Weinel, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0001-5347-3897 (2024) Auditory hallucinations and altered states of consciousness in video games. In: Gibbons, William and Grimshaw-Aagaard, Mark, (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Video Game Music and Sound. Oxford Academic . Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 326-342. ISBN 978-0197556191; 978-0197556160; 0197556167 (doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197556160.013.33)

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Abstract

Sequences that depict states of intoxication, hallucination, or psychosis, have become increasingly common in video games over the last few decades. In this chapter, I shall explore the design and function of these sequences by drawing together existing research and examples in this area. First, I will outline how ASCs may shape subjective experience in various ways, focusing in particular on sensory aspects of these experiences. This will allow us to consider how these may provide a practical basis for the design of corresponding sequences in video games. Following this, I will provide an overview of existing games that represent hallucinations, allowing us to see what techniques are used already. Next, I discuss several of my own projects which represent auditory hallucinations and ASCs in sound and video games. This discussion will provide the necessary backdrop through which we can then consider the concept of “avatar-centered subjectivity,” whereby the design of graphics, sounds, and controls are modified to represent the subjective experience of a player avatar from a first-person perspective. Through an exploration of examples and the concept of avatar-centered subjectivity, I will provide the conceptual tools that readers need to understand how ASCs can be effectively represented in games, allowing them to undertake their own analyses and practical work in this specialist area of sound design and games development.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sound design; video games; altered states of consciousness; hallucinations
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BH Aesthetics N Fine Arts > NC Drawing Design Illustration Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences (CMS) Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Last Modified:	01 Jul 2024 10:13
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/43403

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