Re: Going Graphical
Aeran is right about audio gaming for visually impaired gamers. There are hundreds of games out there that are purely sound based, generally creating an audio landscape, and with surround sound, the worlds really come to life. One of my personal favorites is a game called GMA Tank Commandor. The game puts you in control of a tank, and gives you missions to complete. While traveling around, you come in contact with helicopters, other tanks, intelegence bases, tank traps, etc. You have at your disposal weapons varying from missiles, to machine guns, to land mines, to armor peercing shells. All in all, it is a very rich environment.
This game and others by the same company can be found at .
The problem is that most people who get involved in the creation of audio games for the blind are hobbiests. There are no commercial multiplayer games to my knowledge, the majority of the games are single-player, and relatively easy to complete.
I'd also like to clear something up if I may. The blind gaming community is not a "small minority." While googling for figures, I came across this website.
From what this website says, there are an estimated 21.2 million individuals with vision loss in the United states alone. Of these 21.2 million, there is a 75 percent unemployment rate. It's hard to get around as a blind person, transportation is hard to come by, so what do these people do? They find entertainment in one form or another. This may include tv, braille/recorded audio books, and spending time on the computer.
The point that I'm trying to make is that there are thousands upon thousands of visually impaired people who turn to gaming... and the obvious form of which comes in the way of accessible, socially stimulating entertainment. For example. The toastsoft mu* called Miriani averages over 70 players at any given time. From my dealings with other visually impaired gamers, I would guess that over 80 percent of these players are blind or visually impaired. Similar cases are noted across the board.
Graphical environments are all fine and good for those who are attracted by such things... but there aught to be an alternative for those who aren't.
Nearly every public zone is dissibility friendly. Busy streets and non-accessible traffic lights can be scary... but every blind individual is taught "mobility" skills by the state. From my first day of kindergarten, I was taken out into the city, taught to use a white cane, and learned to navigate the streets and intersections as well as a sighted person. I graduated from the mobility program when I graduated highschool... and the same is done for every person with any level of visual impairment.
I'm sorry about my continued ramblings... I've never been any sort of activest... I'm just a layed-back college student. But I've been playing muds since 1992, and I love the mudding world. I would just like people to know about the world that they never see or think about.
Thanks everyone again for your responses!
Carry On
Brawny
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