Repetitive Sound Fatigue

The specific irritation caused by the same sound effect firing too frequently without variation, footsteps, attack sounds, ambient loops, until the sound becomes actively grating.

In games, this means

A single sword swing sound played identically on every hit becomes noticeable, then distracting, then maddening within minutes of continuous play. The fix is sound pools, a collection of slight pitch, timing, and tonal variations that rotate randomly, preserving the character of the sound while preventing the brain from locking onto the repetition. Most professional audio engines implement this as standard; skipping it is a polish failure that players notice viscerally even if they cannot name it.