The document provides an analysis of the sound design and soundtrack of the video game Watch Dogs. It examines how the sounds establish the setting of a technologically advanced Chicago and represent the game's genres of action. The mood and pace of the soundtrack changes to correspond with the changing moods in the game, such as faster music during action scenes, which was achieved through sound editing software. Effects like gunshots were prerecorded and imported into the game to help portray the action genre. The voice acting in cutscenes helps set the tone and narrative of the game by giving a sense of the characters and story.

1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
Game Title Watch Dogs
Provide detailed descriptions from chosen examples that establish… Clearly state what production technique(s) you think have
been used to create specific soundtrack elements
Setting Watch Dogs is set in Chicago, in a time where he world is connected by technology, meaning hackers
are at their prime and take advantage of the connection that is shared by anyone with an electrical
device, hackers hack into any piece of technology and are able to siphon peoples bank accounts out of
thin air and hack things like traffic lights and garage doors. This cut scene shows off the technological
side of which the game is based around and gives you a brief look at the main character and his story.
As the game is based around hacking and technology, the game features sounds revolving around
these areas throughout. The game features all manner of sound effects and has various musical tracks
throughout.
The soundtrack and various sounds featured in this cut scene
definitely help to represent the setting of the game. They
help to set the mood of a fast paced game that features a lot
of action, the music that you here in the cut scene would
have most likely been created using virtual instruments that
would have been structured into a soundtrack using sound
editing software on a computer.
Mood The mood of the game alters a lot, the sounds featured in the game as visible in this cut scene, change
with the pace of the game and the mood. Music speeds up in more action oriented scenes and
becomes more frantic and often gloomy depending on the mood of the game. This cut scene highlights
a fast pace game which puts you on edge, the sounds featured within the game help to do this greatly
as they correspond well with the mood of the game and help to alter how the viewer of this cut scene
of the player of the game feels.
As the mood of the game often alters, the soundtrack
corresponds well to the changing in the mood and helps to
set the scene, the pace of the soundtrack changes as the
mood become faster and slower paced or whether the mood
is dark or upbeat. This would have been done by taking the
soundtrack and editing it to correspond with the cut scenes
in the game so that the pace or mood the soundtrack
changes, so that it is relevant to what is happening in the
game. This would have been done using sound editing
software on a computer.
Game genre The game genre is action and it is very visible from viewing this cut scene that it is an action orientated
game. The character is set tasks throughout the game which include car chases, taking own of different
types of enemies and high risk hacking missions. The sounds featured in the game such as gun shots,
fast paced music, screeching cars and explosions help set the scene perfectly and very specifically fit
the action genre.
The sound track and sounds featured in this game help to
represent an action game very well, they alter when the
element of action is more obvious and help o alter the mood
of the game greatly by using explosions, gun shots and fast
paced music. The sounds that help make this game fit the
action genre such as gun shots would have been pre-
recorded in real life before being imported into sound editing
software and then being imported into the game itself.
Narrative The narrative featured in this cut scene is of several of the characters featured in the game conversing
with one another, the voice actors help to give the game a sense of action and help to give the viewer
and idea of what the game is like.
The narrative of the game helps to set the scene and the
voice actors, which are obviously very talented at what they
do help to set the feel of the game. The narrative would have
been created by first recording the raw recordings of the
voice actors reading through the script before being edited to
a professional level and then being imported into the game.