The Importance of Atmosphere Within Video Games

As you may have guessed, I love to create an atmosphere for activities, rooms, and more. Video games are no exception. Even these digital worlds have an atmosphere you can experience from your game room.

What is Atmosphere in Video Games?

Atmosphere within video games is difficult to define because it has so many layer and moving parts. So let’s see if we can give it a try. Atmosphere within video games is a mix of what the creator intends for the audience and what the audience receives. It includes artwork, audio, narrative, depth, level design and character interaction. With all these layers you can create the atmosphere; an experience above and beyond the moment to moment pleasures of the gameplay.

Atmosphere is a significant part in determining if a player will continue to play. It is what’s keeping the gamers from thinking about a game on a technical level. It draws gamers in and keeps them invested from the opening menu to the end credits.

Elements of Game Atmosphere

Atmosphere includes many aspects working cohesively to create a gameplay experience. One that keeps gamers invested to the very end of the game. Let’s look at what those aspects are:

Visuals

Visuals are anything that you can see within the game. The colors, textures, and graphics; even lighting creates different feelings and emotions. This make the gameplay experience aesthetically pleasing and engaging. When you see a beautifully visual game, it’s hard not to comment on it. It’s also difficult not to continue playing to explore other areas, locations, and more as you play.

Narrative and Story

Video games have evolved from the early days of object/objective (ie. pong and paceman) to the more elaborate worlds we see today with character background and interweaved storyline. Nowadays, if the game doesn’t have a background and storyline, it may not be worth investing their time.

Don’t get me wrong, games like Candy Crush will forever be there for those that just want something that doesn’t take much to play the game. I’m talking about the games where you have multiple objectives, side objectives, worlds to explore, people to meet and more. You’re invested into the character the moment you step foot into the game and you’re there until the last credit rolls.

You go on the journey with the character, making choices, gathering items, weapons, and more as you defeat enemies, bosses, and obstacles. You cry when you loose a character and shout with joy when you defeat a particularly difficult boss. It’s the interaction and connection with the character. It’s also the world they traverse; their journey, story, and backstory that keep them enthralled and invested.

Gameplay

The gameplay of a game can help create the atmosphere in the game by the ease and difficulty of physically playing the game. If you are struggling to figure out the motions of the controller and how to control the characters moves, attacks, accessing and navigating the menus and more. There will be a disconnect between the player and the game as they try to figure out how to do things.

If the gameplay is relatively easy to understand and maneuverable, the player can stay within the atmosphere of the game while navigating what’s needed. The player is controlling the character rather than watching it happen.

Difficulty Modes

Difficulty modes provide another level of gameplay for the player to enjoy. Those looking for a more challenging version are welcome to the provided upper difficulties and even the insane difficulty versions of the game.

Start with the regular or lower versions for some easy fun and begin a game at a higher difficulty to give you more of a challenge.

Music and Sound

Music as well as sound affects add a sense of realism to the game. With the right sound affect and music, the player is drawn into an immersive experience that they can enjoy. This can also establish the tone of the story being told whether sad, scary, adventurous, or joyful. It allows the player to become invested emotionally with the actions of the character and the outcome of their decisions.

The Details

The purpose of a game will not always be to play the game through to the end and win against the main boss. Sometimes the purpose of a game is to add a bit of fun your life, escape to another world, or even release stress.

Even items within the game are not always going to have a purpose other than to find and collect them. They have nothing to do with the story, but they do enrich the gameplay. They also give you the option to explore rather than tackling the main quest if you so choose.

Final Thoughts

Even though atmosphere within video games is hard to explain with its many pieces, you are still able to experience it. It’s one of the reasons why we get immersed in the game and play to the very end.

What is your all time favorite game that you get immersed into every time you play?