u/TonyDoubekMusic

I've been thinking a lot about how late in the development process audio design tends to get integrated. It usually doesn't happen until after the core systems are locked, which means it ends up just being atmosphere rather than feedback. But in tension-based games especially (such as horror, stealth, tower defense etc), music and sound state can carry a lot of mechanical signaling: something's wrong, escalation is coming, the player is safe, you've been spotted. I'm curious how this sub thinks about it - do you consider audio at the design stage, or is it always at the end? And are there games you feel do this really well where the audio is clearly part of the design spec rather than added at the last minute?

I've been thinking a lot about how late in the development process audio design tends to get integrated. It usually doesn't happen until after the core systems are locked, which means it ends up just being atmosphere rather than feedback. But in tension-based games especially (such as horror, stealth, tower defense etc), music and sound state can carry a lot of mechanical signaling: something's wrong, escalation is coming, the player is safe, you've been spotted. I'm curious how this sub thinks about it - do you consider audio at the design stage, or is it always at the end? And are there games you feel do this really well where the audio is clearly part of the design spec rather than added at the last minute?

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about where music sits within game UX design.
Not just “does the soundtrack sound good?” but:
Does music teach the player something?
Does it reduce or increase tension intentionally?
Does it guide pacing or attention?
Is adaptive music part of feedback design?
Can music function as accessibility or readability support?
I’m rereading Leading with Sound right now and it’s making me think about how often game audio gets separated from UX conversations, even though players are constantly reacting to sonic information emotionally and mechanically.
I’d love to hear thoughts from composers, sound designers, UX folks, devs, or even players:
Where do you think music sits in UX design for games?
Is it atmosphere?
Feedback?
Emotional architecture?
A gameplay system?
Something else entirely?
And are there any games you think use music particularly well as part of the player experience itself rather than just background score?

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about where music sits within game UX design.
Not just “does the soundtrack sound good?” but:
Does music teach the player something?
Does it reduce or increase tension intentionally?
Does it guide pacing or attention?
Is adaptive music part of feedback design?
Can music function as accessibility or readability support?
I’m rereading Leading with Sound right now and it’s making me think about how often game audio gets separated from UX conversations, even though players are constantly reacting to sonic information emotionally and mechanically.
I’d love to hear thoughts from composers, sound designers, UX folks, devs, or even players:
Where do you think music sits in UX design for games?
Is it atmosphere?
Feedback?
Emotional architecture?
A gameplay system?
Something else entirely?
And are there any games you think use music particularly well as part of the player experience itself rather than just background score?