Importance of sound in video games

What the talk is about

Jan Kadanec explains why sound matters so much in video games and walks the audience through five levels, from how sound is perceived to optimization. He shows that people tie what they hear to experience, so audio tricks can steer a player's feelings. Effects should be prioritized by genre: footsteps and positioning in a shooter, adrenaline in a hack-and-slash, realism in simulators, nostalgia in retro titles. Using shop rewards from one game, he shows how to make sounds memorable. He also covers adaptive music, both vertical (layers) and horizontal (switching themes), and ambience built from zones. Finally he discusses optimization for PC, console and mobile, balancing CPU, memory and battery. Useful for sound designers, composers and developers.