GAMES FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED RESEARCH
See Sketchbook Phases III & IV, Page 11-22.
GAMES FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED RESEARCH: REFLECTION
Saturday, November 16th
"Sound has the highest fidelity of any gaming experience - the fidelity of your own imagination"
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I really like how this was said. I didn't exactly know why having the sound tightly linked to everything else in the game made for a better experience, but this somehow answers that question. This quote is from the developers of Papa Sangre, Somethin' Else. Papa Sangre is a game where you can only hear what's around you, and cannot see anything (in the game). The fact that you can only hear things is like reading a book. The experience feels so personal, so close to you, because you imagine what you read, listen in this case. It is your own experience. Video games show people what to see, and even if they are in an open world, the experience is what the designers wanted them to see. Instead, in Papa Sangre, you imagine everything, based on the sounds you hear. I think this is very interesting to look at. In movies, you see and hear what someone tells you to. In games, you see and hear what someone want you too, but you have a certain liberty to do what you want. In books, you can only imagine what someone is telling you to imagine. In Papa Sangre, you imagine what someone tells you. It is very interesting this concept of what the audience can do/see/imagine, and what liberties they have. I wonder what would happen, what we could come up with if we took away these development conditions: maybe a new type of game? Or maybe a completely new type of experience that hasn't been thought of before.
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I absolutely love this concept of allowing the player to imagine themselves in the situation, and I believe it gives a whole new experience opportunity. Well done Somethin' Else!
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An interesting finding was the fact that there can be no more than 3 sound sources, or else the game will get confusing. This is useful to know, if we choose to develop our game idea further. Although that is unlikely, now that we know the game already exists.
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Dark Echo is another game that uses audio in a smart way, although this game does have visuals (you can still play if you are visually impaired). The visuals here are minimal, the soundtrack is what makes the game immersive. I couldn't help but notice that this game as well is horror. Maybe because the player will imagine the worst? We are scared of what is in the darkness?
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If we look at this from the point of view of a blind person, this might be different. They pretty much live in darkness, so would the game be scary for them? Or would it be like just another day of their lives? It's interesting to think about this.