How important is sound design in games?

In many games, sound is the fastest way for players to understand what is happening without having to look at the screen. For example, a heartbeat or bleeding sound to warn that your health is running low, changing footstep sounds to indicate you are stepping on a different surface material, or music that suddenly speeds up to signal danger or an approaching enemy.

Try closing your eyes and listening to 3 seconds of the OST from Hoa or The Scourge (Tai Ương), and you will instantly know which game it is. Audio and background music stick with a player's memory longer than anything else, which is why many indie devs invest seriously in this area despite tight budgets.

If you don't have the budget for a professional musician yet, here are some starting points you can refer to: Audacity: The go-to software, sufficient for handling most basic sound effects.

• BFXR/SFXR: Free tools for creating 8-bit sound effects.
• https://t.co/xo8euMZco3: A free audio library with hundreds of thousands of files.
• LMMS: A simple background music creation software as an alternative to FL Studio.