In the mix: breaking down the complexities of esports audio

Sound has always played a major part in the gaming experience. Gunshots, revving engines and screeching tyres are the obvious aural signatures of shoot-’em-ups and auto-based games but supporting these are subtler backgrounds and atmospheres that help create the various environments in which players find themselves. All this carries over to the large-scale, multi-player, arena-based world of esports, but the live, professional nature of this increasingly popular form of game-playing calls for specific audio techniques that set it apart from its home counterpart.

The main difference is the scale, with the games taking place in an arena and involving a large number of people, all of whom need to hear what is going on. Cameron O’Neill, Country Manager for broadcast facilities company NEP Japan, divides those involved into three categories: the sports group, comprising the competitors and their support teams (coaches and backup players) plus the referees ensuring everyone plays by the rules; the audience, live production teams and the announcers/commentators, known in esports as ‘shoutcasters’; and the broadcast and streaming crews producing coverage of the events...