Ars Technica talks to Papa Sangre creator about developing games for the blind

Over at Ars Technica, Gamezebo’s own Andrew Webster has posted up a terrific interview with one of the creators of the recent audio-only experience Papa Sangre. If you’re at all interested in the challenges faced by a developer working entirely in audio, the interview sheds a great deal of light on this unique experience.

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Over at Ars Technica, Gamezebo’s own Andrew Webster has posted up a terrific interview with one of the creators of the recent audio-only experience Papa Sangre. If you’re at all interested in the challenges faced by a developer working entirely in audio, the interview sheds a great deal of light on this unique experience.

Somethin’ Else’s Paul Bennun talks with Ars about the experience of developing a video game that’s totally accessible to the blind, the game’s critical reception, and what’s next for Papa Sangre. Here are a few choice tidbits from the interview;

  • “They say ‘the pictures are better on radio,’ and the team’s suspicion was that we could create a world as detailed and carefully created as any console game with great art direction and game design—using sound alone.”
  • “During play-testing some blind players managed to breeze through the game, while other players found even the opening areas very difficult.”
  • “The illusion provided from successful binaural audio is closer to immersive reality than anything a screen can provide. That is, when it truly works, you’re actually there, getting a closer approximation to the information you’d get from a real space. So some people really find the game incredibly, unplayably, scary.”

Check out the full interview at Ars Technica.

Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.