Topic: Deafgamers.com

[Quemaqua]

Just ran across this.  Pretty cool!  I've long been a supporter of not only subtitled but closed captioned games (I'm not a big HL2 fan, but I applauded its efforts in that area, which were stellar), and also for providing options for colorblind players (a simple thing that can utterly ruin a game like Civ4 or Sins of a Solar Empire for some).  I've often wondered whether or not a place for deaf gamers existed, but happily, it appears that one does!  I think if I ever lost my hearing it would be tragic for me since I listen to and create so much music, but at least I wouldn't wholly lose games.  While going blind would still allow me to enjoy music, games would be utterly lost to me forever.  Don't know if I could deal with that.

[Cobra951]

Oh, man.  I was just over at the Bit Blot forums, reading a thread on color-blind gamers and looking at a link I found.  Freaky timing.

[MysterD]

That's pretty damn cool, Que.

I definitely support games having subtitles and all, of course.
And yes, CC is even one step better (like HL2 has), as far as I'm concerned.

I wish Doom 3 and Quake 4 had subtitles built-in, but hey -- at least the CC Mod was made by some gamers to apply such some CC/Subtitles for it.

[Xessive]

I loved that Peggle had a colour-blind option!

EDIT:
Apparently they gave Crysis a B rank Which is pretty good!

Earning a B grade is going to be difficult. We expect the game to have subtitles for all the important dialogue and leave deaf gamers without any doubts about what needs to be done. Deaf gamers should be able to follow the games story too. Think of a B grade classification as having everything that an A grade rating would have apart from captions.

[Quemaqua]

Actually, there was a Doom 3 captions project in the works at one point.  Just an amateur thing.  I wonder if that ever panned out?  I didn't follow up on it.

[idolminds]

The Doom 3[CC] project has done well. I think they won some awards and stuff. Its translated into 5 languages even. Plus, theres the Quake 4 version.

The guy works at LucasArts (not sure if that was always the case or if it was because of the [CC] work)

[Xessive]

I believe this is it.

I really appreciate useful little mods like that.

[Pugnate]

The Doom 3[CC] project has done well. I think they won some awards and stuff. Its translated into 5 languages even. Plus, theres the Quake 4 version.

The guy works at LucasArts (not sure if that was always the case or if it was because of the [CC] work)

That couldn't have been hard. What was doom 3? two lines?

j/k.

[Xessive]

That couldn't have been hard, What was doom 3? two lines? j/k.

Haha I'd like The Sims to be captioned!

A fun cc would be Worms!

[Quemaqua]

I realize you were joking Pug, but the point of closed captioning is to do more than words.  It's to do like sounds and stuff as well.

[Xessive]

Closed captions are handy, and they give non-deaf players the option to play games in a classic text-based way (sometimes I'm in that mood).

Visual cues are an asset to everybody, not just deaf players. I still think the HUD damage direction indicator is one of the greatest interface additions since the crosshair!

I remember back on the Saturn I had a game that was the exact opposite.. Enemy Zero. You had to use sound to locate your invisible enemy and shoot it before it gets you. It tooka  bit of getting used to, but it was difficult anyway because this invisible beast could kill you instantly.

[Pugnate]

I realize you were joking Pug, but the point of closed captioning is to do more than words.  It's to do like sounds and stuff as well.

I recently watched the old corny campfest Hotshots with captions. It was funnier.

[iPPi]

On a somewhat related note, I did arenas with 2 deaf players last season in WoW.  Though it was a challenge, it was still a blast and it took even more coordination to pull off (we ended up in the 1800s before they both quit the game for school).  They've both quit the game now as far as I know, but it was real fun while it lasted.

[Cobra951]

I watch movies with subtitles or CC all the time now, if I have the option.  I'm not going deaf.  Even with decent hearing acuity, I still miss a lot of what's happening, misunderstand a word or a phrase, miss completely what someone on the other end of a phone conversation is saying.  Movies have such a wide audio dynamic range now that to hear whispers, you need to put your plaster and neighbors' good will in peril during action scenes.  Also, you often get details you don't get any other way.  One example is the name and performer of a background song.

On the down side, getting blurbs like BIRDS CHIRP is bloody annoying.