Analyzing the Use of Sounds in FPS games and its Impact for Hearing Impaired Users

Denise N. Nogueira Flávio R. S. Coutinho Wellington A. S. Junior Raquel O. Prates Luiz Chaimowicz

XI Simpósio Brasileiro de Jogos e Entretenimento Digital - SBGames 2012

Motivation

There are many barriers in games for people with hearing disabilities; FPS games are disliked by the Brazilian

deaf community;

Still not many works in this field;

An extension of previous work [Coutinho et al. SBGames´11].

Goals

To present how the sound strategies of communication were used;

To present the impact of the visual redundancies on the studied games, when the sound is not perceived.

Methodology

Semiotic Inspection Method

Guides¹• I

nformation conveyed by sound

• Redundancies

• Goal and relevance of information

Classes and Strategies

¹[Coutinho et al. SBGames´11]

Inspected FPS Games

Half Life 2

Modern Warfar

e 2

XIII

Classes

•The sound volume can be used to hint the player how far his character in the game is from the source of the sound emission.

Sound Volume

•Simulates the direction between the game character and sound source.

Sound Distribution

•It is the characteristic of the sound that allows the player to distinguish between two sound notes in the same frequency but produced by different sound sources.

Timbre

•It represents the time at which a sound is emitted by a source.

Timing

•Is the content found in the dialogues of the game, being the player’s character one of the interlocutors or not.

Speech

•It is the speed at which the same sound is played by the same source.

Tempo

•Played during the game can be used to inform the player what is the context or a context change in the environment where he is.

Music

•Represents a change in the sound frequency due to a sound source that moves quickly from one direction to another in relation to the game character.

Perceived Frequency

Strategies

Enabling sound localization

Characterization of game elements

Interaction feedback

Communicating threat

Use of speech to transmit information

Raising emotions and sensations

Inference of velocities of moving sound sources

Strategies

Enabling sound localization

Characterization of game elements

Interaction feedback

Communicating threat

Use of speech to transmit information

Raising emotions and sensations

Inference of velocities of moving sound sources

Enabling Sound Localization

Classes• Sound Volume• Sound Distribution

Classes• Sound Volume• Sound Distribution• Perceiving Frequency

Classes• Sound Volume• Sound Distribution

RedundanciesEnabling sound

localization

Communicating threat

Classes• Sound Volume, Distribution• Timbre• Timing, Tempo• Music

Classes• All of them

Classes• Sound Volume, Distribution• Timbre• Timing• Music

RedundanciesCommunicati

ng threat

Raising emotions and sensations

Classes• Music

Classes• Music

Classes• Music

RedundanciesRaising

emotions and sensations

Summary

# Class HL2 MW2 XIII

1 Sound volume

2 Sound distribution

3 Timbre

4 Timing

5 Speech

6 Tempo -

7 Music

8 Perceived frequency

- -

Strategy HL2 MW2 XIII

Communication of threat

1-4, 6, 7 1-8 1-4, 7

Conclusion

Contributions: Assists the design of new games; Useful for evaluations.

Future work: To analyze more FPS games; To analyze other type of games, such as

RTS (Real-Time Strategy) games, adventure games, and others.

Thanks!

Denise N. Nogueira (denotini@dcc.ufmg.br)

Laboratório Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa em Jogoswww.j.dcc.ufmg.br

Núcleo de Pesquisa em Engenharia Semiótica e Interação

www.pensi.dcc.ufmg.br