They Don`t Have to See It to Frag It - Listen Closely
(Page 2 of 4 )
Experts estimate that the market for computer games playable by the blind is enough to keep about 30 to 50 professional audio game developers busy. They sell around 3,000 games a year – a mere drop in the bucket compared to the larger video game market. But there are about a million blind people in the United States alone, so there is plenty of room for growth.
With text readers, blind players could handle the early PC text-based adventure stories as well as any sighted player. Those merely required the player to type in text-based commands, such as “go straight” or “search room.” Now, however, with action happening in real time, something must make up for the lack of high-speed visuals – and naturally enough, that is sound.
Amateur games designers recreated many of the 80s arcade shooters, with sound designed to let a player know where the hazards are coming from. Justin Daubenmire, for instance, created Troopanum, which he describes as “almost like a carbon copy of Galaxian, Space Invaders, and Missile Command all in one.” In that game, the player must shoot down wave after wave of attackers as they scroll down the screen – but there’s no screen, only sound to let the player know the location of the attackers. This is only one of the games produced by BSC Games, a unit of blindsoftware.com, the company Daubenmire founded.
Daubenmire’s games sell for $35 each, which is eminently reasonable given that many high-end games sell for $50 or more. The higher price of those games pays for realistic three-dimensional graphics. Programmers creating games for the blind face a different set of problems: how to translate the action of a computer game – all of the action, not just the obvious parts like gunfire – into sound.
Consider the amount of work involved in translating a space adventure game completely into an audio format. Every attacking spaceship, monster, and other threat needs its own distinctive sound. These sounds get louder as the threat gets closer to the player. Threats should also be able to move from side to side – and they can, thanks to the wonders of stereo. And when the bad guy is between your cross-hairs, what better way to learn about this than with a special “lock-on” sound effect? There’s no need to be able to see your opponent to frag him!
Next: Others in the Biz >>
More PC Gaming Articles
More By Terri Wells
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
/ 5 
