Performance while playing games without sound

[Carpenter]

My console has separated audio channels outputs and the TV set it was hooked in a given occasion had only one audio input. The channel that left unused was the one that plays the countdown when it is dawning in Enduro. Without that sound to stress me I could perform a lot better. I tried other games without sound and the results were the same: better performance (I think at least). So I would like to hear from you what is your experience (if any) while playing games with sound muted.

[Miss 2600]

I always turn the sound way down when playing.

[DemonoidTentacle]

I always perform terrible if playing games with no sound.

[+save2600]

When younger I'd always play games while listening to music but these days I prefer to hear the game sounds.

[Vaughan]

Nine times out of ten I've got music playing while I'm gaming, so obviously it's muted. I enjoy the retro sounds of the 2600, but having music going is a fun evening. I think I do better without sound, I attribute it to having much less stress while playing. When I'm listening to music I'm nice and relaxed, and that helps me play better.

[Schizophretard]

I play best when my head phones are plugged into the TV and my wife is muted.

[mtshark7]

I always play with the game sounds on...but I do play better when the sound is muted.

[+SpiceWare]

Depends on the game.

 

Some use sound to build up your anxiety (such as the thump thump in Space Invaders). For those games, I tend to play better with sound down or off.

 

Some games use sound as an integral part of the game. You'll have a hard time playing Dolphin with the sound turned down or off.

 

For all other games, it's a wash.

[fiddlepaddle]

I usually play with my favorite music turned up and games sounds off or way down. I'll mute the music or just increase the game sounds if I need to, but I'd rather not. Many of the modern games (Playstation and newer) have at least an intro where I'm missing something important, or at least entertaining, but most of the older games don't. Some of those BEEP-BOOP-BEEP sounds get really annoying after a couple of minutes.

[TwentySixHundred]

99 percent of the time i will play all my games with sound effects on but no in game music depending on the game/console i am using. However i play my own music with the sound effects about level so it sounds like in game but my music.

 

Of course there are some games on Playstation and PC i have to play full audio but if i play my own music i still need some sound effects

[SlowCoder]

If I've been playing a game with sound, then suddenly remove the sound, I usually feel more distracted, and have to work harder to play three take effectively. A well designed game will have sounds indicative of the game action and situation. For instance, a racing game has engine sounds that tell how fast you're going, or wheel screeching to indicate the traction of your tires when you round a corner. The sound of another engine helps me know when another car is close. Lack of those integral sounds would greatly weaken my ability to race effectively. But I can do without all the background music.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

If I've been playing a game with sound, then suddenly remove the sound, I usually feel more distracted, and have to work harder to play three take effectively. A well designed game will have sounds indicative of the game action and situation. For instance, a racing game has engine sounds that tell how fast you're going, or wheel screeching to indicate the traction of your tires when you round a corner. The sound of another engine helps me know when another car is close. Lack of those integral sounds would greatly weaken my ability to race effectively. But I can do without all the background music.

I can confirm this. Usually sound is one of the last things I add to a game. But IMO it makes a huge difference. The game play seems much more direct and you are more digging into the game then. Boulder Dash got a pretty different touch and felt much improved when we finally added sound.

 

And I can live without in game music very well too.

[vanderveen88]

I will do this sometimes with very familiar games (Tetris especially) but more often than not, I find it easier to follow the game action with music and sound effects.

 

Here's another question: when you do turn down the sound, what, if anything, do you listen to in its place? I remember once playing Intellivision while listening to the Human League ("Don't You Want Me," "Black Hit of Space," etc.) and found the two seemed to go very well together. That cold, synthesized sound just kind of meshes well with the primitive feel of the Inty games somehow. I bet it'd suit pretty much any game from the late 70s or early 80s.

 

Any others?

[retrorussell]

I often had to play my Atari muted, because I was only allowed 2 hours a day due to my middling grades, and I snuck some more time ini. It didn't affect my gameplay.

[Necron99]

It depends on the game for me. Some games have really annoying sound effects (Spacemaster X-7), So I turn the volume down/off. but a game like berzerk, I prefer the sound and seem to do better with it on.

[Animan]

I know it isn't 2600, but I find it hard to play Fighter Megamix without the music. It feels like something is missing, in a very bad way. That, and the punching/kicking sound effects sound weird by themselves.

 

I''ll agree with Necron99, it depends on the game. I also have have a minor sensitivity to high-pitched sounds, so sometimes I find it hard to play certain games.

[disjaukifa]

I have to have the music/in game sounds. I play a ton of Berzerk and just the sound helps me in dodging bullets and letting me know where various robots are located. Same goes for Mr. Do!'s Castle for the 2600, the sound helps me a lot and the music helps calm me down as well in that game.

[Ranthulfr]

I pretty much always play with the game sounds turned to an audible level. I can understand the "less stress" theory for playing certain games without sound, but I just like to hear feedback from the ole 2600.

[AlvinKarpis]

I can play most games muted with music on in the background

 

But games like Dragster and Dolphin you need the sound to play

 

In fact I can play Dragster by sound only

 

Not nearly as good as watching the screen, but just using the sound I can make a run of like 6.5 or so

[Ranthulfr]

Mountain King is another title where the sounds are integral to the game. You could "win" with the sound turned off but you'd need some extra luck to do it.

[SONDER2600]

just depends on the game for most 2600 games the sound doesn't matter to me but with newer games i gotta have sound

[Austin]

It depends on the game for me. Many games have audio cues that let me know something is about to happen, and that helps me plan or improvise my game accordingly (basically, better performance), so I definitely leave the sound up for these.