23rd March 2011, 3:07 PM
Hmm...
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/...follow.ars
While supporting handicapped players is fine, to go as far as to make it your policy to stray away from actually utilizing the new feature so that those that can't process 3D won't be left out seems to defeat the point of the product. If the 3D isn't going to help gameplay and it ends up being paired down to merely a cosmetic gimic, what's the point?
They didn't go as far with their Wii analogy as they could have. The Kinect, for example. If they ended up not designing games around dancing because some people can't even stand up unassisted, it would be rather disappointing.
The unfortunate reality is, when it comes to handicaps, there's simply some things that one can't do. It's very good to think of those handicaps if it can be helped, but if there is no work around without removing a major point of something, then you should simply go on with it. I also think that software specifically targeting the handicapped is important, and in fact I found an interesting site for software (including games) made for the blind.
http://www.blindsoftware.com/SoftwareBli...=45&swreg=
That looks (sounds?) interesting. Thanks to swimming in the privilege of vision, I can enjoy it too (though I am likely not going to be as skilled as someone who naturally uses audio cues for navigation), but of course that software isn't about me. All I'm saying is that the key thing is that such software isn't made with an industry wide agreement to the exclusion of ever making software for those with vision.
I think it'll work out well at any rate. The vast majority of games released on the 3DS, much like on the DS and the Wii, aren't even going to make full use of the new feature for game play. Thanks to the slider those games are all going to work just fine. I would love to see games that make use of that depth for new game play mechanics, if it can be done. It is unfortunate that such games will naturally exclude a portion of the population from fully enjoying them. Certain steps can be taken, depending on how the game is designed, to help this along, but in the end certain exclusions are inevitable. I think the new game play designs will be worth it in spite of that though. I also say this with a friend who has a "lazy eye" and can't see the 3D in a 3D movie (and most likely won't be able to see the 3D in the 3DS). That friend is going to be annoyed by it.
In conclusion...
<img src="http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/1215486810_UvvEB-L.jpg">
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/...follow.ars
While supporting handicapped players is fine, to go as far as to make it your policy to stray away from actually utilizing the new feature so that those that can't process 3D won't be left out seems to defeat the point of the product. If the 3D isn't going to help gameplay and it ends up being paired down to merely a cosmetic gimic, what's the point?
They didn't go as far with their Wii analogy as they could have. The Kinect, for example. If they ended up not designing games around dancing because some people can't even stand up unassisted, it would be rather disappointing.
The unfortunate reality is, when it comes to handicaps, there's simply some things that one can't do. It's very good to think of those handicaps if it can be helped, but if there is no work around without removing a major point of something, then you should simply go on with it. I also think that software specifically targeting the handicapped is important, and in fact I found an interesting site for software (including games) made for the blind.
http://www.blindsoftware.com/SoftwareBli...=45&swreg=
That looks (sounds?) interesting. Thanks to swimming in the privilege of vision, I can enjoy it too (though I am likely not going to be as skilled as someone who naturally uses audio cues for navigation), but of course that software isn't about me. All I'm saying is that the key thing is that such software isn't made with an industry wide agreement to the exclusion of ever making software for those with vision.
I think it'll work out well at any rate. The vast majority of games released on the 3DS, much like on the DS and the Wii, aren't even going to make full use of the new feature for game play. Thanks to the slider those games are all going to work just fine. I would love to see games that make use of that depth for new game play mechanics, if it can be done. It is unfortunate that such games will naturally exclude a portion of the population from fully enjoying them. Certain steps can be taken, depending on how the game is designed, to help this along, but in the end certain exclusions are inevitable. I think the new game play designs will be worth it in spite of that though. I also say this with a friend who has a "lazy eye" and can't see the 3D in a 3D movie (and most likely won't be able to see the 3D in the 3DS). That friend is going to be annoyed by it.
In conclusion...
<img src="http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/1215486810_UvvEB-L.jpg">
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)