When I travel, I’m more likely to stay in one place for an extended period of time than to go from place to place. You still travel in one place, because the world passes by you, instead of the other way around. A lot of video game ASMR channels — that is, footage collections that highlight the diegetic, which is to say in-scene, sound of a given game — tend toward the latter, wandering through towns, touring amid landscapes, meandering the depths of dank tunnels. But some do take a chance at just plopping the virtual camera on a corner and seeing (and, more to the point, listening to) what happens past.
This is a tricky mode, because video games don’t match either the pixel density or the chaotic complexity of reality. Stand at an intersection of Cyberpunk 2077 for long, and you’ll see variants of the same characters, and hear the same sounds. The YouTube account Video Game Weather ASMR explores the potential of static recording in a recent video from Resident Evil Requiem, much as the Atmospheric Gaming channel did earlier this month in the same game, albeit in a hallway; this newer one is shot outside. Cars and pedestrians make their way by, while rain soaks everything. Inevitably, you do see the same faces, the same outfits. At least once I could swear a pair of the same character nearly collided on the sidewalk. Likewise, little disturbs the monotony of the weather, though as background white noise, it works well. Per the channel’s description, “Due to the nature of ASMR, any comments or narration will be minimized. The idea is to offer viewers and listeners a calm, relaxing atmosphere.” Pull up a stool and pay attention to the world, and to the attempts to simulate a world, as it goes by.