Designing Audio-based networked games to maximize player immersion

This is a description of a practical experiment in alternative game design, intended to test and define a new kind of player experience in mobile/net gaming. This ‘Audio-mostly’ concept is created as a test-bed and prototype for sound-based game applications. The underlying principle lies in expanding the imagination of the user, rather than the graphic capabilities of the platform. It should be noted that this research project was principally concerned with defining the design parameters and aesthetics needed for the creation of effective audio based games, it was never intended as a purely academic investigation of the subject’s reactions to the test bed. To this end, we have chosen to use a less rigid style in presenting this project It should also be noted that an audio-mostly game should not be confused with a game specifically designed for the visually impaired, instead it is a game intended for normally sighted people to be used in situations where audio-based gameplay has an advantage over traditional visual based games (Mobile phones in transit for example).