Here’s the official introduction:
Not all video games need video. Over the years, games that exist only in audio have taken players into entirely new worlds in which there’s nothing to see and still everything to do. These games have huge accessibility implications, allowing people who can’t see to play an equally fun, equally immersive game with their other senses. And when all you have is sound, there’s actually even more you can do to make your game great.
On this episode of The Vergecast, we explore the history of audio-only games with Paul Bennun, who has been in this space longer than most. Years ago, Bennun and his team at Somethin’ Else made a series of games called Papa Sangre that were among the most innovative and most popular games of their kind. He explains what makes an audio game work, why the iPhone 4 was such a crucial technological achievement for these games, and more.
More about audio-only games:
How successful would you be at driving blindfolded? The game developer Lo-Fi People has made it possible to find out (in a safe way, of course!) with Blind Drive. Here, we talk with Giori Politi of Lo-Fi People to learn more about the game, how sound is used as the driving force behind the gameplay – and the challenges and possibilities of designing sound for an audio-based game:
Blind is a narrative-driven psychological virtual reality thriller where the player experiences a complete loss of sight and must explore their surroundings using echolocation. In this interesting article by sound designers Paolo Armao and Aram Jean Shahbazians, they discuss the challenges they faced – and the solutions they adopted – to support the VR experience using sound and music:
– an essential guide by Máté Moldován:
Máté Moldován is a sound designer who recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in Sound for Games and Apps where he researched designing sound for better blind accessibility in games. Here he shares his in-depth findings to inspire game sound designers to think about how audio can be a driving force for communicating the gameplay experience through clear, logical design:
