Achievement

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	The card's front face	The card's back face

Achievement is arguably the most widely explored use of sound in video games, in all times. It is used to signal virtually all positive happenings during Gameplay, such as elemental accomplishments (gathering collectibles, picking power-ups, defeating regular opponents, ...), intermediate success (reaching a checkpoint, unlocking some feature, defeating a boss, ...), collateral achievements (conquering a bonus, earning a trophy), completing the game, etc.

Sounds of Achievement are, to start with, a matter of Awareness, in the sense that they signal an happening, clarifying its interest. Additionally, they have impact in the overall Emotional Script, in the sense that they reward and highlight the player's behaviour.

Considering the potential recurrence of some Achievements along the game experience, they ought to be carefully designed. They are usually short, though the duration may be adapted to the magnitude of the accomplishment.

Since the nature of the Achievement is often abstract, Sound Effects or Music snippets are a common option. In the case of events involving items whose manipulation has an audible Foley (e.g. picking a sack of coins), a sound derived from it may convey a more direct messaging. Other approaches, including diegetic and non-diegetic Dialogue, have been explored as well.

Perhaps the hardest challenge for a sound designer is to ensure (with a certain level of confidence) that a particular sound stimulus will indeed be perceived as "positive". [pending: Insert some references to studies that can be performed].

Sounds of Achievement contrast with those of Failure, which convey the opposite semantics.