Dave experienced some strange phenomenon last night – listening to the radio late at night, as is his self-proclaimed habit during the night when his wife is out of town, he heard a news story about infrasound: tones below 20 Hz that can create feelings in listeners.

Slashdot recently reported the same, relating that the study indicated that infrasound might offer a logic behind those who believe in ghosts and haunted houses.

From the Reuters report linked to from slashdot:

British scientists have shown in a controlled experiment that the extreme bass sound known as infrasound produces a range of bizarre effects in people including anxiety, extreme sorrow and chills — supporting popular suggestions of a link between infrasound and strange sensations.

I’m curious how infrasound might be used for games to create emotive effects (especially fear). Along the same lines, I wonder if it has been used – intentionally or not – in other media (dave mentions that the radio show reported that “composers have for some time used infrasound at “apocalyptic moments” in their works”).

 

3 Responses to Gives Me Chills

  1. dave says:

    hmmm. maybe it’s because i’m rereading frankenstein today, but deploying these tones makes me a bit nervous. not so long as the “hearer” knows it’s happening, as in your multisensory game environmnet. but when i think of the moments that have given me chills and made me sad, the possibility of thought control is uncool. imagine a group gathered for some sort of memorial this thursday being blasted with the “infrasound cannon.”

  2. Jason says:

    Well, assuming that it’s not happening already 😉

    But yes, disclaimers would have to abound, certainly.

    Although I remember a particularly creepy moment in my gaming life, as I was playing Black & White late into the night. Every once in a while, in a discreet, creepy whisper, I would hear:

    deeeaaaaath

    I finally realized that it happened when a villager died, but it still creeped me out. Chills and all…

  3. dave says:

    oh, my. that IS creepy.

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