Grand Theft Accessibility

April 9, 2020 6:01 PM

This video is a demonstration of Grand Theft Accessibility, a mod which does a number of cool things to make Grand Theft Auto playable for the blind. It has been discussed at length on the AudioGames.net forum, but recently had a release.
posted by Alensin (9 comments total)

Wow. So cool that this exists. Great share.
posted by Fizz at 6:34 PM on April 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Whoa. Neat.

At around 9:15:

"And you just heard that I switched to a different gun because I'm in a vehicle, and now that I'm in a vehicle, I can actually fire my gun out the window, which does not sound very safe, but it's what we can do."

A little later:

"This is probably how I drive in real life."
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:57 PM on April 9, 2020 [6 favorites]

This makes me wonder: what are the best games built ground-up for blind and sight-impaired people? I would love to play some games like that but it seems like most games like that are simplified adaptations of existing genres.
posted by LSK at 7:26 PM on April 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much it… Most of the games we have explicitly for blind people are questionable adaptations of genres which are more established. it’s kind of hard to pick best, just because I know how poorly they compare to games sighted folk have.
posted by Alensin at 7:36 PM on April 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Some Netflix movies have an option in the subtitles/language settings for people with visual impairment. A narrator describes what's on screen and it can be very entertaining hearing the descriptions sandwiched between the spaces in the dialogue, especially if there's a lot of dramatic facial expressions or bonkers action or settings. (Daredevil is a show that has them, appropriately.)

It's genuinely entertaining and I would gladly watch a movie that way with someone who needed it.
posted by straight at 8:35 PM on April 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

@straight: I do this all the time with indulgent sighted friends, and it's wonderful. :)
posted by Alensin at 8:39 PM on April 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

I imagine old school text adventure games could be transcribed, 'sweetened' with soundtrack & foley, and voice input controls added? Natural language processing not required, there were always only a few acceptable inputs anyway.
(narrator voice) in front of you is the Grand Vizier's desk
*player, into gaming headset mic* Examine Desk
(narrator voice) among various tomes and scrolls, lamps and incense burners and inkwells, you spy an ornate brass key
*player* ooh! Get Key
(narrator voice) I didn't understand that
*player* ~SIGH~ Take Key
(narrator voice) You take the Ornate Brass Key.
*player* Open Inventory
Etc.
That would open up your classic Zorks, and Hitchhiker's Guide games, that whole genre.
[Oh man, I really wanna shake the hand of a blind game developer who is wearing a tshirt reading YOU ARE IN: DARK followed by an expectant cursor]

I can also imagine those being fun for the sighted: interactive audio, choose your own adventure games. Get a writer skilled in description and ludonarrative, hire some talented voice actors. Listen on your earpods and after hearing the map described, say you want to take the path leading west into the mic, etc.

It'd be more a Telltale Games cutscene-and-Quicktime-event deal, not a pew-pew game. But it'd be fun?
posted by bartleby at 9:55 PM on April 9, 2020 [4 favorites]

Too bad Robert Redford isn't giving the voice guidance... We could all relive Sneakers.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:35 AM on April 10, 2020

During the last Winter Olympics I was in a rental home in British Columbia and the house's tv was set to play the CBC with the adaptive commentary track. It was amazing to hear a dry, noninflected voice describe the happy and sad emotions on the athlete's faces.
posted by mmascolino at 9:03 AM on April 10, 2020