Flying blind: gaming for the sight-challenged

[ArugulaZ]

Amidst the intense stupidity of Spike TV's Video Game Awards, one compelling question was posed... how can video games be made more accessible to the blind? After some thought, I came up with this...

http://www.lakupo.com/grblitz/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Check the December 14th post. I was thinking that a blanket built from a matrix of heating elements could be used to give the blind player some sense of his proximity to onscreen objects. The blanket would be worn on the back, possibly held in place with a specially designed shirt or a pair of straps, and heat would travel through the matrix of elements as a tactile indication of onscreen movement. The intensity of heat in a given element could tell the player whether he's near a wall (lukewarm), a helpful item (warmer), or a dangerous object (hot, hot!). Wearing the blanket on the back means that the player could use a joystick intuitively, pressing left to make the player's marker travel in that direction.

Clearly, it would be a step back from actually seeing the game, but accommodations for blind gamers are in the stone age right now and just about anything would be an improvement over what's available now. Plus, the peripheral could be used with a wide variety of games, or adapted for specific genres. Perhaps you could use a glove with heat cues for Rock Band or Guitar Hero, that sort of thing.

I was going to ask Ben Heckendorn what he thought of the idea... if it would work in practice, and if current technology is at a point where this concept would be feasible. While I'm here though, I might as well present the idea to the rest of you, since I'm sure there are plenty of brilliant minds here who could tell me if I'm onto something with this or if I'm just tilting at windmills.

[hackmodford]

I've pondered this exact problem... unfortunatley I don't think a heat matrix would work if you had a lot of info "onscreen"

Instead my idea was a "radio drama" video game that simply used sound cues to portray what was happening...

[ArugulaZ]

An Xbox Indie Game called "In The Pit" actually uses an idea similar to this. You're a hungry subterranean monster and you have to track down and eat prey that's fallen into your deep dark hole. Unfortunately, since you're a cave monster, your eyes don't work, forcing you to hunt using other sensory clues... the breathing of your victims, the vibrations of their footsteps. The developer recommends that you play the game using stereo surround. Apparently this really is important, because I wasn't able to get anywhere using ordinary two channel sound!

[hackmodford]

Ordinary Two Channel Sound is Stereo Right

It would probably work best with Headphones...
Can you give me a link to that game? I'd like to try it out.

[ArugulaZ]

http://www.studiohunty.com/itp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[collinE]

this is a terrible idea for gaming. it would fail as anything other than wishful thinking.

Our bodies just aren't made to accommodate that kind of sensory perception. It would be the equivalent of gaming on a high def monitor with sight or a regular calculator with touch sense. Our eyes are so close to our brains and have such thick nerves because of the enormous amount of information being taken in through them.

Think about this: The reason it feels better to rub your head after you hit it on something is because it overloads the nerves. Pressure and pain are two different nerve signals and your body can't send a hundred percent of both, so your brain doesn't read as much of the signal as "pain".

There's a lot more that stands in the way, no matter the technology. Our bodies are the limitation here. You just can't feel with the speed or resolution enough to play a game beyond slow Pong or Simon Says.

[hackmodford]

Thats why you use the ears!

[ArugulaZ]

That's why I asked. Thanks for the (rather blunt) response.

[hackmodford]

@ArugulaZ Sadly that game is for Xbox360 I was thinking it might be an xbox (original) project...

[ArugulaZ]

There used to be a PC version, but you still needed to play it with a wired Xbox 360 controller.

[collinE]

I'm sure there are tricks that could get around the limitations of the body. But here's what I think about: take a paper clip and unbend it so you have the two ends sticking up. Get someone you can have poke you on your bare back with it. Get them to start with the two ends touching together and poke your back, each time moving the ends apart a little. Chances are, you won't feel it as two separate pokes until they're 1-1 1/2 inches apart. I'd like to be proven wrong and see something for the visually impaired, but I just don't see it happening.

[hackmodford]

That's why you make a "audio only video game" Haven't you guys heard of radio drama? Try looking up the original star wars radio dramas or The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy radio drama's...

[palmertech]

http://tonguevision.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Might be a more viable option.