Being blind sucks. Really, it does, I'm not trying to be cute here. You miss out on so much. One of these things is the wonderful world of video games. How many video games do you know that would be good for a blind person? Not many, right?
And that, according to Alexander Stern of California, is a serious problem. Stern sued Sony for not making their MMOs blind accessible. This allegedly violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which states that "No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation." Stern claims that Massively Multiplayer Online games are a "place of public accommodation" and should therefore be made so that blind people can play them as well.
While I feel bad that anyone has to be left out of the wonderful world of MMOs, I'm not sure how a blind-friendly interface might be implemented. There are
a number of video game titles for blind people out, but this is taking the issue a step further. Are online video games a public place? And does the Disabilities Act's power extend to the world of online interactions? It's up to the courts to decide that now.
Meanwhile, the social MMO Second Life has been a step ahead of the game. A
new sound-based system is being developed for Second Life, to allow blind people to play the game. The system will let the player know who is speaking with distinct sounds, as well as which way they are facing, walking, and their position relative to you. These are still in early development, but the idea is there. Maybe with the help of this lawsuit (whether or not he wins), other video games and MMOs will follow suit.
URL:
Blind People Want to Play MMOs Too at ExaminerDo you think that Sony has an obligation to make their MMOs suitable for people who are blind? How would you suggest making a video game playable for people who cannot see?
Comments (22)
This is ridiculous. The next thing is that we'll hear a deaf man complain that a public reading room leaves him out. Maybe I should complain because I can't go in a woman's bathroom. I'm sure that'd be entertaining (well, I have done so on accident in the past; the looks were funny).
If I remember, there was once a blind video game champ! He was really good at games like Mortal Kombat, just based on hearing. It also probably helps that people went easy on him when they saw he was blind, only to get destroyed by him.
benheck, where are youuuuuuuuuuu?
I really can't see how a virtual world is a public place. I don't really think that the lawsuit will stand in court. It's like getting a subscription to WoW and then complaining you can't use it because you're deaf. Maybe there should be disclaimers that it is not handicapped accessible, but I don't think they have an obligation beyond that.
@chani - Isn't even a disclaimer a little redundant? Since MMOs are video games, sight is included in the definition. A disclaimer that sight like "Sight is required to play this game" is about like "Caution contents are extremely hot" on a coffee cup. It reminds me of why there should be penalties for suing for the heck of it.
I think that the lawsuit is ridiculous. I understand that he would love to enjoy the MMO experience as well, but he shouldn't be suing just one company. Shouldn't he be suing all companies that produce video games, not just MMOs? I will be very disappointed if this guy wins in court. This is yet another example of how being too PC can be detrimental to the public.
"Ever since he was a young boy, he played the silver ball..."
Oh, wait, wrong story. Seriously though... But it is accessible by the blind. I reckon they can even play the game... They'd just get nowhere and make no progress. But that's another story.If we get right down to it, the Internet is not a free place. It is restrictive to those who are poor and cannot afford a computer, or Internet, or people without access to electricity... We should therefore stop discriminating against the poor and make the Internet free, computers free, and provide electricity for free as well. Anyone else feel like getting utterly silly on how ridiculous we can be with PC? -.-'And even on top of the initial natural restrictiveness of the Internet, gaming is even more so, and if the MMO is pay to play, even more so yet. I hope this lawsuit gets shot down, for the sake of society and its future.WOW fck that. I hope he loses. . . >:[ This is just like the time when a wheelchair person sued the school district because he couldn't open the door when EVERYONE else around him is more than happy than to open it for him. Costing the school millions in reconstruction and adding to our school deficit! Sometimes, people aren't made equal. It sucks but must you drag everyone down with you?
@canicus@xanga - good analogy w/ the deaf man. Agreed.
@shoujo@xanga - exactly. Political Correctness is not meant to enable action, rather to stop destructive action. Those ideas are very different.
My 2c is that this is one more project that is going to make our games cost a little bit more. Fantastic.
Now that's just silly, only in America would an organisation sue for that. Realistically not all games can be made blind accessible. Its easy enough for the deaf to play most games, but very hard for the blind to. If anything a device needs to be made that can "translate" the onscreen images into something the blind can understand.
I completely understand that being blind sucks, but that's just kind of... out of hand :l
what do you want in slimdoggy's world, the hood is hot
Well I doubt the term, "video" game still applies. It's not a very lucrative or broad market to target. To all you blind folk out there, don't get your hopes up! Oops! You can't read this.
VIDEO game. it uses images... when the have a book in braile i dont complain that i dont know what's going on.
im not sure how they would go about making video games for blind poeple.
but it would be nice if they did make more games/activities available for people who are blind.
my nephews 6 and fully blind, and its really hard to find things to entertain him because he cant see them.
Curious. I'm guessing, I don't know, but I'm guessing that there would be some hesitation over a blind man becoming a police officer. Does this mean that the US government discriminates against the blind?
Or, say, a museum. It's a public place, but what business does a blind man really have looking at beautiful paintings?
The things us Americans will sue over.
Heh What a moron...
Play a damn MUD (Multi User Dungeon)...
Even if they added speech to tell him everything...
He would still not be able to compete...
MUDs are purely text and they have one for nearly any interest...
Before computer graphics were easy to come by MUDs were the thing....
Plus if he wants to play he can create the damn add on to do it...
So should every MUD have to create a GUI for people who are illiterate...
I got a tip for the blind douche...
DON'T LOOK AT THE SUN TILL YOU GO BLIND
@Magniloquentia@xanga - What a clueless individual. Since apparently you don't know, blind people go on the internet every single day and write blogs, make online purchases, and run all kinds of different websites. I know a few individuals who do this - a couple of whom I've gone to for advice on website development and internet security. And you think they wouldn't be able to read something as simple as a comment in the "comments" section of a web page? Don't pat yourself too hard for that embarrassing little attempt at being a comedian; being that clueless is nothing to be proud of. I mean, seriously, what rock have you been under. I don't claim to know everything about the techniques and technologies of persons with disabilities, but the fact that the blind navigate the internet is by now pretty much common knowledge. I'm wondering if you also suck at being funny when you mistakenly make jokes about how the deaf cannot make phone calls and about how persons with dislexia can't say if the movie was better than the book or not. Should I fill you in on that as well? Anyway, about this lawsuit, I think this fellow is stretching the definition of the ADA a bit far. I think it's cool if game developers work on a way to get blind individuals #and others who for whatever reason cannot physically play# in on the world of video games, but I don't think that mandating that this happen was among the goals of those who put together the Americans With Disabilities Act. I'm sure if game developers and the blind would collaborate on the project something really cool would be created, but this guy who's suing probably isn't helping to bring about this result by taking this approach.
@djdude - Ah yes, as we know droves of the blind puruse the internet on a daily basis. So many in-fact, that the market has responded by making all of their visually based GUI completely navigable by audio alone!
Thank you for descending apon me with your righteous fury of political correctness. Great shame is now mine as I stand in the glorious shadow of your overzealous moral indignity. Now that I know 0.00000000000001% of users on the visual medium of the internet are blind, I know not to make such sweeping and callous statements.
Never again shall I scoff at the absurdity of a deaf person suing an electronics manufacturer for not making headphones and speakers which are useful to them. Never again shall I roll my eyes when a quadrapalegic sues a football manufacturer because they cannot grip the ball with their hands.
I applaud you and your resolute conviction to stamp out bigotry in all its forms. You truely are a shining paragon of human decency. May God grace you as I have been graced by your words today.
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