Hello Ashley. I've been totally blind all my life and grew up playing text-based games which weren't designed for the blind at all. They taught me a great deal including how to type fast and use my screen-reader effectively. These days, such games are called interactive fiction. It seems that this type of game is experiencing a sort of revival.
In 1996, I created the first Audyssey ezine in order to share my knowledge, hopes and experiences with computer games among blind people. There was no other publication dedicated to accessible games. Thanks to the efforts of many people and the support of game developers, the community of readers grew to encompass people from at least 14 countries at one point. The ezine itself has sadly sufferred from neglect for quite some time now. However, efforts are apparently underway to reforge Audyssey as an auditory game review portal. I'm not currently involved in this and leave it to those who are to elaborate. Thankfully, the community of enthusiastic gamers fostered by the original ezine has survived to this day. Welcome. I've had the equivalent of a front row view of the rise of audio games. Should you have any questions about past developments and events in blind gaming history, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my ability. Regarding your current questions: What are the qualities of a good computer game for the blind? What does it have to have to work well for someone who can't see? A good game for blind people must first and foremost actually be a good game. No amount of fancy audio work or accessibility will save an ill-conceived game from being thought of as such. In my opinion, a good game is one that either delivers a stellar one-time experience, or better yet, offers good reason to play it again even after victory has been achieved. To be accessible to blind people, games must make it possible for players to be aware of all important information in timely fashion. This is usually done via sound and speech. Also, the game's interface needs to be operable by blind people. No special hardware is necessary for this. Most audio games merely require a keyboard. Some like Swamp require a mouse. An increasing number of accessible games are being made and found in the appstore of ordinary iPHONES, iPODS and iPADS. Thanks to Voiceover and the audio capabilities of Apple's i devices, a whole new gaming platform has sprung up for blind gamers. For blind or visually impaired gamers, what are your favorite audio games, and why? Which games designed for sighted people are these most analogous to? Three which instantly spring to mind are Super Deekout, ESP Pinball Classic, and Swamp. Super Deekout is a fun arcade-style game where you're in an open playfield gathering coins and avoiding an evil robot. The learning curve is well-considered and not too steep. New elements are introduced gradually and you mostly use the arrow keys for controlling your character. Sound is used to very good effect so that you're kept aware of what's happening around you. ESP Pinball Classic gives blind people the chance to have a reasonably authentic pinball experience. Again, good audio design makes it possible to become familiar with table layouts and have a sense of where the ball is rolling. There are two styles of interface giving players a choice between greater control or greater authenticity of experience at the cost of harder game mastery. Swamp offers blind people a fully emmersive first-person shooter experience. A good part of its pull is the community of players who you can help out, chat with, or join on missions. Given my navigation difficulties, I never thought I'd find it anywhere near as downright addictive as I have. What are some examples of games for the blind that I can play online? Swamp for starters. Also, there are the games at: www.allinplay.com Those have been designed for both blind and sighted players. A good place to learn about all of the games widely known about is: www.pcsgames.net There, you'll find lists of games including online games. Many online games weren't designed for blind players but are nonetheless accessible. A wonderful example of this would be Sryth. www.sryth.com What do you think is the most interesting factoid about games for the blind? I've been struck time and again by the barrier that simple ignorance presents. A great many games which could be made fully accessible remain out of reach due to a simple lack of awareness among sighted game developers of a potential blind audience. This is most stunning on the iPHONE where you have a fully accessible game like King of Dragon Pass but where you find that most similar but far less complex gamebooks are not fully accessible. On 3/27/13, Fred Olver <[email protected]> wrote: > Ashley, you could start by going to http://www.audiogames.net > > Secondly, everyone's ideas on this subject are going to be different > > and thirdly, there aren't as many, but there are audio games for the iPhone > > too. for information go to http://www.applevis.com > > Fred Olver > > Author of Dealing with Vision Loss > > http://www.dealingwithvisionloss.com > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ashley Taylor" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 6:42 PM > Subject: [Audyssey] Inquiry From Popular Mechanics > > >> Hello, >> >> I am a journalist writing an article about computer games for the blind >> and >> would really appreciate your input. Please only reply to this post if you >> are willing for me to quote you in my article (for the Popular Mechanics >> website). It would be helpful if you could describe yourself as you'd >> like >> me to describe you in the article. >> >> What are the qualities of a good computer game for the blind? What does >> it >> have to have to work well for someone who can't see? >> >> For blind or visually impaired gamers, what are your favorite audio >> games, >> and why? Which games designed for sighted people are these most analogous >> to? >> >> What are some examples of games for the blind that I can play online? >> >> What do you think is the most interesting factoid about games for the >> blind? >> >> >> Thank you, >> Ashley >> -- >> Ashley Taylor >> Writer and journalist >> ashleyptaylor.com >> (270) 485-1753 >> --- >> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >> [email protected]. >> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >> list, >> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >> >> >> ----- >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2013.0.2904 / Virus Database: 2641/6205 - Release Date: 03/26/13 >> > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > -- Michael Feir Volunteer at The Dam http://www.thedam.org 2011-- Twitter: mfeir Skype: michael-feir Author of Personal Power: How Accessible Computers Can Enhance Personal Life For Blind People 2006-2008 http://michaelfeir.blogspot.com/2009/01/personal-power.html A Life of Word and Sound 2003-2007 http://michaelfeir.blogspot.com/2009/01/life-of-word-and-sound.html Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine 1996-2004 Check out my blog at: http://www.michaelfeir.blogspot.com --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
