Adaptive audio in menus: game development's untapped opportunity
Elliot Callighan
Tuesday 8th March 2022
When developing a game, it's easy to focus on the obvious sound elements, like sweeping scores and fulfilling sound effects, yet some of gaming's most influential moments occur even before or between gameplay.
Today, we're shining our audio and music spotlight on menus, tutorials, lobbies, and more -- all unsung heroes of the player experience -- and calling attention to a typically overlooked opportunity to provide more engaging audio.
Think about it this way: games that boast astounding in-game sound yet still suffer bland menu or lobby audio are as common as they come. But games that give attention to these interfaces which players have no choice but to engage with are a magical experience all their own. In particular, adaptive music provides developers a concrete way to turn menus and lobbies into much more than an atmospheric void between spectacular realms.
Put simply, adaptive music means your game's music actively changes to suit the shifting environments, atmospheres, and evolving gameplay. This change often occurs subtly or smoothly, feeling more like a natural progression than a hard cut between tracks.
This dynamic approach to game music boosts cohesion to the overall player experience, empowering their decisions
This dynamic approach to game music boosts cohesion to the overall player experience, empowering their decisions and sense of progress while minimizing moments that might take them out of the game.
What's especially nice about adaptive music is that it feels player-driven. As the person behind the controls, you begin to feel that your decisions or movements make a real difference based solely on subtle changes in what you hear. Something as simple as a tonal shift
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