Video Game Audio Software, Hardware and an Exploration into its Effect on the Player
Audio has played an important role in interactive entertainment for the majority of its existence. Unfortunately, early home consoles were completely silent as they lacked the processing power to handle both audio and visuals. The first game with audio, seen on american shores, was Taito’s “Gunfight” which used a microprocessor instead of hardwired circuits and a mono amp for gunshot noises. Taito later follows this innovation with the classic “Space Invaders”. By the early 70s, home computers were being released that plugged directly into the TV but still didn’t play sound. The late 70s saw the release of early mono audio machines, from which the tembre was improved until the early 90s, when stereo consoles began releasing. From here, There’s a more complex turn of events involving many releases of PC sound cards and iterations on similar consoles. At this point we see an interesting battle of software and hardware between the major manufacturers. This is where I will explore the specifics of audio solutions, both hardware and software. As well as this, I look forward to discussing the impact these solutions have on the audience. First I will consider the earliest uses of sound.
