The Sound of the Roman Empire: Effects of Playing a History Video Game With and Without Sound

Background: Sound is a core component of digital games, and its integration is assumed to support learning, motivation, and positive emotions. However, empirical evidence on the role of sound in educational video games remains limited, particularly in narrative-driven educational adventure games such as digital history games.Methods: In a laboratory experiment, university students (N = 111) either played an educational history video game with sound (ambient audio, character voices, and narrated codex entries providing additional historical information) or without sound. Post-test measures assessed factual knowledge, triggered and maintained situational interest, and academic emotions (enjoyment and boredom). Engagement with optional supplemental historical information provided through in-game codex entries was measured using behavioural log data. Group differences were analysed using one-way analyses of covariance, controlling for relevant pre-test variables.Results: Participants in the sound condition did not score significantly higher on the knowledge test than those in the no-sound condition. Likewise, no statistically significant differences emerged in situational interest, enjoyment, boredom, or codex engagement between conditions. Additional analyses indicated that participants’ interactions with codex entries positively predicted knowledge test performance, indicating that voluntary engagement with supplemental content contributed to learning.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the presence of sound alone may not enhance academic outcomes in a narrative-driven educational video game. Additionally, our findings indicate that learning outcomes depended strongly on learners’ engagement with in-game codex entries. Overall, our results on the inclusion of sound highlight the importance of examining specific design features within educational history video games.