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SoundTrek: A Virtual Reality Audio Perspective-Switching Game

Published: 14 October 2024 Publication History

Abstract

Virtual reality technologies allow new ways of creating a sense of space not only through sight but also through sound. We present SoundTrek, a game about using listening perspective for navigating through environments in VR. In SoundTrek, the player needs to switch between listening to spatialized sounds from the first- and third-person perspectives to navigate through obstacles. SoundTrek also employs sound design strategies, such as spatialized soundtracks and near-field audio to aid spatial navigation in the absence of visual cues and to create unique aesthetic experiences through sound. We present new ways of utilizing sound in virtual reality game design that highlights design considerations for audio-focused gameplay and diversifies the opportunities for creating rich, interactive soundscapes.

Supplemental Material

ZIP File - Gameplay video: SoundTrek
A short video demonstrating the gameplay for SoundTrek
ZIP File - SoundTrek demo
Playable demo of SoundTrek

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cover image ACM Conferences
CHI PLAY Companion '24: Companion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play
October 2024
500 pages
ISBN:9798400706929
DOI:10.1145/3665463
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

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Published: 14 October 2024

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  1. audio
  2. game design
  3. perspective
  4. virtual reality

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