Echoes of dread : an analysis of sound elements in underwater horror games

Abstract

This thesis examines how underwater environments in horror games have been illustrated through sound and is exclusively based on the ambience, sound effects and dialogue processing present in the games analysed. Since underwater environments lack a natural soundscape associated with them, the sound design for games taking place in this environment is largely determined by the sound designer’s own intuition and imagination. The purpose of the study is to lay out characteristic sounds used to portray underwater horror, as well as to find out which of the games included in the study are most successful in conveying the underwater horror genre through sound. In addition, I also present the hypothesis that a game missing most of the sounds characteristic for the genre should not be classed as horror. Furthermore, the analysis results in a list of common approaches to creating sounds for underwater horror games, which can support sound design for future games within the genre. Comparative analysis has been utilised to extract the most commonly used sounds in underwater horror in a comparison carried out between three games. Previously published studies are also used to further determine how successful the games chosen for the analysis are in evoking fear, anxiety and suspense in the player. Two of the analysed games, Soma and Narcosis, belong to the sub-category survival horror, while the third game is classed as a shooter game, albeit containing strong elements of survival horror. All three games are played from a first-person perspective and the analysed sections take place in environments where the player is immersed in water. Based on the results of the comparative analysis as well as on consulted literature Soma contains most sound elements typical for horror games, while Death in the Water 2 should not be classed as a horror game. The results also show that a comprehensive idea of how the sound design for a horror game should be carried out cannot be based on the the sound design for other games alone as the nature of the soundscape is also dependent on the game’s storyline, the environments the game takes place in as well as on how fear, anxiety and suspense should be induced in the player.