Games & VR · 2024
The Influence of Sound on Narrative in Horror VR Games
Thesis research: how binaural and adaptive audio drives fear, immersion and storytelling in horror VR games. Analysis of Half-Life: Alyx, Transference and The Exorcist — including player heart-rate measurement.
About the research
Horror is the genre most sensitive to sound — and VR the most sensitive medium. The thesis examines how binaural rendering and adaptive audio systems (sound reacting to the player's actions) build immersion and drive narrative in Half-Life: Alyx, Transference and The Exorcist: Legion VR.
Method
Alongside the analytical part, an experiment measured players' heart rate during play — a physiological response as objective evidence of what sound actually does with fear.
Where it leads
This research is my bridge to AI and realtime spatial audio: systems that adapt sound to the space, to actions and to the listener's state in real time — in games, VR and gallery installations. More in the Sound & AI Lab.
My contribution: Research design and execution, sound design analysis of VR titles, heart-rate measurement experiment, interpretation of results.