IEZA: A Framework For Game Audio
(retrieved from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3509/ieza_a_framework_for_game_audio.php)
The article attempts to define a clear definition of different kinds of game audio.
Quite a number of definitions have already been offered, usually originating from film sound, or some from how sound assets are handled in the game code, or where a sound originates from in the game.
The article offers a model based on what triggers the sound, and whether it can be heard in the game world or not.
The horizontal axis confers what triggers the sound. Activity means that a sound is triggered because something happens; be it in the game, by the player or by the game itself, or by an action in the interface. Setting indicates that no specific action has triggered the sound or a more general one such as being in the level. Sound in this region is there to enhance the feel of the game.
The vertical axis is one of diegesis: whether the sound takes place within the game world (can the game characters hear the sound?). Non-diegetic sounds are all sounds that do not come from the game world, such as music or interface clicks.
Combining these two axes leads to four zones of sound, which are combinations of the two properties. These are Interface, Effect, Zone and Affect (IEZA). Interface sounds are Non-Diegetic sounds linked to activity, Effect sounds are diegetic. Affect sounds are Non-Diegetic sounds linked to setting, Zone sounds are diegetic.
This model is mainly a model for designers to determine what kinds of sound are in the game. It also provides some information on what kind of sound to make to get a certain effect.
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