from the participants and observing how long

should have gotten ‘more to the point’. However, this last point is dangerous, as revealing

participants. This is because as soon as the participants realize that the research involves
the music played, they will think about how they feel about the music, and less about how
they experienced the Rariteitenkabinet.

Also, I believe some of the PSMV scale questions were too vague for many people.
Perhaps a better idea when implementing this theory is to look for words that cover the
same grounds, but are not as abstract and confusing. Quite a number of people also
complained about a certain repetitiveness in the questions, however, I implemented this
as a failsafe, to make sure that when participants answered a question a certain way,
they would really feel that that was the case. However, I do feel the PMSV scale covered
the many different facets human perception adequately for this purpose.

visitors, with either a research method adapted to children, or a location without a large

I would advise to incorporate an observational plan, to see whether people act differently
when in an environment with immersive audio. As I have personally experienced, it is


Even though not as many conclusions could be reached as I had hoped for, I think this
research can be taken as proof that using audio to enhance museum visitor experience

for academics, but actual implementation in museums.

I hope to have shown you the many possibilities of immersive audio, and how much we
can learn from video game audio in that respect.


8 References
Afrika Museum (n.d.), Blueprints of Paradise http://www.afrikamuseum.nl/blog/general/
blueprints-of-paradise-exhibition.

Black, G. (2005). .
Oxon: Routledge.

Collins, K. (2008). . Farnham, UK: Ashgate.

Collins, K. (2008).
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Falk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. (1992). . Washington, DC: Whales-
back Books.

Hein, George (1998). . London: Routledge.

Jørgensen, K. (2006). . Audio Mostly
Conference, 2006, Piteå, Sweden.

Jørgensen, K. (2007): “What are these Grunts and Growls over there?” Computer
Game Audio and Player Action. Ph.D. dissertation. Department of Media, Cognition and
Communication, Copenhagen University.

Cifaldi, F., Read November
2011, on http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38460/World_of_Warcraft_Loses_
Another_800K_Subs_In_Three_Months.php

Griggs, S. A. (1990). Perceptions of traditional and new style exhibitions at the Natural
History Museum (London). ILVS Review, 1(2), 78 - 90

McAdams, S. (1993). . Thinking in
Sound: The Cognitive Psychology of Human Audition, Oxford University Press, USA.

Musée d’Art et d’Industrie La Piscine (n.d.), , read November 2011: http://
www.roubaix-lapiscine.com/decouvrir/164/0/sculpture.html

Letty Ranshuysen Onderzoeksinstituut Rotterdam. (2008). .
Ijzeren wetten en trends. Downloaded November 2011 from http://www.lettyransheysen.
nl/

Letty Ranshuysen Onderzoeksinstituut Rotterdam. (2009). .
Ijzeren wetten en trends. Downloaded November 2011 from http://www.lettyransheysen.
nl/

Miami Science Museum (n.d.), read November 2011 http://www.
miamisci.org/www/immersion-theatre.php

North, Adrian C.;Hargreaves, David J.;McKendrick, J. (1999)
. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 84(2), Apr 1999, 271-276


Stockburger, A. (2003). . Level Up,
Digital Games Research Conference, 4-6 November 2003 Utrecht, NL
Vliet, H. van (2009). . Utrecht: Hogeschool Utrecht

Walker, B. & Kramer, G. (2004) Ecological Psychoacoustics and Auditory Displays:
Hearing, Grouping and Meaning Making. Ecological psychoacoustics. Emerald
Publishing.

Whalen, Z. (2004). . Retrieved from http://
www.gamestudies.org/0401/whalen/

Whitmore, G. (2003).
Designers. Read on: http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20030528/whitmore_01.
shtml0

Woyach, S., (2003) , read on http://illumin.usc.edu/
index/article/107/immersion-through-video-games/


9. Appendices
9.1 PMSV Scale

By Taylor and Francis, 2007

1 Unique 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Common

2 Powerful Impact 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weak Impact

3 Didn’t give me 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gave me goose-
goosebumps bumps

4 Novel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ordinary

5 Emotional 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Unemotional

6 Boring 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Exciting

7 Strong visuals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weak visuals

8 Not creative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Creative

9 Not graphic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Graphic

10 Arousing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Not arousing

11 Unusual 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Usual

12 Involving 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Uninvolving

13 Not intense 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Intense

14 Weak soundtrack 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strong soundtrack

15 Undramatic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dramatic

16 Stimulating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Not stimulating

17 Strong sound 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weak sound
effects effects


9.2 Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Beste deelnemer,

Ik studeer af aan de Hogeschool Utrecht, en ben geïnteresseerd in uw mening. Deze
vragenlijst is opgesteld uit een aantal algemene vragen, en vragen over het Rariteiten-
kabinet. Deze enquête is anoniem, en de antwoorden worden alleen voor onderzoeks-
doeleinden gebruikt.
Alvast bedankt!

Manon Jacobs

1) Wat is uw geslacht?

Man

Vrouw

2) Wat is uw leeftijd?

16 of jonger

17-21

22-35

36-55

55 jaar of ouder

3) Wat is uw hoogst voltooide opleiding?

Basisschool

Middelbare school

MBO

HBO

WO


4) Hoe vaak bezoekt u gemiddeld musea?

Zelden tot nooit

1 keer per jaar

1 keer per kwartaal

1 keer per maand

meer dan 1 keer per maand

5) Omcirkel het cijfer van uw keuze. In hoeverre passen de onderstaande

woorden bij de ruimte die u net verlaten hebt (bijv. 1 als u de ruimte opwindend

vindt, 5 als u deze berustend vindt)?:

Opwindend 1 2 3 4 5 Berustend

Fascinerend 1 2 3 4 5 Oninteressant

Irritant 1 2 3 4 5 Relaxend

Weerzinwekkend 1 2 3 4 5 Aangenaam

Tegenvallend 1 2 3 4 5 Verrassend

Saai 1 2 3 4 5 Interessant

Droevig 1 2 3 4 5 Opgewekt

Verbazingwekkend 1 2 3 4 5 Voor de hand liggend

6) Bent u al eens eerder in het Rariteitenkabinet geweest?

Ja
Nee

7) Bezoekt u vaker tentoonstellingen zoals het Rariteitenkabinet (historische, zeldzame
verzamelingen van voorwerpen)?

Ja
Nee


8) Omcirkel het cijfer van uw keuze. In hoeverre passen de onderstaande woorden bij de
ruimte die u net verlaten hebt?

Uniek 1 2 3 4 5 Alledaags

Grote impact 1 2 3 4 5 Kleine impact

Ik kreeg er kippenvel van 1 2 3 4 5 Ik kreeg er geen kippenvel

Nieuw 1 2 3 4 5 Herkenbaar

Emotioneel 1 2 3 4 5 Koud

Saai 1 2 3 4 5 Boeiend

Sterke beelden 1 2 3 4 5 Zwakke beelden

Opwindend 1 2 3 4 5 Kalmerend

Ongewoon 1 2 3 4 5 Normaal

Niet intens 1 2 3 4 5 Intens

Niet meeslepend 1 2 3 4 5 Meeslepend

9) Omcirkel het cijfer van uw keuze. In hoeverre passen de onderstaande woorden bij de
ruimte die u net verlaten hebt?

Plezierig 1 2 3 4 5 Onplezierig

Activerend 1 2 3 4 5 Kalmerend


9.3 Questionnaire results
Analyzed data. SPSS results.

Age * Group Crosstabulation
Count
Group
No Audio Audio 1 Audio 2 Total
Age 16- 11 6 6 23
17-21 2 0 0 2
22-35 2 12 10 24

36-55 8 6 7 21
55+ 2 1 2 5
Total 25 25 25 75

Group * Gender Crosstabulation
Count
Gender
F M Total
Group No Audio 15 10 25
Audio 1 9 16 25
Audio 2 12 13 25

Total 36 39 75

Gender

Frequency Percent
Valid F 36 48,0
M 39 52,0
Total 75 100,0

Report
Mean
Audiogroup
Group 1 with Group 2 with
No audio audio audio Total
AnnoyingRelaxing 3,35 4,08 3,64 3,70
DisgustingPleasant 3,09 3,72 3,44 3,42
DissapointingSurprising 4,08 3,68 3,36 3,70
BoringInteresting 4,35 4,04 3,80 4,05
SadHappy 3,52 3,36 3,00 3,29
ExtraordinaryOrdinary 2,61 2,56 2,51 2,59
UniqueUnremarkable 2,26 2,20 2,22 2,24
BigimpactSmallimpact 3,17 3,24 3,07 3,20
GoosebumpsNogoosebumps 3,74 3,96 2,94 3,82
NewRecognizable 2,57 3,36 2,48 2,85


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