Transdiegetic Sound on Video Game Immersion

Written for the University of Hertfordshire. (2024)

Abstract

Users consume video games through an audiovisual interface, meaning they consume them through their ability to see and hear. Sound is paramount for the success of a video game as it encompasses dialogue, sound design and music, all components that bring life to the system. Consequently, allowing the system to construct an experience for the user, letting sound aid in producing immersion. However, there is a lack of research regarding the relationship between sound and immersion in games, as the theories that help analyse it in other mediums, like film and TV, do not apply due to a game’s interactive factor. Hence, using the SCI-Model, the theory of Transdiegetic Sound and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as a case study, this research paper aims to comprehend how sound increases immersion in open-world games. The conclusions of the research paper come from an analysis that explores how transdiegetic sound affects the three components of immersion the SCI-Model presents and proceeds to discuss these findings. The paper proposes and demonstrates how sound has a meaningful role in integrating the elements of the SCI-Model, thus creating immersion for the user. The conclusions of the research paper aim to be a first step in understanding how sound affects immersion and what audio designers and game developers can do to better the experience games offer their users.

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1. Introduction

You are roaming in a vivid forest full of rustling pine trees and the sound of birds. Nature is alive, and you take enjoyment from your surroundings. You feel at peace as your curiosity wanders in the green landscape you walk through, listening to falling leaves and bird tunes. But suddenly, nature goes silent. You become aware of the sound of your feet. You hear heavy, slow-paced flapping above you. You hear a bellow, and before it is visible, a dragon has announced itself.

Sound is a particular auditory impression (Merriam-Webster, 2019). These auditory impressions surrounding us help us communicate, locate, and navigate the different spaces we journey and allow us to recognise elements that lack clear visual stimuli, like birds in a dense forest (Merriam-Webster, 2019). Sound is one of the central components that enables us to be wholly consumed by any reality we face, whether that is nature, a musical or a film. Thus, through sound, along with other elements, we become immersed in the world enveloping us, as it fosters immersion in fictional and real mediums. However, despite a myriad of studies on the relationship between sound and immersion, there is very little regarding these in video games.

Users consume video games through an audiovisual interface, and the theory explaining how sound works and affects the audience in mediums like film does not apply to games due to their interactive factor (Jørgensen, 2007). Thus, in a growing gaming industry, it is vital to understand the role of sound when creating a fictional world, mainly if it aims to become the new reality of its user while consuming it through a screen and speakers (Emri and Mäyrä, 2005). Thus, this research paper will explore how sound increases immersion in video games.

More particularly, the research paper will examine how transdiegetic sound increases immersion in open-world video games. It will use the SCI-Model (Emri and Mäyrä, 2005) as its theoretical framework for immersion and analyse how transdiegetic sound (Jørgensen, 2007) increases its three key components. Then, it will discuss the value of integrating these components properly to better immersion by extrapolating the results obtained through the case study, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). These results aim to be a first step in understanding how to improve the design of open-world games and produce a better, more immersive experience for the users, making the research conclusions relevant to audio designers and game developers.

2. Literature Review

‘Literature Review’ explores the current research the paper will use as its theoretical framework: Immersion and the SCI Model and Transdiegetic Sound.

2.1. Immersion and the SCI-Model

Immersion holds diverse definitions, varying from more generic statements, such as “absorbing involvement” (Merriam-Webster, 2019), to more elaborate, like “the sensation of being surrounded by a completely other reality that takes over all our attention (...) our whole perceptual apparatus” (Murray, 1997). However, no matter the definition’s complexity, all agree that immersion discusses deep, consuming involvement in an experience.

Beyond comprehending what the concept means, it is vital to understand how it works. To understand what creates immersion, psychologists have developed many theories and models. Consequently, these have permitted researchers to explore the relationship between immersion and daily activities, such as watching films. An example is Flow Theory by Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow Theory explores ‘the flow state’, colloquially known as ‘the zone’, describing how factors like intense focus and concentration, a sense of personal control and distortion of temporal experience induce the individual into complete immersion regarding their activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). However, beyond being a fantastic approach to comprehending immersion, Flow Theory and models like this lack the specificity to analyse the relationship between immersion and video games because despite proposing a comprehensive theory on the factors that cause immersion, its applicability to video games is not precise as it does not investigate what elements from games develop these factors.

To further understand immersion, Pine and Gilmore (1999) used participation and connection as parameters to categorise experiences. Participation varies from active to passive and connection from absorption to immersion. From here, they developed four realms of experience: entertainment (passive participation and absorption), educational (active participation and absorption), aesthetic (passive participation and immersion), and escapist (active participation and immersion). Using that theory, we understand games are an escapist experience, where, as Grodal (2003) describes, they offer a ‘full experimental flow’ by linking perception, cognition and emotion. Therefore, to understand the uninvestigated inception of immersion in video games, Ermi and Mäyrä (2005) developed a model based on the presented theories and more to learn how video games construct it.

The SCI-Model discusses the three components a video game must have to induct immersion to the player. Firstly, sensory immersion is the audiovisual execution of the game, meaning the sensory overload that allows players to focus on the game world. Secondly, challenge-based immersion is the relationship between the game’s difficulty and the player’s abilities, which enhances immersion by developing the chase for success. Thirdly, imaginative immersion is the player’s opportunity to use their imagination, empathise with the characters and relish the freedom of the game’s fantasy. Each of these components originates from a different aspect of the game’s structure or audiovisuality, as explained in the image below (Ermi and Mäyrä, 2005), and, when well-integrated, they create the opportunity for the player to interact more personally with the game, thus producing immersion as the player finds meaning and interpretation in it. As Ermi and Mäyrä (2005) explain, “When new knowledge is created, also new horizons into the unknown and unexplored are opened up”. Hence, this research paper will use the SCI-Model as its central theory on immersion to comprehend how transdiegetic sound can increase it in open-world video games.

Figure 1: The SCI-Model illustrating the three pivotal components of immersion in video

games and their relation to the game and the player, forming the gameplay experience.

2.2. Transdiegetic Sound

In narrative media like films, television shows and documentaries, sound is categorised into two functions. Firstly, diegetic sound originates in the story’s world, an example being dialogue. Secondly, extra-diegetic sound comes from outside the story world and informs the audience; for example, The Imperial March informs viewers of Darth Vader’s presence (Gorbman, 1987).

However, Gorbman’s theory is inefficient in comprehending the function of sound in video games due to the game’s interactivity. In a film, the protagonist’s story immerses the audience through passive participation. Meanwhile, the player becomes the protagonist in a game, immersing them by giving control over their decisions and actions through active participation. To grasp the concept of the player and protagonist adequately, Carter et al. (2012) presented four components. Firstly, the user is the human playing the game. Secondly, the player is the social identity the user forms. Thirdly, the character is the in-game identity. Fourthly, the avatar is the physical manifestation of the character in-game. Therefore, although the character does not hear extra-diegetic music, the information the cue carries will be transferred to the user, who will interpret it as the player, react to it and control the character accordingly, making it impossible to apply the division between diegetic and extra-diegetic sound. So, to analyse video game sound specifically, Jørgensen developed a new terminology: transdiegetic sound.

Transdiegetic sound is the function diegetic and extradiegetic sounds have in games, as these have the power to influence the diegetic action of the game through the information they relay to the player, breaking their previously defined boundaries. Within transdiegetic sound, we find external transdiegetic sound, the extradiegetic sounds that communicate about the diegesis, like repetitive music cues, and internal transdiegetic sound, the diegetic sounds that communicate about the diegesis without addressing other elements of the world, like hints characters say to inform the player. Either way, transdiegetic sound works reactively by affirming a player’s input or proactively informing incoming change. (Jørgensen, 2007).

In games, players comprehend the functional property of transdiegetic sound through metacommunication, meaning our ability to understand several frames of reference simultaneously, blending the diegesis and extra-diegesis to create immersion. Therefore, this paper will analyse transdiegetic sound as a game-building component to create immersion.

3. Methodology of Research

‘Methodology of Research’ reviews why the theoretical framework and case study were selected and how they will be used to conduct the analysis.

3.1. Methodology of Research

The research paper aims to comprehend how transdiegetic sound increases immersion in open-world video games. To create a sharper scope in the analysis, the paper will use Bethesda Softworks The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) as a case study. The reason for the selection of Skyrim as a case study comes from its constant high-ranking position in open-world game lists from reliable sites such as Game Rant (2022), The Gamer (2019) and CBR (2019), as well as its financial success of selling over 60 million copies and its audience rating on Steam of 9/10. These results indicate Skyrim’s high-quality content and create a better and more reliable context for analysis.

To increase the focus of the analysis even further, the SCI-Model (Emri and Mäyrä, 2005) will be the theoretical framework used to comprehend immersion, and the theory of Transdiegetic Sound (Jørgensen, 2007) will complement it. Through these, the analysis will deconstruct how transdiegetic sound increases immersion in each key component from the SCI-Model: sensory immersion, challenge-based immersion and imaginative immersion. Then, these individual conclusions will be discussed collectively in the paper’s final section.

The paper will deconstruct how each immersion component is affected by transdiegetic sound through primary research by observing and noting while a player explores Skyrim’s open world and, additionally, secondary research, meaning existing knowledge, to support or challenge the observations. The mix between these two creates space for a personable, live analysis that can then be extrapolated with existing knowledge, bringing forward the reality of immersion in the game through individual experience.

4. Analysis

‘Analysis’ explores the effect transdiegetic sound has on immersion. The paper uses The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) as a case study for open-world video games to create more focused and detailed research. Moreover, it divides the analysis into three sections, following the immersion components presented by the SCI-Model (Emri and Mäyrä, 2005): Transdiegetic Sound on Sensory Immersion, Transdiegetic Sound on Challenge-Based Immersion and Transdiegetic Sound on Imaginative Immersion.

4.1. Transdiegetic Sound on Sensory Immersion

Sensory Immersion develops through the audiovisual execution of the game. By enhancing its visual and sonic elements, the game creates a sensory overload in the player, permitting them to escape reality and immerse in the game world. Regarding the sonic aspect, both internal and external transdiegetic sound increases sensory immersion in open-world games as it aims to aid in the shift of the player’s focus from reality to the game’s world and construct the best exploration experience.

In Skyrim, different sections of the map hold various geographic conditions. Winterhold offers constant snow and freezing conditions. Hence, when the player roams through this land, they hear sharp winds with an almost complete lack of animals and life, informing them of the harsh weather they face and keeping them alert for any sounds. On the contrary, when exploring The Rift, the wind makes trees rustle, and birds sing with presence, creating a warmer and more inviting ambience, making the player alert of any new sound. So, the game uses internal transdiegetic sounds to develop an accurate representation of nature, including indoor spaces such as caverns and caves. This accurate representation increases immersion by offering an audiovisual interface that matches the player’s expectations (McMahan, 2003). Hence, the sensory overload allows the player to replace the sound of his current, real-life space with the game’s fictional one and remain alert for any in-world changes the ambience may indicate.

Beyond the increase of immersion through the accurate representation of game spaces through internal transdiegetic sound, Skyrim also supports itself on external transdiegetic sound to increase sensory immersion. In the game, players become accustomed to specific musical playlists for explicit scenarios when exploring Skyrim’s open world. For example, when exploring with no danger near, the player hears loops of pieces like Secunda (Soule, 2011) and Far Horizons (Soule, 2011). When entering battle, Death or Sovengarde (Soule, 2011) is the most common unless the player is fighting a dragon, which the game represents with Watch the Skies (Soule, 2011). Moreover, through repetition, the player can eventually assign music to specific cities, like Solitude (Soule, 2011) to Skyrim’s Capital and Streets of Whiterun (Soule, 2011) to the City of Whiterun. Therefore, along with the game matching the player’s expectations in ambience to facilitate immersion through their hearing, it also relies on specific music to further conditionate the space and its safety and complete the sensory overload.

To increase sensory immersion, Skyrim blends internal and external transdiegetic sound when combining ambience and music. Like most open-world games, Skyrim divides the game world through geographical, weather, and safety and danger conditions. Hence, the game provokes the player to remain in a state of listening with readiness (Huron, 2012) as it consumes their focus and attention to be aware of any change in the audiovisual interface because only by embracing the game world as their new reality can the player use its whole perceptual apparatus to immerse on it and construct the most satisfactory exploration experience.

4.2. Transdiegetic Sound on Challenge-Based Immersion

Challenge-Based Immersion develops through the player’s need for success. By placing challenges, the game incites a need to win in the player, motivating them to balance their motor, cognitive and emotional skills to reach a reward. The effect transdiegetic sound has on this is often unnoticed as it heavily blends with the player’s experience. However, the influence of transdiegetic sound on producing this immersion component is vital, as it assembles the excitation triumphing brings in all the game structures, being rules, story and space.

In Skyrim, the most significant challenge-based immersion occurs from succeeding through the game structure ‘rules’, meaning bettering the character, which external transdiegetic sound informs. Skyrim is a level-based game which offers upgrades on different skill trees as the player reaches a new level with their character. Therefore, the game accompanies the actions with small motifs to enhance the reward of levelling up and improving a skill. When a character levels up, the player hears a battle choir singing short epic syllables, drums, horns and a sharp, metallic drawing sword, a proactive sound informing change. Consequently, when the player upgrades a perk, a sound imitating fire bolting through the air sounds as they light up a new beacon in that skill tree, being a reactive sound affirming an input. As the player reaches new levels, the level of fulfilment increases, making them want more upgrades and plan what they will upgrade next. The proactive sound informing change means they can create a new input to reward their work and effort. The same principle applies to other rule elements, such as learning new spells, discovering a new location and even events that negatively impact success, like contracting a disease, contracting vampirism or dying’s music cue. Therefore, through such short, repetitive ideas, external transdiegetic sound not only informs the player of changes regarding the rules but increases immersion as they contextualise it as a positive or negative change, and without needing visual confirmation, the game immerses the player through the thrill of hearing these sounds, begin a synonym for the chase for success.

Immersion also increases through the completion of questlines, being the game structure ‘story’, as external transdiegetic sounds inform the player of its advance towards culmination. These are short, repetitive sounds that the player quickly identifies and assigns meaning to, and they begin with the granting of the quest. When the game grants a quest, the player hears a drumroll followed by a sword drawn from its sheath, developing a need to begin the quest, fighting through and obtaining a reward. Consequently, each time the player unlocks a new quest section, the game notifies the player through a different, less explosive sound, similar to a high-pitched drumroll. Finally, as the player completes all the sections and the quest ends, the game rewards their need to finish the quest with a slower-paced drumroll that feels like a response to the beginning and new-section motifs. Hence, the player begins to assign value to these simple sounds, and as they play, satisfaction increases when they hear they have achieved a new section or total completion.

In the final game structure, being the space, exploration rewards announced by internal transdiegetic sounds increase challenge-based immersion. An example of an exploration reward is defeating a creature or monster as the player immerses in the need to hear a giant spider’s legs crumble, a skeleton’s bones hitting the ground and, most grandly, a dragon’s shout, followed by the character absorbing its soul and hearing it burn after a testing battle. Another example is unlocking a chest as the player commands the character to turn the lockpick, increasing the sound in frequency as it gets closer to work and ending with the sound of an opened lock. In this example, similar to levelling up, the reactive sound of the lock affirming an input converts into the proactive sound of the player opening the lock, which increases challenge-based immersion as the game offers a sonic response to the input-output loop. A final example is the collection of gold, as in the game world, it is safe to assume the character does not hear coins shuffling every time they grab one. However, as an external transdiegetic sound, it offers the player a sense of fulfilment as they increase the amount of money they have.

Transdiegetic sound works meticulously in challenge-based immersion, increasing immersion through all three game structures. The player engages in the chase for success because of Klimmit’s Three-Level Enjoyment Model. The Three-Level Enjoyment Model (Klimmit, 2003) explains how games are fun because of the interactive input-output loops, cyclic feelings, and temporary escape from reality. Hence, the journey to succeed in the game’s rules through improving the character, in the game’s story through the completion of questlines and in the game’s space through the rewards of exploration are all embraced by the player as they enjoy the game’s input-output system, the satisfaction of hearing the triumphant sounds the game promises after their hard work, and an escape from reality to achieve their fictional tasks.

4.3. Transdiegetic Sound on Imaginative Immersion

Imaginative Immersion constructs the player’s ability to experience being in the game’s open world and empathise with the characters. By proposing a new, fictional reality, a game depends on its ability to create a need for the player to transport themselves there to prompt immersion. To enhance imaginative immersion, game developers use internal and external transdiegetic sounds to attempt to build meaning in the gameplay experience.

Skyrim constructs imaginative immersion through stories, hints, and tips characters give the player. An example is characters who say, “Are you feeling sick?” when the character has contracted an illness like poison from a spider or vampirism. When the game creates these moments of dialogue, the player feels the non-playable characters (NPC) are speaking to them despite the NPC speaking to the character. However, through this hint, the player checks his Active Effects section and drinks a potion to heal themselves, using sound from the world to understand something from the diegesis. Another typical example is guards from cities telling the players their stories and thoughts, like “I used to be an adventurer like you. Then, I took an arrow to the knee” or “My cousin is out fighting dragons, and what do I get? Guard duty”. Moreover, in a similar argument to sensory immersion, the constant change in acoustic ecology done by the player helps, too. The sound of silverware moving if touched, of consuming food and wine, or doors opening and closing creates a relationship between the player and the game, as his actions have repercussions in the environment. When analysing this example closely, it is evident how these immersion components ultimately work together. An example is how imaginative and challenge-based immersion increases when picking a lock as it involves the player in the world experience, and the frequency increases the closer the player is to solving the puzzle. Hence, interactions and reactive sounds like these offer the player a level of involvement in the game world as it establishes a connection through the character.

On the other hand, external transdiegetic sounds also contribute to increasing imaginative immersion but in a slightly different way. Like sensory immersion, music proactively informs the player of changes in their surroundings. Furthermore, like in film, it increases imaginative immersion as it sets the tone of the game’s current state. Whether the player is walking through the streets of a city, wandering in the woods or engaging in combat, music contributes as external transdiegetic sound to inform the player how the character is feeling, peaceful, brave or curious, and, consequently, evoke those same feelings in the player. Therefore, it builds presence through focalisation by making the player experience the world through the character’s ears and create a sense of presence in a new reality, consuming all their attention.

Imaginative immersion is the final component of immersion in video games. Its importance stems from how it helps the player enter full experimental flow, as they use their perception, cognition and emotion to overtake a first-person action role in a fictional character (Grodal, 2003). This means the player can now construct meaning over the game, interpreting it to their measure and developing a personal and social context around it. Therefore, the increased imaginative immersion created by transdiegetic sound is vital to personalise the game and encourage the player to be present through his character.

5. Discussion

‘Discussion’ explores how transdiegetic sound generates increased immersion by presenting the three components as a single unit. Moreover, it explains the following steps to continue understanding the effect of transdiegetic sound on immersion and invites researchers to develop similar research using other game elements besides sound.

5.1. The Increase in Immersion due to Transdiegetic Sound

Skyrim’s use of transdiegetic sound to increase immersion is highly effective. Whether discussing sensory, challenge-based or imaginative immersion, the game blends internal and external transdiegetic sound to establish a relationship with its player. Hence, it allows them to be motivated and find meaning in its content, inciting the use of their motor, cognitive, and emotional skills and, consequently, creating the opportunity for them to immerse in it.

Sensory immersion creates a constant state of listening in readiness when exploring the open world, as the player’s senses are overloaded and overstimulated, inciting a total consumption of their focus and perceptual apparatus, shifting their reality from the real world to the fictional world. Challenge-based immersion constructs a system for the player to chase success. Informing and boosting the value and intensity of the rewards with sonic cues, they participate in an input-output loop, enjoy the cyclic feelings as they know the stress and anxiety will transform into peace and excitement when the challenge is solved and escape to a new reality to face the obstacles the game presents. Imaginative immersion connects the player and the game through the open world’s elements, such as NPCs and the consequences of the player’s actions, to create a full-experimental flow as the user’s identity is overtaken by his character, creating the player. Ultimately, in an immersive game, these components work together and share sounds, as the example of picking a lock or using the music as a cue for danger and presenting the feelings of the character demonstrates, and Skyrim is an outstanding case study to use as a model for all open-world games.

When extrapolating this case study to open-world games, the research illustrates the importance of being meticulous and detailed when designing how the sound of the game world will converse with the player. Transdiegetic sound plays a crucial role in increasing immersion as it is one of the two senses through which players experience games: seeing and hearing. Therefore, when developers design a video game’s sound appropriately, it can integrate the three elements of immersion and stimulate them simultaneously, offering the player the most immersive video game experience. Ultimately, the purpose of an open-world video game is to not only incite immersion but also boost interactivity. Hence, acknowledging the role of sound in creating a well-integrated immersion system is essential.

5.2. The Need for Further Research

This research paper has explored how transdiegetic sound increases immersion in open-world games using the SCI-Model (Emri and Mäyrä, 2005) and Transdiegetic Sound (Jørgensen, 2007) as its foundation and a mixture of primary and secondary research for the analysis. A natural next step is to vary the analysis sources, like generating a study with participants to develop new primary research from various voices regarding the topic, departing from the theoretical and entering the practical world.

Another suitable next step would be replicating this research but deviating from transdiegetic sound and using other components from video games, such as character design, animation style and lighting, or replicating the research using a different video game genre, such as shooters, horror or platformers. In both scenarios, the slight change in approach will make us comprehend the effect different components of video games have on immersion and how developers can design them to construct the most immersive experience for their users.

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