Thompson, Ryan2018-03-142018-03-142017-12https://hdl.handle.net/11299/194540University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2017. Major: Music. Advisor: Peter Mercer-Taylor. 1 computer file (PDF); 193 pages.Occasionally, video game developers utilize game audio as a means to communicate gameplay-related information to the player. In these instances, actively listening to the audio improves a players gameplay by providing them with knowledge they would not otherwise possess. This dissertation is a series of case studies exploring a few of these types of situations. Sometimes this information conveys details about an enemy position, or an enemy type; other times, information gleaned by listening to the audio is pointed towards spectators or newer players. In every case, these communication channels speak to broader trends in the video game industry moving forward.enGame AudioLudomusicologyMusicologySound StudiesThesis or Dissertation