Music is a powerful tool to get a player hyped or get someone on the verge of tears during dramatic cut scenes. The track’s purpose will determine how many points this category receives.

Voice actors should replace my inner voice for dialogue. They are the living part of the character. When pondering a character, their voice and tonality should echo within my mind. My desire is to be fully present with these characters.

The chime when you click a button, the scroll sound when going through a menu. A swing of a sword crash onto a breakable object. All these little details are important. It should be so satisfying that if you play a game with no sound on, it feels similar to committing a sin.

This category gains points based on the noise created to satisfy the narrative atmosphere. These sounds can be dripping water, echoing footsteps, clanking machinery, urban activity. Without the player’s interactions, these sounds would still exist.

This focuses on specifics rather than broader categories of ambient. These sounds associate to players’ interaction. This could be footsteps on a gravel road, creating a crunch. A player talking within a cavern carrying an echo. A vehicle’s engine rumbling when the player pilots it.