The Wii remote also features a small speaker, which can emit a variety of sounds that are linked to the kinetic gestures of the player - such as 'swooshes' and 'slashes' when handling the remote as a sword. For instance, in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo, 2006), the player moves the Wii remote as if it were a sword - compared to previous gaming consoles, which relied exclusively on button input. Moving the controller a certain way seems to cause the avatar on the screen to enact the same motion. In turn, it has allowed many players to access games previously perceived as too difficult to play.Ī unique feature of the Wii console's interface is that its controller relies on kinetic-gestural movements for input. The Wii console's use of a simplified interface capitalized on a market saturated with sophisticated, but specialized, consoles. The Nintendo Wii console was first released in 2006 and gained immediate and widespread popularity. The Wii Console and 'The Legend of Zelda' In order to address this important gap in the empirical literature, the present study explores the effects of built-in video game audio and unrelated background music on players' performance and quality of gaming experience in Twilight Princess for the Wii console. This introduces another sort of control of sound by the player, though this music is not linked to the player's actions or events occurring in the game.ĭespite video game audio's growing relevance in game design and the wealth of information that it can convey, few empirical studies have examined the role of sound on players' performance and game experience (Collins, 2007 Hébert, Béland, Dionne-Fournelle, Crête, & Lupien, 2005 Tafalla, 2007). An increasing number of consoles and games also allow players to select from various musical soundtracks (e.g., de Blob, Blue Tongue Entertainment, 2008) or to incorporate music entirely of their own choice into the gameplay (e.g., Project Gotham Racing 4, Bizarre Creations, 2007). Sound can be used to communicate aspects of the narrative, enhance immersion, and convey emotion (Zehnder & Lipscomb, 2006). Audio cues alert players to approaching danger, guide them in tracking the moment-to-moment location of enemies, and give immediate feedback on successful execution of actions.
Gamers must decipher cues in the musical score for information about the surrounding environment, and listen for sound effects such as footsteps, which situate the player within the virtual environment. In particular, as sound design has advanced, the player has taken on an increasingly active role with respect to video game audio. Video game audio has come a long way since the bleeps and blips of pioneering games such as Pong (Atari, 1972). Author(s): Siu-Lan Tan, Kalamazoo College, USA, John Baxa, Kalamazoo College, USA, Matthew P.
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