Sounds Safe? – An Initial Investigation into the Potential of Sound Within the Cozy Games Genre

In this paper we propose further exploration into sound design as a narrative and affective tool within the “cozy” games genre, and assert that sound design is both an under-explored and potentially productive area through which difficult or sensitive topics may be further explored. For example, games broadly categorized as “cozy” such as Night in the Woods (infinite Fall, 2017) Gris (Nomada Studio, 2018) and The Wreck (The Pixel Hunt, 2023) already tackle difficult, emotional and potentially traumatic content within a game setting emphasizing comfort, warmth, connection and safety. Sound has long been established as integral to the interactive experience on psychological, physiological, social and cultural levels, and can be, we assert, further explored and expanded through more focused analysis and experimentation. Our research is based in part on a prototype developed in the context of a game development program, which we present as a basis for further research. In particular we are in the initial stages of exploring the character and mechanics of sound in cozy (and more specifically narrative focused cozy) games. Our work extends previous research developed in earlier interactive sound-based work.