Audio game
The Audio Game (or "audiogame")
The opposite of the videogame is the audiogame. An audiogame is also played using an electronic device but then with auditory feedback (only). The game itsself exists in sound. Audiogames originally started out as 'blind accessible'-games and were developed mostly by amateurs and blind programmers. But more and more people are showing interest in audiogames, ranging from sound artists, game accessibility researchers,mobile game developers and videogamers. Most audiogames run on a computer platform, although there are a few audiogames for handhelds and video game consoles. Audiogames feature the same variety of genres as videogames, such as adventures, racing games, etc.
Audiogame History
Before graphical operating systems like Windows most home computers used DOS or another text-based operating system. Being text-based meant that they were equally accessible for users with and without a visual impairment. This meant that games such as text-adventures were also equally accessible. However, computers became more powerful resulting in more visually enriched games. This has caused a huge gap between the [videogames] for the seeing and games for the blind. A gap that is getting bigger and bigger. While seeing gamers venture into 3D gaming worlds such as 'Myst' and 'Final Fantasy', blind gamers were forced to play yet another game of Blackjack, Battleship or Memory. But as videogames started to flourish, several amateur game designers started making videogames accessible for the blind by adding sound. Soon they started developing their own games, not so much based on existing game ideas but based on the possibilties of sound.
Current State of the Market
Most audiogames are now developed by several very small audiogame companies (consisting of only a team of 1 to 4 people). The main audience are still visually impaired users. But commercial interest is growing steadly. In 1999 a Japanese company called Warp developed a game called Real Sound: Kaze no Regret. It was released on the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast and it featured no visuals at all, just sound. Audiogames are also very interesting for the mobile gaming market since no screen is needed. Artists and students are already experimenting wildly with audiogames to explore the possibilities and limitations of audiogames. The game market is gradually taking more notice into audiogames as well because of the issue of game accessibility.
No longer can audiogames be considered to be 'just' games for the blind. They're games 'for the hearing'. Up until now game challenges have been presented using dices, cards, boards, balls, a computer monitor, etc! Audiogames expand this range with presenting a challenge in sound.
(Actually, there are stranger games in this world, like scent games for dogs!)
written by Richard van Tol (SoundSupport)
See also:
External links
- AudioGames.net: an audiogame research and game archive]
- SoundSupport.net: developer of several audiogames like Drive (an audio racing game)
- PCS Accessible Game developers List
- AudysseyMagazine: An online magazine on games for the visually impaired]