Binaural versus Stereo Audio in Navigation in a 3D Game: Differences in Perception and Localization of Sound

Abstract: Recent advancements in audio technology for computer games has made possible for implementations with binaural audio. Compared to regular stereo sound, binaural audio offers possibilities for a player to experience spatial sound, including sounds along the vertical plane, using their own headphones. A computer game prototype called “Crystal Gatherer” was created for this study to explore the possibilities of binaural audio imple- mentation regarding localization and perception of objects that make sound in a 3D game. The game featured two similar game levels, with the difference that one used binaural sound, and the other stereo sound. The levels consisted of a dark space that the player could navigate freely with the objective to find objects that make sound, called “crystals”, as fast as they could. An experiment was conducted with 14 test sub- jects that played the game, qualitative and quantitative data was collected, including the time the players took to complete the game levels, respectively, and answers about how they experienced the levels. A majority of test subjects reported that they per- ceived a difference between the levels. No significant difference was found between the levels in terms of efficacy of finding the objects that made sound. Some test subjects stated that they found localization was better in the binaural level of the game, others found the stereo level to be better in this respect. The study shows that there can exist possibilities for binaural audio to change the perception of audio in computer games.