Jason Shegoleff is a creative sound designer, media producer and musician.
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Honors Thesis
Ambisonic Video Game
“Hide and Seek” is a single-player iOS game designed to be played without visual aids. The premise is simple: listen for the hider and find them before time runs out, using only sound.“Hide and Seek” Live Demo Game Capture
(Game does not include graphics)
2024
About The Game
“Hide and Seek” is a directionally based game, meaning the tilt, angle and direction of the player’s device directly correlates to that of the character within the scene. Movement is generated by the player angling themselves in the direction they would like to walk and simply pressing the screen. For best results, the game is played stationary with headphones. The simplicity of movement in this game is for two reasons: to give the player almost full immersion into the directionality of sound, and to make the game accessable to people who may not have large rooms or spaces to play a game.
The player holds the device infront of their face horizontally, as if it were a reality headset. By doing so, the sound will directionally correlate as the player rotates to listen in different directions.
2024
To successfully create a sound-only game, I relied on audio cues for nearly every critical aspect of the gameplay. Directions are read aloud, the start and end of rounds are signaled through specific sound design choices, and in-game objects are distinct and highly directional. To keep the player engaged, each level introduces new challenges and sonic experiences.
The first level focuses on the simple action of walking to the hider and “finding” them. The second and third levels become more complex, featuring larger maps, a randomly generated location for the hider, and fence-like obstacles that require re-navigation.
By coding and incorporating directional sound, I simulated a realistic listening experience that immerses the player in their environment. The goal of the game is to encourage navigation through sound alone. Through thoughtful sound design, I developed distinct audio cues for obstacles, the hider, and other intuitive game elements. These cues effectively communicate essential information without the need for visual input. The game was developed to demonstrate the real-world significance of Ambisonics in gaming and to apply the findings of my research paper, “Inclusivity Through Ambisonics and Gaming for People Who Are Blind.”
“Hide and Seek” Development Screenshots
2024