The aesthetics and game sound of “Journey” contribute to the overall visual metaphor that is the game itself. My interpretation of the game is that the figure’s traversal through the environment is a metaphor for a human’s walk through life itself, with the conclusion of the game correlating to death. Niedenthal explains that gaming aesthetics refer partly to “the sensory phenomena that the player encounters in the game” such as its “visual, aural, haptic, embodied” traits (2). “Journey’s” visual aesthetic is rich in color, allowing the player to be swept up in its dream-like world. It’s hard to fathom any world outside of this one when you’re playing it, contributing to the life-itself metaphor. The soft sounds are also spellbinding and almost ASMR-like in nature. We hear the soft sand shifting as the figure moves forward, and the squeaking of the little rugs that lift us up and help us along the way. The controller vibrates softly in your hand as you jump, never too aggressively. The whole thing causes a lull to work over you as a player, sweeping you up into its fantasy. It’s not a fast-paced game, and that’s definitely by design. It wants you to take time and savor the environment and aesthetics that surround you. In Karen Collins’ writing on Game Sound, she expounds on the differing levels of interactivity with sound in games, stating that “audio can serve a wide variety of functions” in games (127) . The music is definitely the most important sound that occurs in Journey, with interactive sound taking somewhat of a back seat. The function of the music in Journey is all enveloping the game player and establishing a rich tonal landscape. Austin Wintory’s score also often dictates subtle or more overt changes in mood as you progress further through the game.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Game Aesthetics by Simon Niedenthal
Game Sound, An Introduction to The History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design by Karen Collins
Sadie's Play Journal 