When audio and immersion (freely) collides: on sound and mods for The Elder Scrolls in the Nexus Mods platform

In the age of participatory and convergence paradigms, videogame music has its own networked culture with cybercommunities that discuss, share and create, thus allowing an open space of creativity and artistic activities in a digital and constant flow. One of these practices is music composition and production for this medium, available on several platforms such as Soundcloud, Youtube and specifically in the format of modification files (or mods). In my Masters dissertation, I demonstrated the existence of a new model of online artistic production and circulation of musical mods composed and shared in the Nexus Mods platform for the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim videogames. These mods consist in adding new musical material similar to the pre-existent soundtrack of both titles; however, the majority of the files present in the audio category in this platform are related to sound only. With the usage of titles such as “better sounds” or “immersive sounds”, many modders aim to provide a more immersive experience to other gamers through the application of their mods in the game(s). In this case, immersive relates not only to the sound quality of all the aural effects, but especially regarding a plausible construction of reality, in which the gamers are living, playing and negotiating meaning in their own social context. Intersecting playbour, fandom, aural immersion and audiovisual literacy, these audio modders work on adding new layers to the soundscapes and ambiances of the virtual worlds presented in these two objects, placing the immersion component as a key aspect of design, playability, and using this material as a way of enabling their social capital and visibility on online platforms.