Place sound in space — spatialization conveys position and information

3D games, and any game where off-screen events matter — especially action, shooters, horror, and competitive multiplayer. The more the player must react to what they can't see, the more positional audio matters.

The ear locates sources the eye can't see, so spatialized audio extends the player's perception beyond the screen — a crucial advantage in any game where important things happen off-camera [S-collins-game-sound]. Spatial cues do double duty: they immerse (a world that sounds like it surrounds you), and they inform (which direction is that footstep? how far is that roar?). In competitive games this becomes load-bearing — players make real decisions off positional audio (footstep direction, reload sounds), which means the soundscape must be consistent and fair, since an inaudible or misleading cue is a competitive defect, not just an aesthetic one [S-game-audio-practice]. Spatialization is also part of physicality and game feel (FEEL-0001): sound that moves with the world makes the world feel real.

Spatialize world sounds (attenuation, panning, occlusion, reverb by space) so position is readable by ear. For competitive integrity, keep positional cues consistent and hard to mask (AUDIO-0004), and test them for fairness across setups. Keep UI and non-diegetic music out of the spatial field. Where a critical cue would be lost to distance/occlusion, bias toward audibility over strict realism.

Realistic spatialization (full occlusion/attenuation, immersive but sometimes hides cues) vs. gameplay-biased audio (readability and fairness first, even if less realistic) — competitive games lean gameplay-biased; immersive single-player leans realistic. Also diegetic vs. non-diegetic placement is a per-sound choice.

The spatial principle of AUDIO; serves legibility (LEVEL-0002), feedback (AUDIO-0001), physicality/feel (FEEL-0001), and — in competitive play — fairness. Confidence 4.