Can white noise be processed in order to affect the perceived scariness of a game level

Abstract: In this research, a horror game level was created using ”Unreal Engine 4” (Epic games, 2017) where white noise and processed noises was used as ambiences in order to see how it affects the perceived emotions amongst the participants. A pre-study was conducted in order to choose the stimuli for the main experiment and to test attributes. A pilot test was conducted to test the game level to find out any flaws. In the main experiment twenty participants took part in playing the finalized game level and answering a questionnaire. The results showed a change in the emotional quality depending on the noise being present, but it’s unclear if this is caused by the filtering of the noises alone or the filtering of the noises combined with other factors. A post hoc test was also conducted where a valence and arousal chart was created by letting the participants pin point the emotional attributes used in the experiments.