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A framework for the design and analysis of audio-based puzzles
The Audio-Based Puzzle Mechanics (ABPM) Framework is a tool meant to assist game developers and researchers alike in designing and analyzing audio-based puzzles.
Puzzles are an integral aspect of many video games; they come in various forms and challenge the player’s problem-solving skills in a ludic manner. Some puzzles feature audio in a prominent way, either by making game sound a pivotal component of the puzzle-solving process, or by theming the puzzle around sound or music. Studying these audio-based puzzles can offer many relevant insights into the relationship between player and game audio. Yet, there currently exists very few resources for examining this relationship in the context of puzzles.
The ABPM Framework aims to fill this gap by categorizing and describing audio-based puzzle mechanics in video games. "Game mechanics" or "puzzle mechanics" are specific rules, actions, or systems within a game that define how players interact with the puzzle elements. They represent the operational framework that dictates what players need to do to achieve a goal, influencing the player’s approach and experience during gameplay.
The framework consists of five categories of puzzle mechanics, which are called: Input/Output, Spatial, Environmental, Contextual, and Epistemic. The first two categories, Input/Output and Spatial, are themselves divided into two subcategories: respectively, Match and Transform, and then Positive and Negative. All puzzle mechanics in the framework can be envisioned in two possible versions: Direct or Indirect.
In direct puzzle mechanics, the player must interact with audio in some capacity, that is to say, the player must use their auditory skills. In contrast, an indirect puzzle mechanism is one where sound is represented by a modality other than audio – in these cases, a puzzle could easily be completed even if audio was turned all the way down.
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