TOKYO – In the race to put more polygons on the screen than their competitors, most new videogames are defined by how they look. There was one game at Tokyo Game Show, however, where the graphics didn't matter at all. That's because it's designed for the blind.
Blind Braver was created at the Tokyo Communication Arts school on Microsoft's XNA development platform. The screen isn't entirely blank, as your character is not completely sightless, but the main points of reference are auditory ones, with a little assistance from the force feedback of the Xbox controller. The booth was equipped with 5.1 surround sound and the volume was sufficiently high enough to stand apart from the din of the TGS show floor.
Your character starts in a hallway and is holding a cane. Pressing the right stick waves the cane to either side to check for obstacles. The left stick moves forward while the D-pad is used for 90-degree turns. Occasionally, a strong wind can be heard, indicating which way to turn next.
Making your way out of the hallway leads you into a room to explore. Now it's all about careful listening, as there's a ticking clock you need to find. Blind Braver is very much a work in progress – the version I played was unfinished and I had to walk over the same spot again and again to actually find anything and move on to the next event. The vibration of the Xbox 360 controller was likewise underutilized, serving mostly as a "thud" to indicate a solid wall straight ahead.
Even if this never turns into an retail product that a blind person can play, the ideas at work are interesting ones. They could easily be incorporated into normal games, perhaps as part of a level that forces you to explore a cavern or a tunnel without a flashlight. It seems like a perfect fit for a survival horror game – just replace the ticking clock with a moaning ghoul.
Photo Daniel Feit/Wired.com
