Re: Is it time for a new paint job?
I actually object to the blindy interface thing.
Point is more than ever we need our own interface or at least a way to navigate the interface of anything such that the sighted won't notice.
They have their interface, we have our interface, maybe its a more inclusive interface.
To be honest with the way in some respects mozilla and microsoft have gone, I am getting actually sick of mainstreaming and I was all for it a couple years ago.
The reason we as users have in a lot of cases been even able to get along with the sighted interface is to struggle on the edge, who knows if it will be ok tomorrow.
In the early days we had our interface, they had their interface and both parties worked out ok.
I don't care to be closed minded but I do feel that the requirements for abled and disabled are starting to have major differences in them.
In gaming, they want loads of graphics, loads of power, loads of well everything.
With a large team of 400 or more people, large companies, licencing to boot and if things go wrong they can battle it out in a lot of cases.
Now us, audio, right now, though give it time, maybe we will eventually see, maybe braille and audiogames will be old tech.
Virtual reality maybe who knows.
At the moment though I am happy we have our interface and they have theirs.
NNow I am not sure about the situations of some of the posters here but even with family help I can't nore wish to be available to afford the state of the art gaming machine.
In most cases, to buy a new bit of hardware is a big ask for the general user.
1. unless he has a job and a lot of us do not, well at least the ones I know do not, we have to save for it.
I am targeting 2-3k for a system locally, maybe there are cheaper who knows.
The point, though is this, to upgrade a machine to the sighted for the most part simply is.
If the graphics card screws up get another.
If you want the latest bit of kit, buy it.
Guess what, we are blind so we can't or at least will find it difficult to do so, not all of us have all that cash I am with family so I have cash to burn but thats not going to last for ever.
To buy a new machine is a huge thing.
At first we had school and maybe like me university of some sort, later, maybe had enough cash for 1-2 units for jobs etc.
The only reasons I have replaced anything is if it broke or became so insecure I had no choice.
Most of our stuff is 32 bit, we could be still ok for the most part on win98 or even xp, thats the level of most of our gear.
We don't even need win7.
I do feel that over the years we have let the sighted some leeway, well I for 1 am sick of doing that.
Fact is we have struggled with their stuff, well now its payback time.
For those that complain about this, maybe we should put it in some prospective.
We do not need graphics.
We have in some cases a lot of trouble with sound enhancements.
Look at some of the software today which is still inaccessible, things like newer versions of skype, control panels for displays, sound, a lot of other things.
I am not sure if its the pc only but even so.
Even if you were able to upgrade your pc, that software we use especially if its a comercial screen reader and some of us still use those from time to time me included means we need to get that upgraded.
And not all of us are fully tech savi.
It took me a while but one thing that I have been doing over the last 3 or so years is chucking out and upgrading as much of the old hardware we all use.
That meant I had to let go of some stuff that was accessible to get their inaccessible replacements all for the reasons of compatability with the sighted world.
With the way toshiba is going I am going to have to give up even more accessibility with stuff I like to get that.
I don't care for what is going on, I think its an insult mozilla even suggests that our screen readers are insecure, so the way that we use them maybe insecure but who's fault is that.
They give us nothing and do it to late and complain.
So what do we do, sit in our corner?
And if that were not bad enough everything accessible seems an afterthought unless you have a smartphone and who knows with that.
The so called things will be better movement is going down real fast, the promises I thought we would get we havn't fully got as such.
As for gaming, I think for now we have got as far as we will ever get.
Look, at it this way.
We don't always use the right licenced sounds, we may from time to time have issues.
We have smaller teams.
If we get sued, the only way is to give the sightlings what they want because we can never win.
I do wander if its worth the big fight anymore.
20 years ago in my pirating days, I'd have thought it was worth it, but not now.
So the fact the sighted may have to use our interfaces well its time for payback.
We are never going to get big, so lets add graphics on to our stuff and see what they think about it.
In a other world it would be good if company x added maybe not an interface per say but a way for all to access things.
For the blind, it means a little more audio, and maybe a few more sounds, not necessary target beeps per say but design changes such that cues exist, a lot of consoles, ie x box now have speech, they should be taking advantage of that.
And its not like it would be to much work.
Its almost like we need a law for everything.
Ie everything needs to be inclusive, surely one could figure that out for themselves.
And while its happening on a smaller scale, it would be nice if it naturally happened, and don't give the small market shit, how are we supposed to become big if we just say we are small all the time.
Also just like those stupid online petitions this is just a talk amongst a few blindy people no one actually cares about.
We all attend conventions so I am not sure how this will help with us attending even more, the normals are aware of us we can be assured for that.
The push for the blind has always been business, ie getting a job.
As I found out though, in most cases its a load of bull, I'd prefur to be told that I am a useless poor and helpless person with no chance of a job than beeing fead false hope, ending up without any job.
20 years ago I was just another blindy person in a blindy life, and while I was helpless I was happy.
Now later on, all that energy wasted trying to find work, and finding none.
And while I have a few contracts nothing is full time or even part time.
I do have a life of sorts but to be honest, I do wander how I will survive later on once my family have gone to the other world.
On the gaming side, a lot of the blind orgs still push card and board games and while nice, the reality is that the device is where a lot of games are played.
Unless you find out yourself no one knows about games for the blind so how will they care about games for the sighted.
Also I have noticed just like at university the local government, blind organisations etc were happy to, push you in the direction for a job.
Now its like we have done our bit, you are on your own unless well unless you are interesting.
I don't say that we don't have rights but rights don't go all the way, only halfway at most.
I am unsure what we can do to advance or if we really should.
We will never have large multiplayer servers loads of players or anything.
And as conditions that make us blind are phased out some easier than others there may not be any new blind people at all.
Mine for example has allready been phased out, at least here in new zealand, there will not be any more like me.
The way things are going, we may not stay blind for much longer or at least there will not be any new blind arriving at least yung people we can hope.
As for the origional question I don't know.
Maybe things will get better,
maybe they won't.
Even if the blind gaming industry basically stagnates right now, we do have entertainment of a sort now.
It would be nice to compete with our sighted pears but its unlikely we will achieve this any time soon.
Maybe I am just to old to fight.
_______________________________________________ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
