The Evolution of Video Game Sound
Christopher F. Roggow
March 18, 2015
The Art Institute of Colorado
Abstract
Because the nature of video games is interactive this establishes a unique setting for sound to be introduced. The art of crafting video game sound has changed drastically from when video games were first created. Technology has played the heaviest hand in influencing this result. And with it has ushered in sonic experiences through video games that have pushed and pulled with popular culture. The industry has not only taken over living rooms and office spaces but is now on devices in peoples’ pockets. Video games will someday perhaps become inescapable as they already pertain to all age groups and world views. Sound has been a turning point in the development of this phenomenon and since the beginning it has been necessary to understand how the technology has evolved along with the business practices of leading organizations. Video game sound has been evolving swiftly and none of its progression would have been possible without technology, business ingenuities, and marketing strategies.
Keywords: video games, sound, technology, marketing strategies, business ingenuities, industry
The Evolution of Video Game Sound
Video games have undoubtedly become extraordinarily influential in today’s society. From when video games were initially introduced to currently every game seeks to evoke an emotional connection from its players and audiences. Video games appeal to ones sense of sight with increasingly exhilarating graphic experiences; nevertheless, such an emotional connection would not be possible without a sonic domain to envelope oneself in.
Without sound video games would not be the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. In most forms of media: photography, animation, film, graphic design, and audio innovation and continued success are interdependent on available technology in the field. Now with new technology advancements being a constant it is crucial to understand how technology arrived at where it is. This will not only display past influences on the industry to learn from, but in turn will also shed insight on where it is going.
Video games unlike other forms of media exemplify a level of interactivity that places them in a realm of entertainment on their own. Video games interactivity has established a unique setting for audio to be introduced. Rather than a considerably more passive reception of sound(s) with other media forms video games allow for players to directly generate sound events. These events could entail anything from ambience, musical composition, dialogue, or sound effects. Video game sound is not only received but also contributed by players.
It is an industry in itself. The underlining themes of inevitable advancement of technology combined with intuitive marketing strategies and corporate ingenuity has created a video game sound industry, proving to be a substantially lucrative world market place. With this in mind one should take in to account the full scope of how video game sound came to be where it is presently; to have a better chance of influencing where it goes in the future. The continuation of this document offers inquiry and scrutiny to the advancements in technology, marketing strategies, and corporate ingenuities that should be credited in the development of the video game sound industry.
Advancement of Technology
The Birth of Electronic Video Games
The forefathers of electronic video games were silent. These games although never published officially were in existence as early as (1958) with William Higinbotham’s Tennis for Two. The first ventures out in to the actual business world took the form of arcade modules. Popularity of these video arcade units was not fully established until the early 1970s. A pinball company called Nutting Associates created the first mass-produced video arcade game in (1971) titled Computer Space. The game featured a multitude of sounds attempting to emulate a fierce space battle. However, true success would not arrive until a company named Atari released Pong in (1972). After witnessing Atari’s success numerous competitors emerged and were seeking to create their own versions of Pong. Companies such as Williams, Sega, Chicago Coin, Midway, and Brunswick all produced their own interpretations of Pong. The original designer Al Alcorn speculated that by the end of (1973) around 10,000 different versions of Pong were available on the market. The foundation of the video game industry had been poured (Collins, 2008).
Pong to a certain magnitude can be credited for making the sound of video games famous. But, as audio technology of its time was constraint limitations to what sounds could be produced were looming. Because of these constraints embodied within the hardware and space of a unit or module, most beginning game sounds were partially accidental in nature. Alcorn reflected on what the founders of Atari wanted to hear and how the Pong sound came in to reality:
The truth is, I was running out of parts on the board. Nolan wanted the roar of a crowd of thousands-the approving roar of cheering people when you made a point. Ted Dabney told me to make a boo and a hiss when you lost a point, because for every winner there's a loser. I said, "Screw it, I don't know how to make anyone of those sounds. I don't have enough parts anyhow." Since I had the wire wrapped on the scope, I poked around the sync generator to find an appropriate frequency or a tone. So those sounds were done in half a day. They were the sounds that were already in the machine (Kent, 2001).
In staying aligned with many successful business stories across markets; video game companies’ rise and fall from the drive and ingenuity of individuals tied within them. Analog technology in the 1970s – 1980s was peaking but also rapidly becoming overshadowed from the digital world. As with all forms of media swiftly being altered from emerging computer technologies audio was momentously impacted. Alcorn and engineers alike were gradually becoming aware that the abilities to produce, alter, and store sounds were shifting their focus to digital copy. The transition of sound from analog to digital and back again was something still fresh in concept and execution. To better understand these technology limitations one must examine what was available at the time (Collins, 2008).
Analog to Digital Sound: A Clearer Understanding of (Sample Rate and Bit Depth)
Sound is merely fluctuations in air pressure caused by vibrations that create wave forms consisting of compressions and rarefactions. In the analog world these wave forms can be expressed in frequency values. The human ear has an audible frequency range between 20 Hertz (Hz) to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz). In the digital realm these frequencies assume data values of 1s and 0s. The scientific tool that allows the conversion of electrical current in to computer binary (1s and 0s) is called an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). Reversing this process and taking computer data back in to audible frequencies is accomplished with Digital to Analog Converters (DAC) (Stranneby & Walker, 2004).
ADCs and DACs basis of operation relies on two components, sample rate and bit depth. Sample rate refers to how many (samples) per second a converter takes of a given data stream or frequency. Sample rates are taken at double the rate of the highest-frequency factor within an analog or digital signal. For instance, in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz data can be sampled at a rate of 44.1 kHz. In hand with sample rate, bit depth is vital to the fidelity of the resulting sound. Recognizing that a (bit) is the tiniest unit of information in computer binary computer processors are limited by their given bit capabilities or bit-depth. An 8-bit computer can process 8 bits of data at a single point in time. Of those 8 bits, 256 different combinations of 1s and 0s are available for how the resulting (byte) or 8 bits can be conveyed. In other words bit-depth is associated with how many bits are available in a byte. Increasing bit depth will end in increased quality or clarity. Moreover, larger bit depths directly correlate to larger file sizes. These converters are regularly found within motherboards and central processing units of computers (Stranneby & Walker, 2004).
Tying directly with video game sound early ADCs and DACs were limited by computing power of the era. Predominantly speaking about arcade modules during the 1970s literal space to fit components was a daunting task for manufactures. At the time to produce a desired sound one would have to create oscillators and sound components from scratch. In turn there was no standard or relevant method to producing arcade games. A creative mixture of standard analog and predestined digital worlds was commonly seen. No arcade module had the same components or functions as a competitors. Manufacturers by 1980 had come up with an early solution to this dilemma with committed sound chips. These programmable sound generators (PSG) set in motion the ability for more dynamic and expansive sound effects to develop (Collins, 2008).
Best Years of the Video Arcade
As innovation drove the progression of computer technologies through the 1970s and 1980s the Video Arcade was reaching its height in popularity and success. Video game sound was not only incorporating influences from their ancestors (pinball and slot machines) with call sounds but also developing its own domain complete with unmistakable characteristics. Rather than being able to present a few noises here and there within an entire game, PSGs and DACs were ushering in sound and an experience players and audiences had never encountered before. By co-processing game systems to handle audio continuous music tracks were emerging. Increased quantity and quality of sound effects was president for a vision of the future.
Leading competitors at the time eventually introduced specialized sound chips of their own. Perhaps the most praiseworthy of these custom chips was Atari’s “Pokey” chip that was used in games such as Missile Command or Battle Zone both Atari titles in (1980). Dedicated speech chips also entered the scene. Along with custom sound and speech chips came the concept of using more than just one PSG or DAC in a given system. Before long this idea was commonplace and games were incorporating fuller musical elements (Collins, 2008).
The first musical compositions in video games can be categorized as loops. This was introduced by Midway in (1978), when they took over and redistributed a game from Taito titled Space Invaders. The conceptual sound design behind the game was simple but something ground breaking at the time. The music was comprised of four chromatic bass tones descending one note to the next. This was bound in a loop that depending on how many enemies remained the loop would increase in tempo. Tied with the increase in tempo the remaining enemies would move faster and descent closer to the player. A direct relationship between player and game action with sound being the conduit for perceived progress was an innovative direction that continues to influence designers and developers.
Competitors across the board were expanding the sound elements within their games. The true transition of looping sounds in to video games swept the industry in the early 1980s. Companies like Namco and Nintendo with their (1981) titles Pac-Man (Namco) and Donkey Kong (Nintendo) continued to stride forward with their conceptual sound design and music compositions. Pac-Man it could be speculated presented the world with its first video game icon. With the icon of Pac-Man came the sound of his death that is now universally accepted as a loser or defeat sound. Donkey Kong featured the first cut scenes complete with audio loops to connect levels to one another. Nintendo was pushing the creation of stories (Horowitz & Looney, 2014).
One must keep in mind that in parallel timing of arcades rise and height of popularity personal computers and home consoles were emerging in to the market. It did not take long before arcades entirely were dying out due to new competing platforms of which were entirely more capable and convenient for players and audiences. It is imperative for one to understand that the success of video arcades combined with decreasing costs of microprocessors spurred the home invasion of consumer gaming consoles and computers. Moreover, none of these advancements in video game sound would have been possible without the advancements in digital technology particularly dedicated sound chips.
Home Consoles and Personal Computers
The realization that home consoles could be another viable platform for games started with The Magnavox Odyssey that was published and released in (1972). Like the forefathers of video arcade modules, The Magnavox Odyssey had no sound or color and was exposed to minimal success. Other game systems like the Sears Tele-Games System released in (1975) also received some positive payback riding the wave of Pong versions flooding the market. Among various popular consoles developed during this era Atari was to be credited with their intuitive cartridge system that would revolutionize the gaming industry forever. Atari’s Video Computer System later known as the VCS 2600 was the longest running console ever sold. Retail sales of the VCS started in (1977) and concluded in (1992). Once again Atari created another custom sound processing chip explicitly for the console. The chip or Television Interface Adapter (TIA) encountered many difficulties with NTSC (North American television broadcast standard) and European machine versions. The sound was tuned cumbersomely within these formats because of the TIA’s awkward frequency divisions. It was Atari’s competitors who eventually enriched the sound of home consoles (Collins, 2008).
Nintendo primarily emerged in the home console market place as the number one competitor at the time. The release of Nintendo’s Famicom or (Family Computer) overseas in Japan was on the tail end of what appeared to be a fatal crash in the video game market place in (1983). Two years later the Famicom was renamed and repackaged for the United States consumer base. Better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System or (NES) this 8-bit console set many standards in the industry for years to follow. The console not only improved upon others’ faults in video quality but also polished audio eminence as well. With one of Nintendo’s early title releases Super Mario Brothers it has been speculated by many; that the NES revived a complacent video game industry. Super Mario Brothers (Nintendo, 1985) and later The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, 1986) solidified the video game industry in the American market and demonstrated to consumers and retailers that video games were not a passing trend. Nintendo’s advancements in hardware namely the NES’s custom sound chip which was a 5-channel PSG invented by Japanese composer Yukio Kaneoka now rivaled the top of the line components in arcade modules. As a result the NES prompted a significant portion of regular arcade gamers to play games at home instead (Collins, 2008).
While home consoles were perhaps the most obvious contributors to the toppling of the arcade industry personal computers developed in conjunction. Perhaps the most famous of these early personal computers other than the Apple II series was the Commodore 64. Unlike IBM’s initial computers designed with a more business-minded intent, Commodore International designed and executed the Commodore 64 with the gamer in mind. The C64 as it came to be known also had a custom sound chip developed by Robert Yannes in (1981). The chip was named the Sound Interface Device or (SID). It was a breakthrough in sound technology and impacted the music for video games by enabling composers to shift compositions from looped pieces to module segments with increased range and clarity. A true cross-over of popular music at the time was being incorporated now with cover songs being commonplace on the Commodore 64. Digital technology was rapidly expanding. Video game sound and development was beginning to gain serious momentum (Collins, 2008).
From (1983) through (1989) Nintendo dominated much of the video game market space. By the close of the decade the Nintendo’s NES sold over sixty million consoles and the C64 was proclaimed as the world’s best-selling personal computer. Atari had lost their edge on the industry and decided to make a strategic business decision and combine powers with Sega. After the two companies set out and defeated Nintendo in an antitrust lawsuit regarding Nintendo’s monopolistic licensing practices for their developers, a fierce aura of secrecy and fear engulfed the industry. Implications of copyright law at the time were responsible for these conditions due to the fact that games and the source codes within them were not protected yet. This era of the industry can be referred to as the first home console wars. It seemed that competitors were stuck battling the popularity of Nintendo’s NES; however, Sega was to shatter this cycle with their next generation home console the 16-bit Sega Genesis (Collins, 2008).
Video Games of the 1990s
With continued advances in audio technology a major distinction between 8-bit and 16-bit eras of sound can be credited to the introduction of Frequency Modulation (FM) synthesis. Invented by John Chowning of Stanford University in 1967-68 and eventually amended and licensed by Yamaha, frequency modulation entails using a carrier wave to attenuate the sound of a second wave. Differing from the Subtractive Synthesis of 8-bit PSGs, FM chips possessed far more adaptive capabilities for producing sounds. Coupled with FM synthesis the arrival of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technology which is simply a serial protocol for translating musical notes in sequence provided an enormous expansion for video game sound in all categories. From general sound effects, to overall musical composition these technologies allowed for fuller dynamic sound to be incorporated in to games. These technologies were perhaps exemplified best in the Sega Genesis (Collins, 2008).
By moving the bar from 8-bit to 16-bit processing Sega helped set in motion the never ceasing progression of bit depth capability that is a trend seen throughout the continuance of video game systems. Nintendo had found their competition. Not only did the Sega Genesis start to compete head to head with Nintendo as far as video game icons with (Sonic the Hedgehog) now rivaling the popularity of the Super Mario Brothers but the 16-bit console surpassed the NES in all aspects. Nintendo knew they could not remain in the 8-bit era so they introduced their version of a 16-bit home console derived directly from their previous success with the NES. It was the SNES or Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in (1991). These consoles battled for an upper hand in the video game market place but digital technology was now exploding at a rate that few could have anticipated (Collins, 2008).
It did not take long before a third major competitor stepped in to the spot light of home consoles. Originally purposed as a CD-ROM add-on component for the SNES the Sony PlayStation never came to agreeable terms between Nintendo and Sony, who had joined forces recently to combat Sega’s grip on the home console market. In turn both companies decided to go their separate ways Nintendo eventually grouping contractually with Phillips and Sony taking their PlayStation to new heights that would firmly seal their position in the video game market space. Sony aimed to challenge the price point of Nintendo and in doing so was immensely successful. By the end of the PlayStation’s retail shelf life Sony had sold over 85 million units (Collins, 2008).
The 32-bit console was fitted with a powerful CD-ROM drive that had recently gained popularity with the general public across a range of creative Medias. The PlayStation’s audio quality was attributed to its sound chip comprised of twenty-four channels of CD-quality sound. Progression of video game audio was now capable of subduing players in to 3D soundscapes with real-time effects: sound envelope changes with (ADSR) parameters, pitch modulation, reverb, and looping. Sound design was emerging as a true profession within the industry with third party contractors being hired explicitly for sound. Every composer and sound engineers job is to enhance the overall vision of a game (Alten, 2012). Technology was finally catching up to the always desired aesthetic developers’ sought after for proper game sound, an aesthetic that had previously been confined by technology limitations (Collins, 2008).
Nintendo made a tactical decision to bypass the 32-bit consoles entirely and created the first 64-bit console in (1996). The Nintendo 64 or (N64) unlike the increasingly popular PlayStation and PC games on the CD-ROM format, used a cartridge system. Despite the systems superior capabilities to the PlayStation, Nintendo’s lack of game selection limited their success. Regardless of any critique by the end of the products life cycle Nintendo had reportedly sold over thirty million units (Collins, 2008).
The substantial underdog at this point was Sega. The company attempted to answer with a few consoles of their own. The Sega Saturn in (1994) a 32-bit console, as well as the Sega Dreamcast (1998) a revolutionary 128-bit console both achieved inadequate consumer response compared to the original Sega Genesis. By the late 1990s Sega was facing inevitable defeat in the home console market space (Collins, 2008).
The 1990s was an historic time for developing digital technologies. Hardware advancements like the CD-ROM had become a standard platform for transferring and storing data across all media types not just limited to video games. Attached to the strides in hardware technologies; software developments of the 1990s set in motion the current path of sound implementation programs. The forefather of these programs being iMUSE (Interactive Music Streaming Engine) was far ahead of its time and leagues ahead of its competitors but soon was to become a standard and surpassed like all technology before it (Collins, 2008).
Turn of the Century: Video Games of Today and Tomorrow
Currently the video game industry in perspective of project scope is similar in organizational patterns to the book publishing, film, or music industries. Today there are several conglomerate game publishers that architect a games entire development process. Publishers are responsible for providing much of the capital reinforcement for a given project. With economics being the driver behind all business decisions publishers main objective is always to produce a marketable product that will earn revenue streams worldwide. These top publishers are Activision, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Microsoft, THQ, and Sony among other smaller companies. These corporations alone demonstrate the pure correlation between console manufacturers and future game developers. Developers are now a blanket term for a studio/team/company that designs and produces game titles to fit the funding publishers desires. Processes entailing a projects production differentiate from one another depending on the given genre, platform, and company (Collins, 2008).
As previously touched upon earlier technology at the turn of the century to present day has exponentially expanded at such a rate; that it has made it difficult for publishers and developers to stay truly current with their products. With the ocean of game and sound engines available for engineers and directors to incorporate sound, individuals in these professions face issues with how to most efficiently implement their vision. Programs that have emerged and are becoming industry standards are Middleware programs: ISACT, Wwise, and FMOD among others. These Middleware programs allow for a multitude of musical elements to be altered in real-time within the actual game engine itself. The musical elements could include anything for digital signal processing (DSP), to instrumentation and arrangement, to pitch and tempo parameters. They are gaming digital audio workstations (DAWs). With these workstations it is possible to test audio in games before committing it permanently that has created for a more appropriate final aesthetic for players (Newman, 2009).
Consoles and computers are constantly pushing the bounds of their predecessors as new technologies that are faster and more intuitive for users emerge every month if not week. One of the most popular manufacturers for consoles is Microsoft with their current XBOX ONE that is more than just a home console, but considered more of a full home entertainment system. Rivaling Microsoft is Sony’s PlayStation 4 which has outperformed the XBOX ONE in units sold worldwide and also is considered a complete home entertainment system not just a gaming machine. Also still in the mix of frontrunners is Nintendo with their Wii system; however, much of the primary market space especially in the United States and Europe is dominated by Microsoft and Sony. With consoles, personal computers have become ordinary in society along with tablet and cell phone platforms that are all viable places to produce profitable video games (Newman, 2009).
Critical Analysis of Technology Advancements for Video Game Sound
However brief of an historical account this document offers it is fair to accept that without technology advancements in both the analog and digital realms, video games and more specifically video game sound would not be possible to produce. Innovation has been the key to the continued success of the video game sound industry. Each era of computing power, from 8-bit technology to 16 to 32 to 64-bit computing has always been constrained by limitations of memory and speed. It is the inevitable nature of how this technology is driven and manufactures still encounter issues within these parameters. Early on the practice of looping effects and soundtracks proves these tensions between aesthetic and technology. Other constraints that have been issues throughout the evolution of video game sound are more socially based. Literal programming knowledge available in the field to complete software packages, to write and compose music with composers initially that lacked any form of real training. As video games established themselves as an enduring industry sound moved from being an afterthought to more of a turning point in the complex history of games.
Nonetheless, as time presses forward solutions to these complications are being developed and the pure visionary aesthetic that publishers and developers have always wanted in their games is now more achievable than ever. It could be speculated that with boundless advances in audio technology, animation, and micro processing video game sound has become one of the most complex professions in the entertainment industry. Often a single individual will be responsible for knowledge in many facets applicable to video game sound. From recording techniques for effects, to compositional arrangements of music, to real-time mixing practices, to actually programming and implementation in game engines the sound design profession in reality encompasses much more than just audio knowledge. And after years of refining processes and organizational structures for scope of products, the video game sound industry is booming.
Marketing Strategies & Corporate Ingenuities
Taking a step back from the heavy technological side of video game sound it is also crucial to examine and understand the marketing strategies and corporate ingenuities that have helped and continue to help propel video games forward from behind the scenes. For purposes of relevance and prudent knowledge, this document will focus on more recent business practices and plans that corporations have created and still exercise regularly in the past decade (Roquilly, 2011).
Types, Themes, and Genres
Before gaining better understanding of the business strategies used to generate capital one must take in to account the classification system for games and gameplay. Every game fits in a roll in these three categories: types, themes, and genres.
Starting with genre, this is the category used to classify a game derived directly from the players’ gameplay interaction. Genre does not take in to account any visual interaction or operating platform. Despite a lack in agreeable terms for a standard definition, most video game genres are well-defined in terms of possessing similar sets of characteristics, gameplay objectives, and perspectives. Common examples of video game genres are first-person-shooters, puzzle, action-adventure, sports, and strategy among many others (Osathanunkul, 2015).
Video game themes, is a category used by corporations to analyze only the visual interaction of the player. Based completely off of visual content within a given product theme classifications could entail things like futuristic, medieval, and fantasy domains (Osathanunkul, 2015).
The last analytical category used by companies to define a product is its type. Type unlike theme or genre is derived from the grouping of electronic hardware utilized to create a given platform. These platforms or types are commonly referred as things: mobile, computer, arcade, console, and handheld (Osathanunkul, 2015).
All of these categories play rolls in what the conceptual sound design needs to include. The same sounds you record and use for a futuristic, console, first-person-shooter will be entirely different from the sounds required to make a pleasant user interface for a classic, mobile, puzzle game. Nonetheless, these are the starting points a sound designer will take in to account for pushing a visionary sound design to impact a game appropriately.
Types of Business Models
With (types, themes, and genres) in mind game publishers and developers currently are faced with dilemmas on how to approach a proper business strategy for products. As the driver in business is revenue streams companies have concocted several intuitive business models to capture those revenue channels. Placing some perspective on what kind of money the video game industry is creating by the end of 1999 the United States video game industry generated around US$7.4 billion in sales. A small piece of what was a $32 billion dollar industry worldwide at the time. In the past give or take 10 years the growth rate for worldwide sale revenues in video games exceeds 9 percent and by 2013 had grown to a US$76 billion dollar industry. Only forecasted to grow the video game industry is estimated to be worth over US$86 billion by 2016. As a side note it is important to understand as well that business models are completely independent from the visionary creation of a product or service within games (Osathanunkul, 2015).
In general video game firms have a somewhat holistic perspective towards business models. Largely, schemes of classification are reached by examining two underlining formulas.
The first is called (Customer accessibility classification scheme). The two derivative payments systems from this scheme are called Pay-to-Play and Free-to-Play. Pay-to-Play sets up a product or service for a customer that will not be fully accessible unless the user makes some type of payment to obtain full functionality. Dissimilar to Pay-to-Play business models Free-to-Play models focus on shear exposure that ultimately entices players to buy additional content once they already have full access to base operations. Free-to-Play schemes are found in Shareware, Freemium, Freeware, and open source products (Osathanunkul, 2015).
(Revenue model classification scheme) is the second approach to seizing revenue streams. These are more traditional routes of gaining capital. For instance, coin-operated is a sub category within this business model. Along with coin-operated establishments’ retail sales of tangible games in different mediums: CD-ROMs, DVDs, cartridges, cassette tapes or Blu-ray discs are viable means of sales revenue. Furthermore, Digital distribution, advertising, subscription based, and micro-transactions all fall under this classification scheme (Osathanunkul, 2015).
Critical Analysis of Marketing Strategies and Corporate Ingenuities
The importance of all of this for an employee of a publisher or developer namely, a sound designer or engineer is how you will discuss your contractual work for hire. Within these classification schemes there is room for discussion on royalties to the creators as well as numerous avenues to keep or relinquish rights. On top of that there are countless opportunities to introduce sound with payment processes and user interfaces set up specifically for money transactions. To reach the distracted consumer base of today’s up and coming generations sound must be incorporated in everything even a payment page on a website. It is just another medium for communicating a corporations overall message to their customers (Croal & Itoi, 2004).
Conclusion & Takeaways
The subject of video game sound is not a straight forward one. It is a complex entanglement of many influences rooted in social cultures around the globe, sandwiched between a floor of technology and a ceiling of creative passion. The sonic domains created in video games today draw influence from a culmination of facets. Issues within the video game industry will always be present, especially for producing sound whether its budgeting pressures from publishers in a competitive market space or limitations in technological capabilities passionate individuals who stay away from complacency will remain successful. The bounds of technology as the past 40 years have displayed seem immeasurable. Because of this condition that cannot be stopped, in modern culture video games and the audio within them will only continue to grow and spill over in to although facets of life. Individuals that can capture the imaginations of the next generation consumer with sound will be the precursors of the future in the video game industry.
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