How does the use of HRTF affect a non-VR game experience? : A small-scale exploratory study on digitally simulating human hearing in a non-VR game

Sammanfattning

Hearing is a core sense for the human body. However, digital sound does not work the same way that human hearing does. Some fundamental differences exist, such as interaural differences in time, loudness, and frequency. To simulate human hearing in a digital setting, technologies such as Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) and binaural audio are utilized. But how does this technology affect a non-VR game experience? This small-scale exploratory study creates two versions of the same game, the only difference between them being that one uses Stereo, the other HRTF. As a result of the small scale, the mentioned effects in the study are only applicable in this particular setting and do not make any statements regarding the effects of HRTF on games in general. In the present sample, significant differences were found between the Stereo and HRTF versions in terms of Naturalness and Presence. No other significant differences between versions were found. Qualitative data of the study indicate that HRTF may increase the degree of Immersion, Sound Localization (horizontal), Naturalness, and Presence for some participants. The study discusses the factors that may affect the chosen dependent variables. The study also found wide individual differences in the experience of HRTF effects. Additionally, mixing challenges of making the Stereo and HRTF versions similar enough in loudness are discussed. The impact of not disclosing game audio implementation is also discussed. These are especially important considerations for reliability within the scientific game audio field that have been underreported in previous research.