The Right Way To Use Video Game Sound Effects In Your Videos

People spent more than 60 billion dollars on video games in 2020, and played over 11 billion hours playing games. And that only covers the U.S.

That is to say: Video games are a big deal. And if you’re creating content for YouTube, social media, or even marketing materials, you can almost guarantee that a big portion of your audience enjoys gaming in some capacity.

But if you aren’t much of a gamer, it’s easy to assume that video game sound effects aren’t really something that you can or should use in your video projects. Maybe you even think of these sound effects as crunchy 16-bit beeps and boops.

Okay, you probably don’t think it’s that bad. Even people who don’t play games tend to be aware of how the industry has evolved since the Super Nintendo or SEGA Genesis days. But if you don’t keep up with modern games, you might not realize the production value that goes into video game development.

That includes the sound design as well. Some games have audio departments and budgets that rival Hollywood blockbusters. And that means the sound effects — whether they’re retro or modern — are things that can add more oomph to any video project.

You just have to use them the correct way to pull it off.

Using Retro Sounds To Create Some Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a pretty powerful (if a bit mysterious) force. And according to research on the topic, nostalgia makes us feel happier, boosts our self-esteem, and generally makes life more meaningful.

These sorts of reactions are powerful, and they’re what many creators hope to evoke with their content. Finding ways to draw these emotions out of a viewer is what sets apart a great story from a mediocre one. And that means it’s something that you — as a visual storyteller — have spent time thinking about.

Using retro video game sound effects can help you pull that off, assuming you’re making content that could benefit from old-school transition sounds or humorous effects.

It certainly helps that retro games combined sound effects and music in the same engine, which blurred the lines and made the different SFX just as important as the soundtracks.

Classic sound effects are things that video game sounds that you can't forget. Just think about Mario jumping, or the Zelda treasure sound, or even console power-up noises.

Anyone who played those games would have an instant reaction to hearing those sounds.And that sort of instant association can subconsciously make your videos more relatable and engaging with the right audience.

Sound effects serve an important role in how audiences experience a visual medium. Our eyes take in the story, but when one of our senses processes information, our brain uses the other senses to either confirm or reject our vision.

Choosing the right sound effects doesn’t just add texture — it adds weight and merit, and can either make us laugh or cry depending on how the visuals and audio work together. Using retro sound effects brings that nostalgic feeling as another layer of the experience you’re trying to create.

A Look At Modern Video Game Sound Effects

“But what about sound effects in modern games?”

That’s a great question, particularly because of how game design has evolved. Current video games don’t play quite like ones that came out pre-2000. And while using sound effects from these titles might capture a little nostalgia, the individual sounds aren’t quite as recognizable to a widespread audience.

At that point, your goal is more about finding something that conveys the same idea or “mental image” that you want to achieve...even if the effect isn’t quite as recognizable as that reload sound from Goldeneye 64.

When we talk about Foley artists, people immediately think of the mad scientists who work behind the scenes on major motion pictures. They’re the sound designers using bags of keyrings, smashed veggies, and shoes with nails in them to create the sound we need to believe the things our eyes see. 

As video game development has evolved, so has the art behind it. And the sheer size (and production budget) of modern video games has made room for Foley artists to do their magic:

The Batman: Arkham games are a unique cross-section for video game sound effects. On one hand, the visuals and sounds need to meet player expectations — most people have seen or experienced Batman content before. (Especially fans of Batman: The Animated Series.)

But the sound designers and Foley artists also need to create new sonic textures exclusively for video games, which is a different medium than a live-action film or an animated show. They’re still trying to leverage that emotional nostalgia we mentioned earlier, but they’re doing it with the same tools and creativity as other big games.

Another example of this can be seen in Horizon Zero Dawn, a game that blends open world ambience with dinosaur sounds and machinery noises. 

That recipe combines pieces of the natural world and a Jurassic Park-style imagination into something that immerses the audience, even if it’s not quite as instantly recognizable as Pokémon or Donkey Kong.

What About Video Game SFX For Videos?

We already covered the basics of this — mainly what video game sound effects do for listeners, and how that can add something cool to your video projects. 

But you aren’t going to have access to all the old SEGA sound effects libraries, and you won’t have a Foley artist to throw together some modern-sound effects either. That means you’ll need to outsource, but in a way that is affordable and convenient for your creative process.

You can use stock sound effects to fill that gap. If you subscribe to Soundstripe’s SFX package, you’ll get access to over 40,000 sound effects to use in your projects. But the best part is that a subscription provides unlimited access, so you can grab and use as many clips as you want without ever worrying about copyright claims or DMCA takedowns.

Whether you’re working on YouTube content, short films, or any other sort of video, sound design provides a vital piece of the viewer experience. Video game sound effects are just one way you can incorporate unique elements that will resonate with your audience.