"Vrummmummmmm FVISH!": Soundscapes as Part of Constant Conversations in Action-Adventure Video Game Heterotopias

Abstract

Soundscapes are a key aspect in video games. Addrich Mauch presents a new set of methods for ethnomusicological field research and game sound analysis in game spaces. He aims to explore how gameworlds are created, manipulated, and experienced through sound and music. Fictional worlds in video games can be seen as worlds within worlds, mirroring what is outside and therefore be called heterotopias – real sites that are in relation to all other cultural, social, and physical sites of our society. Interaction is an essential aspect in describing those gameworlds; visual and auditory channels work together in supporting the gameplay as the primary feature of communication in video games. Mauch’s proposed theory provides deeper insights of the coded constant conversation between player and computer, demonstrated on the fieldwork studies and analysis of »Horizon Zero Dawn« (Guerilla Games 2017), »Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order« (Respawn Entertainment 2019) and »Assassin’s Creed Valhalla« (Ubisoft 2020).