Nice one Yohandy! Good to read about some of the specifics so that it doesn't just seem like magic. It came across really well.
Scott On 2/10/11, Clement Chou <chou.clem...@gmail.com> wrote: > Nice... well, just goes to show one of us has been doing some work! > I've never done something like that yet... my gaming ability isn't > something I try and advertise. lol. Nice job, Yohandi... way to > spread the message! I wouldn't mind doing an interview like that, > just haven't gotten the chance yet. lol. > > At 07:30 AM 10/02/2011, you wrote: >>Hi Folks, >>I searched for the article where the blind man beat the sighted on a >>video game but couldn't fine it. >>I did find this article from last year: >>When a blind man rocks: Interview with Yohandy Rodriguez >>April 20th, 2010 >>11:07 am ET >>When you play Guitar Hero and Rock Band, you rely heavily on the >>rhythm of the song and the overall flow, but if you turn on >>performance mode, where the charts are hidden, you more times than >>not, will fail within seconds. >> >>Now imagine having to play performance mode every single time you >>fired up the game. For Yohandy Rodriguez, that is no hypothetical; >>that is his reality. >> >>As someone who has been blind from birth, Rodriguez never learned to >>rely on his vision as a way to navigate through life or games. >> >>"I was actually born prematurely," said Rodriguez. "Due to the fact >>my lungs hadn't developed properly, it was necessary to put me in an >>incubator and pump oxygen into it to keep me alive. This was >>obviously successful, but due to too much oxygen intake at such an >>early age, I became blind. I was born in 1985, and I actually >>remember gaming at a very early age. I don't really know how I got >>started. All I know is everyone around me was playing video games, >>and there was no reason why I shouldn't be as well. So that's >>exactly what I did. I never considered my blindness as a barrier for >>a second. I remember playing games like Super Mario 2 and Donkey >>Kong Country quite clearly, and it was definitely a blast." >> >>Rodriguez may have been able to play games like Mario and Donkey >>Kong Country, but there are certain games that he is unable to play >>due to his blindness. >> >> >>According to a recent Rodriguez Tweet, Guitar Hero's menus can prove >>problematic for blind gamers to navigate"Well, I was never able to >>beat Super Mario or Donkey Kong [laughs], even though I did complete >>a few levels through trial and error," said Rodriguez. "However, I >>did come across fighting games, and suddenly things changed. I >>recall playing Mortal Kombat 1 and 2 with my sighted cousin on a >>SNES and man was it fun. All the attacks had distinctive sounds, >>kicks and punches all sounded different and unique. It was such an >>awesome experience I begged my parents to buy me a super Nintendo >>immediately. So they did, and the first game I bought was a copy of >>Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. I played that game all day long and I >>eventually beat it on medium. then I beat it on the hardest >>difficulty. Then after that I had to buy more fighting games so I >>purchased Killer Instinct. I know I'm digressing a bit here so I'll >>get back on track. I find games with 3D environments and shoot 'em >>ups the hardest to play. It's quite easy to get lost in such large >>playing fields, and often enough there's not enough audio to convey >>everything happening on screen." >> >>While it's not instantaneously known by Rodriguez whether or not >>he'll be able to play a game when it first comes out, there are >>various indicators that point him and other blind gamers in the >>right direction. >> >>"There's actually a few blind gamers out there, not just me," said >>Rodriguez. "We already know that games like Mortal Kombat VS. DC >>Universe and Super Street Fighter IV are accessible since we've been >>buying fighting games for years, and of course games like Guitar >>Hero and Rock Band, but we actually love to experiment with >>different genres. One of my blind friends bought Final Fantasy XIII >>when it came out and told everyone how playable it ended up being >>for the blind, so another friend went and got the game and can't >>shut up about it [laughs]. I'm eventually going to purchase it as >>well and see what all the hype's about." >> >>One of Yohandy Rodriguez's favorite types of games to play is the >>music video game genre. Guitar Hero and Rock Band provide blind >>gamers such as Rodriguez with a unique opportunity to actually learn >>to master a game through listening to the subtle changes in the music >> itself. >> >> >>Rock Band 2's simplified menu system has proven very accessible to >>blind gamers"First and foremost, for rhythm games, I think it's more >>about the music, and less about the visual aspect," said Rodriguez. >>"I don't have much experience with Guitar Hero since I've only >>rented some of their games, but I have purchased Rock Band games so >>I'll concentrate my efforts on that particular title. First thing I >>like to do is listen to the song I'm attempting to learn. An easy >>way of doing this is to go in practice mode and highlight the full >>song for listening purposes. I do a lot of guitar so I listen to all >>the various notes and chords to get an idea of how it all sounds. >>What I usually do is if I play and the instrument is hard to hear, I >>go into the sounds option and turn everything down except for the >>instruments which I turn up all the way. Now whichever instrument I >>play is isolated from the track. Even with these options, sometimes >>there are notes that are still hard to hear, so as I practice a >>section, I set the game to 90% speed. This completely eliminates the >>track and just leaves the guitar stem and metronome. Problem solved. >>As to how I actually learn the notes and chords. Well that's more >>difficult to explain. There are rules for easier difficulties that >>have to be followed. I don't know if you've checked the RBN >>documentation, but it actually explains quite a few things about >>this. Expert is like literally playing what the musician intended >>you to play. Harmonix doesn't chart notes randomly, so for instance >>if you hear a note and it corresponds to yellow, and then a higher >>note plays immediately after, it'll either be blue or orange button. >>It really helps that Harmonix is always consistent with their >>charting, so you won't have a particular chord charted to green and >>yellow, and later on in the song charted to red and orange." >> >>Memorization and pattern recognition play a huge role in Rodriguez's >>gameplay efforts. To the surprise of many, Rodriguez can actually >>play titles such as Rock Band at a level higher than most gamers >>with full vision. >> >>"I can't do something like Yngwie Malmsteen's "Caprici Di Diablo" >>since trying to figure all that out by ear only is nightmarish, >>however I recently learned to play Chop Suey, and Down with the >>Sickness on expert guitar," Rodriguez said. "I can't get 100%, but I >>can at least play it and have fun doing it. I can do guitar, bass, >>and vocals. Drums I'm hopeless at [laughs]. I've a blind friend who >>can do drums just fine, but I never quite got the hang of it. I'll >>keep trying though!" >> >>Rodriguez claims that his admission to being a blind gamer often >>draws a fair amount of shock from the internet community. >> >>"Sometimes they're a bit shocked yeah," Rodriguez said. "I love >>going online and telling people about my blindness at random just to >>hear their reactions. Some think I'm lying, but there are always fun >>people to play against that are understanding about it." >> >>As mentioned earlier, Rodriguez certainly doesn't limit himself to >>games that involve music. One of his favorite genres (and one that >>is most accessible to blind gamers) is the fighting genre. >> >>"I've been playing a bit of Street Fighter IV getting ready for >>Super Street Fighter IV in a few weeks," said Rodriguez >>"I've also been playing a bit of Heavy Rain." >> >>If you'd like to learn more about blind gamers, or find out more >>about what Yohandy Rodriguez is playing, >>you can follow him on Twitter @musicman2004, >>where he will often mention what companies develop games and >>applications that are or are not >>blind-user friendly. >> >>http://www.examiner.com/music-video-games-in-national/when-a-blind-man-rocks-interview-with-yohandy-rodriguez >> >> >> >>--- >>Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org >>If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >> gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. >>You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. >>If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, >>please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. 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