Anticipation
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Contents
Synopsis
| A phase of gameplay anticipating an engagement. |
Relationships
Contexts:
Emotional Script 
, R-A-E-D Iterations 
.
Peers:
Relaxation 
, Engagement 
, Decay 
.
May call for:
Stealth 
.
May use:
Music 
, Entrainment 
, Heartbeat 
.
Description
Anticipation is one typical phase of the Emotional Script during gameplay. It is used both alone and integrated in an iterated sequence (R-A-E-D Iterations) that can also involve some or all of the phases Relaxation, Engagement, and Decay.
Sound designers in the movie industry explore Anticipation in very effective ways. Yet, this is one of the aspects where techniques used in film practice are hardly "importable" to game design. In games, contrary to what happens in movies, it is inherently difficult to predict what the player will do next, or even to assess the motivations behind the player's current behaviour. Unless for instance interactivity is compromised by linearizing the gameplay in particular moments (to the possible extreme of inserting a Cutscene), some artificial intelligence may be necessary to infer a proper moment for Anticipation.
Some game genres including survival horror make an extensive use of Anticipation for which it contributes the Ambiance and, for instance, the contrast between apparent Silence and aspects of the Character Soundprint which may trigger critical Engagements (that is, Consequent Sound). The proper nature of the genre, where Engagement is always imminent but seldom announced, makes it meaningful that sounds of Anticipation may be consistently presented even if it is not know if there will be actual Engagement in the next moment.
Examples
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