The biggest enemy of mobile game music isn't the consumer, but rather the mute button on the side of the device.

With mobile gamers increasingly playing in public spaces, it's tempting for them to switch off the sound on their games if it becomes too distracting.

"As adults, we’re trained to turn off mobile game audio", Nick Thomas - CEO of SomaTone Interactive - said at the Casual Connect conference in San Francisco.

And the binary on-or-off of a mute switch makes it easy for players to silence game music.

This creates a negative feedback loop that discourages quality audio from being created for mobile since many producers assume it'll just be muted anyway.

Sounding off

The problem with this on/off dichotomy is that the lack of compelling mobile audio essentially mutes a potential source of exposure and revenue.

A catchy theme played at the launch of an equally catchy game can let others in the room know what a gamer is playing, or will draw curious ears, and eyes, over to investigate.



Thomas also noted that voice overs are absent on the majority of mobile games - and that's a missed opportunity for player engagement.

"Audio is the red-headed stepchild" Thomas quipped, as many heads in the crowd nodded in agreement.

But there's a silver lining - well-developed audio can work to a game's benefit and bring it life in a whole new way. In order to accomplish this, Thomas suggested that you look for a high degree of audio branding to help make a game sticky.

The best way to manage this is through audio themes branded to the product, but signature sounds - like the Mario Brothers coin block noise - are another potential avenue of engagement.

Wrapping up his thoughts, Thomas issued a call to arms for fresh content.

"Standard library sound effects and music loops are not acceptable," he argued, as they depreciate the overall quality of music in mobile and in encourage gamers to turn the audio off.