Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence is a design-based project, with an aim to explore the negative space in sound. The project has four main research questions that focus on investigating the role of negative space within sound, enhancing the emotional response within players, developing a degenerative soundscape, and the potential that exists in strengthening the narrative. I developed my game using Unreal Engine 5.3 as my primary game engine as up until now this is the game engine that I have the most experience with. Wwise 2023 is required as the sound engine and I created my sounds within the digital audio workstation Reaper 6.68. I used a mix of studio recordings and field recordings that I have produced myself and samples of audio that I have sourced from freesound.org which are all licenced CC0.

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In the Sound of Silence, the game is framed as a walking simulator in which the player has to traverse a mysterious environment. The player is shrouded in a deathly sound of noise that makes it even more difficult to explore what is happening. This noise is exemplified in a visual nature by a thick mist that surrounds the player. Through the gradual unravelling of layers of sound, players engage in a process of discovery, wherein each stage not only offers insights into the game world but also serves as a representation of narrative progression.