# Exploring the Impact of Ambient and Character Sounds on Player Experience in Video Games
## 3 Experiment 2
### Discussion  
The goal of the second experiment was to investigate whether the effects of different sound types on the gaming experience could be found in LoL when participants were not restricted in their gameplay.  
In this experiment, we found significant effects of character sounds on immersion, avatar identification, and fun, along with a trend in the effect of ambient sounds on flow and fun. Previous studies have already found connections between sound effects in general and immersion without making the distinction between ambient and character sounds [21; 22]. It is possible that character sounds aid in creating a more realistic game world by acting as auditory action feedback and, as such, helping to create a clear relationship between actions and their outcomes [6]. Contrary to our expectations, we again did not find a significant influence of ambient sounds on immersion. This might be because the ambient sounds in LoL are generally too subtle, which is supported by the observation that several participants reported not noticing the manipulation of ambient sounds. As changes in variables should be discernible to alter immersion [5], this might explain why no significant effects were observed.  
The effect of character sounds on avatar identification supports earlier findings [23; 27]. Previous studies outside the video game context have shown that auditory feedback leads to improved movement coordination with an avatar [26], and in video games, a more interactive experience leads to higher avatar identification [11]; this could explain why higher realism and auditory feedback provided through character sounds increase identification with the avatar.  
The effect of ambient sounds on flow was not significant, but the observed trend is in line with previous findings. The similarity in the constructs of flow and immersion has led to some overlap in the measurement of both. Considering the results of previous studies [23], we might conclude that ambient sounds support a deeper involvement in the game overall. The significant correlation between flow and immersion underlines the similarities between the two constructs; however, the results also support the notion that they are nevertheless influenced by different aspects of the sound design.  
We have also found that fun ratings were higher in the presence of both types of sounds. Earlier studies have found similar effects, where a game was experienced more positively and less negatively when sounds were present [22]. The interaction between ambient and character sounds revealed that the effect of ambient sounds was only significant when character sounds were turned off, not when they were turned on. This might be explained by the inconspicuousness of the ambient sounds. As character sounds were much more noticeable than ambient sounds, they might have overshadowed their effect.  
The positive correlations between immersion, avatar identification, and fun are in line with previous findings [11; 13; 21; 23] and might also indicate that the effect of character sounds on fun is mediated by immersion and avatar identification. The positive correlations between immersion, avatar identification, and perceived competence are also in line with earlier findings [11; 13] and might indicate that a higher identification with an avatar leads to the impression that it is easier to control and, therefore, increases a player's perceived competence [13]. Higher immersion might also prevent shifts of attention away from the game and contribute to a higher perceived competence. However, as we are looking at correlational data here, no causal relationships can be inferred.