How Audio Description opens new worlds in video games | BBC News
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful discussion, Jenna Ross and Ross Miner explore the world of audio description in video games, focusing on its importance for visually impaired players. Ross, an accessibility consultant and narrator, shares his personal experiences, highlighting how audio description levels the playing field by providing crucial visual context. Jenna, a producer at Descriptive Video Works, details the process of integrating audio description into games, emphasizing its growing role in enhancing inclusivity and player experience. The conversation underscores the industry's shift towards greater accessibility and the potential of audio description to enrich gaming for all.
Takeaways
- 🎮 Audio description in games is a service that provides narration to describe onscreen visuals for visually impaired players.
- 👥 The interview features Jenna Ross, a producer of Live And interactive audio at Descriptive Video Works, and Ross Miner, an accessibility consultant and audio description narrator.
- 🚀 The Last of Us Part One was the first AAA game to include audio description, setting a precedent for the industry.
- 💡 Audio description helps blind players by providing details about gestures, unspoken actions, and visual elements that are crucial for understanding the game's story.
- 🕹️ Video games can be fully accessible for blind players to complete, but audio description adds the layer of understanding the narrative and visual aspects.
- 🔍 Ross Miner shares his personal experience of being able to play and enjoy video games fully due to audio description, which was not possible before.
- 📈 The inclusion of audio description is becoming more prevalent as the gaming industry recognizes the importance of accessibility for a wider audience.
- 🛠️ The process of creating audio description for video games involves working with game developers during the development cycle and adapting to the unique needs of each game.
- 💰 While the cost of implementing audio description is a concern, it is becoming an expected feature for studios striving for inclusivity and is considered a good business decision.
- 🤖 There is a current trend in the industry towards using AI for efficiency, but human involvement in creating audio description is still paramount for quality and emotional impact.
- 🌐 The gaming community is increasingly recognizing the value of accessibility features like audio description, which benefit not only the visually impaired but also players with cognitive disabilities or those needing temporary visual assistance.
Q & A
What is audio description in the context of video games?
-Audio description in video games is a service where a scripted narrator speaks between existing dialogue to describe onscreen visuals, enhancing the gaming experience for players with visual impairments.
Which company is Jenna associated with and what is her role there?
-Jenna is a producer of Live And interactive audio description at Descriptive Video Works (DVW), which is under Keywords Studios, specializing in video games.
What was the first AAA game to feature audio description?
-The first AAA game to feature audio description was 'The Last of Us Part One', although the script mentions a possible confusion with 'Part Two'.
What is Ross Miner's professional background in relation to video game accessibility?
-Ross Miner is an accessibility professional consultant specializing in video games, an audio description narrator, and a member of the Descriptive Video Works Advisory board for audio descriptions.
How does audio description put blind gamers on an equal playing field with sighted gamers?
-Audio description allows blind gamers to perceive and understand the same visual elements presented to sighted gamers, such as gestures, facial expressions, and scene details, thus enhancing their overall gaming experience.
What was Ross's personal experience when he was able to play video games with audio descriptions?
-Ross, who was blinded at a young age, found it incredible to be able to play and experience the full story of video games like 'The Last of Us' and 'Spider-Man' with audio descriptions, something he never thought would be possible.
How did Ross transition from playing video games as a child to making it his profession?
-Ross began creating content on YouTube as a hobby and noticed the importance of accessibility to many people. He then decided to pursue game accessibility full-time, eventually joining the Descriptive Video Works Advisory board.
What is the general workflow for implementing audio description in video games?
-The workflow for audio description in video games is similar to TV and film post-production, where the description is part of the game development cycle. It involves referencing various source materials to create narration that complements the game's visuals and audio.
What challenges does the audio description team face when working with video games compared to TV and film?
-Video games have a longer development cycle, and the visuals being described are often not finalized, making it more challenging to synchronize the audio description with the final game visuals and audio mix.
How does the industry's trend towards greater accessibility impact the audio description process?
-The trend towards greater accessibility has led to more studios seeking to implement audio description and other accessibility features, setting expectations for inclusivity and driving the demand for high-quality audio description services.
What is the potential of AI in the field of audio description, and how does the industry currently view its role?
-While AI is a buzzword in the industry, the audio description field currently does not seek AI tools to replace human writers, narrators, or mixers. The focus remains on creating the highest quality audio description that enhances the gaming experience for all players.
What are some of the unique moments or 'Easter eggs' in audio descriptions that enhance the player's experience?
-Unique moments in audio descriptions can include additional information about characters, events, or even detailed descriptions of in-game actions like martial arts moves, which provide depth and enhance the player's connection to the game.
How does Jenna perceive the future of audio description in the gaming industry, considering the current economic climate?
-Jenna acknowledges the uncertainty in the gaming industry but remains optimistic about the growing trend towards accessibility. She believes that making games accessible is not only beneficial for a large demographic but also makes good business sense.
Outlines
🎮 Introduction to Audio Description in Video Games
The video script begins with an introduction to the concept of audio description in video games, led by Jenna Ross, a producer at Descriptive Video Works (DVW), a company under Keyword Studios. Jenna explains that audio description is a service where a narrator provides descriptions of onscreen visuals between dialogues, making games more accessible to visually impaired players. The Last of Us Part Two is highlighted as a pioneer in this area, with its release in 2022 marking a significant step towards inclusivity in gaming. Ross Miner, an accessibility consultant and audio description narrator, emphasizes the importance of audio description in leveling the playing field for blind gamers, allowing them to fully experience and understand the game's story and visuals.
📝 The Workflow and Impact of Audio Description in Games
This paragraph delves into the practical aspects of incorporating audio description into video games. Jenna outlines the workflow, comparing it to TV and film production, and notes the unique challenges posed by the dynamic nature of game development. She discusses the process from the initial request by game studios to the final integration of audio description into the game, highlighting the collaborative effort required to ensure a harmonious player experience. Ross shares his personal experience as a blind gamer, describing the profound impact of audio description on his ability to enjoy games like Spider-Man, and the joy of being able to discuss games with others without missing out on crucial narrative elements.
🚀 The Evolution and Advocacy of Game Accessibility
The conversation shifts to Ross's journey from a hobbyist YouTube content creator to a full-time advocate for game accessibility. He discusses the pivotal moment when he decided to focus on accessibility, his role on the DVW Advisory board, and the importance of consulting in the industry. Jenna then explains the process of working with game studios to ensure their games are accessible, emphasizing that audio description is just one of many features that contribute to a game's overall accessibility. The discussion underscores the growing trend towards inclusivity in the gaming industry and the role of advocacy in driving this change.
💰 The Business and Cost of Implementing Audio Description
The script addresses the financial considerations of implementing audio description in games, with Jenna assuring that it is more affordable than one might think. She explains that studios usually approach DVW with a commitment to inclusivity, reducing the need for extensive persuasion. The discussion highlights the business rationale behind accessibility features, noting the significant proportion of the global population with disabilities and the potential market for accessible games. Ross adds that the impact of games like The Last of Us, which embraced accessibility, has been instrumental in raising awareness and setting new standards for the industry.
🤖 The Role of AI in the Future of Game Accessibility
In this paragraph, the speakers contemplate the impact of the gaming industry's current instability on the future of accessibility investments. Jenna expresses uncertainty about the direction the industry will take but notes a promising trend towards greater accessibility. She differentiates between accessibility and approachability, emphasizing the importance of removing barriers for all players. The conversation also touches on the potential of AI in enhancing efficiency, but Jenna clarifies that DVW is not currently seeking AI tools to replace human creativity in the audio description process, valuing quality over cost or speed.
👏 Celebrating Successes and Identifying Room for Improvement
Ross and Jenna reflect on the progress made in game accessibility, with Ross noting the improvement in audio description from its initial implementation in The Last of Us Part One to its more comprehensive form in Spider-Man 2. They acknowledge that while much has been achieved, there is still work to be done, particularly in increasing the frequency and breadth of audio descriptions in games. The speakers share anecdotes of impactful moments in their gaming experiences, highlighting the transformative effect of audio description and the joy it brings to players with disabilities.
🎉 Conclusion and Reflections on the Impact of Audio Description
The final paragraph wraps up the discussion with Jenna and Ross sharing their personal reflections on the significance of their work in audio description. They express gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to a more inclusive gaming experience and highlight the rewarding nature of their roles. The conversation concludes on a high note, celebrating the positive impact of audio description on the gaming community and the potential for further advancements in the future.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Audio Description
💡Accessibility
💡Descriptive Video Works (DVW)
💡QuickTime Events (QTEs)
💡Cutscenes
💡Inclusivity
💡Nostalgia
💡Consultancy
💡Gamification
💡AAA Games
💡Synthetic Voices
Highlights
Audio description in video games is a recent development, with The Last of Us Part Two being one of the pioneers.
Audio description is a scripted narration that describes onscreen visuals for visually impaired players.
Jenna Ross, a producer at Descriptive Video Works, specializes in creating audio description for video games.
Ross Miner, an accessibility consultant and audio description narrator, discusses the impact of audio description on blind gamers.
Audio description levels the playing field for blind gamers, allowing them to perceive and understand visual elements in games.
The Last of Us Part One was the first AAA game to include audio description, enhancing the narrative experience for blind players.
Ross Miner shares his personal experience of being able to enjoy video games fully through audio description after losing his sight.
Audio description in games is a creative process that involves adapting to the unique challenges of each game's development cycle.
The workflow for audio description in games is compared to TV and film, but with additional challenges due to the dynamic nature of game development.
Jenna Ross explains the collaborative process of integrating audio description into games, emphasizing its role as one of several accessibility features.
The industry trend towards greater accessibility in games is driven by both internal motivation and external advocacy.
The cost of implementing audio description is less than commonly perceived and is often justified by the large percentage of potential players with disabilities.
Ross Miner highlights the importance of audio description in multiplayer games, where it can level the playing field for online competition.
The gaming industry's current challenges, including layoffs and consolidation, may impact the future of accessibility investments.
Jenna Ross discusses the importance of business sense in driving the inclusion of accessibility features like audio description.
The potential of AI in audio description is currently limited, with a preference for human creativity and quality in the field.
Ross Miner calls for more frequent and widespread implementation of audio description in games to enhance inclusivity.
Jenna Ross shares a memorable moment from Spider-Man 2, where audio description seamlessly blends QuickTime events with cinematics.
Both Jenna and Ross emphasize the transformative impact of audio description on the gaming experience for the visually impaired.
Transcripts
to know that I was you know people with
my disability were
considered just really really means the
world on the ground below Hunters load
an unconscious Tombstone into a vehicle
another aims at
Peter but MJ uses her stun gun on his
neck incapacitating him Jenna Ross thank
you so much for joining us to talk about
this uh we're going to be talking about
audio description in games now for
anyone who doesn't know what that is
Jenna kick us off what are we talking
about here yeah thank you so much for
having us uh my name is Jenna I'm a
producer of Live And interactive audio
description at descriptive video works
which is under keyword Studios and what
that means is I specialize in video
games it's my bread and butter so audio
description for anyone who has never
heard of it before is a scripted
narrator who speaks between existing
dialogue to describe onscreen visuals um
dvw has been doing it in TV and film for
many many years but it is only just
recently starting to appear in video
games a hunter vehicle toward them it
narrowly misses them and collides with a
swing Tower
ride don't fall don't fall don't fall
don't fall oh no there's a handful of
AAA games who have professionally
produced audio description a few others
who have tried it in house and it uh
it's it's still very new so the first
ever AAA game to have audio description
was uh The Last of Us Part Two that came
out in wait was it 2022 I think it was
um Ross you can probably answer that
better than I can but it was it I
thought it was the last was part one the
first one it was part one you're right
yeah okay part two just recently got
audio description um so that all all
that to say it's only in the past few
years that video games have started
getting audio description and it's been
so fun to try out new things with each
new game that decides to try it and Ross
you're an expert a specialist on this
you've been Consulting on how to make
this better but tell us how does it
actually work in practice and why does
it make such a big difference my name is
Ross Miner and I'm an accessibility
professional consultant specializing in
video games um and I'm on the
descriptive video works Advisory board
for audio descriptions and I'm an a also
an audio description narrator myself but
yeah so I mean on how does audio
description help it what it does is puts
us on an equal playing field as everyone
else we as blind people are able to
perceive and understand the same things
that are being presented to a cited
audience you know all the little uh
unspoken um gestures whether like hands
gestures or unspoken things that we
don't get to see um we now get to
experience and in terms of cutcenes in
terms of of fight scenes you know
there's a ton of that in video games and
so it really does
enhance the entire experience because a
game can be you know totally accessible
for blind people you can complete it
from beginning to end but you don't know
the story you don't know what's
happening during the cut scenes Well
audio description has now allowed us to
do that and as such you know I've gotten
to experience the last of us part one
and two and I'm currently playing
Spider-Man all with audio descriptions
and it's just it it's it's been
incredible he then leaps toward a second
coaster he lands on the coaster don't
worry I've got you Peter catches a
crossbow bolt circle Buton he Dodges
shots from Hunters Peter flips toward
them L1 he redirects a rocket onto the
hunters then lands on the coaster I uh
was was blinded at a young age and so I
used to play video games when I could
see and never did I think that I would
actually be able to play a video game um
just with all the mechanics and
experience the story in its entirety and
now I can't than to audio description
and there must have been a moment then
that you could come back to video games
you know you said you played them uh as
a child then you presumbly weren't able
to play them for a while while these
accessibility features weren't there
what did it mean to be able to go back
to that childhood
hobby oh man I mean it's you know Gamers
love Nostalgia and just being able to
play a game uh a AAA game you is it's
like its own form of nostalgia because
being able to just hold the controller
sit down and relax and like play a video
game I mean I lived for that as a kid
and I live for that now and it's funny
cuz when I could see I played the
Spider-Man 2 game on the PS2 and it
almost feels like full circle now I'm
now that I'm playing Spider-Man 2
obviously a different one but on the PS5
and it's it's it's just such a good
feeling because I'm able yeah play the
game experience the story but I'm also
able to converse online with others
about the story because I know
everything that's happening and and I
mean a huge reason I play video games is
for escapism but also for social
socializing you know uh interacting with
other people that have those similar
interests and it's one thing to have
gaming as a hobby it's another to then
decide to make it your job how did you
get into Consulting on
this yeah very good question so I first
began creating content on YouTube just
as a hobby um and I very much saw as
that when I first began creating but
then I realized I noticed how many
people whether blind or cited really
cared about accessibility and so I think
I was in the Paralympics at the time Co
just hit and I was like you know what
I'm going to do game accessibility
fulltime and so I retired and um I think
it was descriptive video works who
reached out to me and asked me if I
wanted to be on The Advisory board so of
course I said yes and this was before
they had uh even provided the
descriptions for the last of us and so
once they did that uh I knew I was in
the right place um because dvw has
honestly kind of been leading the way
when it comes to audio description and
video
games and Jenna how does it actually
work in practice so you have a studio
come to you and say we want to make sure
that our game is accessible what happens
next so I mean our our piece of the
puzzle is just one of several
accessibility features that will make a
game both playable and enjoyable by
people with uh low or no vision or even
with cognitive disabilities so we're not
the ones who go through and say hey this
is how you make your game fully playable
by blind people we are just one of
several features that will do that but
um we usually end up comparing our
workflow to TV and film because audio
description has been much more
established in TV and film for several
years now and it's a lot different
because usually when we write for TV and
film we are part of a post- production
step where all of the audio and visuals
have been very locked down and finalized
and it's uh it's easy to know what the
intended final visuals are going to be
because you can see them they're already
in that state by contrast for video
games they have a much longer
development cycle and the narration that
we create for the game is as much a part
of that game as any other dialogue or
music or sound effects so that means
that when we're seeing what we're
supposed to be describing it's not quite
done yet it's never quite done so it's a
bit more of a challenge it's it's really
fun because we get to reference all
sorts of different Source material to
know what the final visuals are going to
look like but it also means we don't see
everything all come together until the
game itself comes out we don't see like
what our narrator sounds like in the
scene with everything fully mixed
together we don't see like what all of
the final lighting and textures and
colors look like until everything
finally comes together but the fun part
of that is it does mean that we kind of
get to experience that first look at the
final version of it alongside everyone
else we get to see it all come together
and add to each other and just uh create
this harmonious experience for for for
everyone to uh like go through at the
same time as everybody else and it's
it's really great when what we've helped
make is additive to the game itself um
I've anytime a new game release comes
out that we've helped work on I spend
hours and hours just watching twitch
streams of people playing through it
with our audio description on and what I
notice is that people aren't commenting
on like the narrator's performance or
how we scripted things or like specific
things about the audio description
itself they're just reacting to the
story and sort of experiencing it the
same as any other player who didn't use
audio description and that parody is the
goal um we want all players to have as
close an experience emotionally and in
terms of gaml as possible we want
everyone to be able to participate in
this media and this art form with as
close an experience as possible but all
that to say the workflow is going to be
different for every single game for
every engine for every client because no
two things are the same there is no
average game there is no uh average game
length or game format or game tone or
accent there is uh thing there are
things that are going to be different
every single time but that's the fun
part of it because we get to make up new
rules for ourselves and we get to decide
some new cool stuff that we get to do
and those are what makes it that's what
makes it really really fun to put audio
description into new games and
presumably that whole process it's not
cheap um do you find that it's quite an
easy sell you have Studios coming to you
asking for this or do you have to go out
and really actually convince Studios
that this is the right thing to be
adding in I mean it's I would say it's
cheaper than you think obviously I'm not
I'm not going to give you a quote for
your game right now over this call but
it's it in in comparison to um wait
sorry how do I put this um I'll I'll
just say it's it's not as expensive as
you would think but given that we are
just one feature among several that
would make a game more accessible
usually by the time a studio comes to us
they have made that decision to strive
for full inclusivity and as much
accessibility as possible it doesn't
usually take much convincing because
because of Consultants like Ross um they
have already heard usually from several
different sources that like hey I want
to play this game um we have uh tested
it for you and as part of their
Consulting usually one of the things
that they will mention will be audio
description because in addition to like
Ross said in addition to knowing what
buttons to push and when to make it from
the beginning of the game to the end of
the game you want to know what's going
on um some presumably at some point in
between the start and end of the game
you want to be able to follow and
participate in the story you want to
know who you are what you're doing and
why and you want to be able to follow
that narrative so I do do some Outreach
to different game studios but for the
most part it is pretty internally
motivated when they come to us which is
really great to see that that shift in
the industry towards more accessibility
as time goes on and Ross we talked about
the last of us that game got uh a lot of
attention a lot of credit for its focus
on accessibility why do you think it was
that game that sort of kicked things off
a bit well I I think it's simply because
we've never seen a AAA game fully
Embrace accessibility on that level I
mean there there are many G High budget
games who had accessibility features but
this was you could tell across the board
that they were trying to accommodate for
all disabilities and I believe it
launched with somewhere around like 60
65 accessibility features which is just
again it was never heard of and as a
result of course it made a huge huge
Splash in the the disabled Gaming
Community but just in the Gaming
Community as as a whole because just to
give some
statistics 15 to 20% of the world has
some sort of disability but 25% of
Gamers identify as having some sort of
disability or being disabled and so not
only did these AC accessibility features
help me as someone who is blind or
someone who's hard of hearing but they
can help others who may not have known
that they need these accessibility
features and so I think you know with a
bunch of disabled people going oh wow
this is incredible I think that just
made a huge huge Splash and caused a lot
of other Gamers to like really
re-evaluate what they uh found important
in video games and yeah I mean it's just
been a snowball effect from from there
you know and I know that a lot of the
work here we've been talking about The
Last of Us Last of Us Part Two
Spider-Man 2 what a lot of these games
have in common is that they're
relatively linear uh story based games
do you think there's a challenge around
multiplayer games games with lots of
endings like a Boulders Gate 3 for
example accessibility in gaming is about
giving player the tool players the tools
they need to play the game on an equal
playing field and so yes I do agree that
these games are sort of linear but um I
do think that there is a lot of
potential for multiplayer games if you
take fors and Motorsport I have seen
blind people compete toe-to-toe with
side of people on online and when you
play online you don't have any uh uh
driving assists whatsoever when you
design accessibility features for online
gameplay yes there will be you'll have
to think outside the box you'll have to
do things a little bit differently than
you would um if it were just a single
player game but with force of Motorsport
and even Mortal Kombat it's it's proof
right there that give players the tools
they need they can play online with Able
Body players um and you know not have a
perceived advantage or disadvantage
Jenna it's quite a tough time in the
games industry uh obviously there's a
lot of layoffs a lot of consolidation
I'm wondering first of all do you think
that studios are going to continue to
invest to make sure that they're making
accessibility better than it is now uh
and then related to that is there
potentially a challenge that AI might be
seen as an answer for this and and
taking it kind of out of human hands and
putting it into uh into that an
artificial intelligence I I really wish
I had a crystal ball that I could
consult right now to know exactly how
the games industry is going to be going
in a few years because yeah it is very
tumultuous right now and of course I
hate seeing any announcement of layoffs
uh usually it's well
not it's it's not great to see people
that you've worked with personally be
affected by it um in addition to hearing
about all of these people whose jobs
were impacted by it we are a third-party
service provider so it's difficult to
say exactly how our work will be
impacted if at all but um in spite of
all the layoffs we have seen still a
growing Trend toward greater
accessibility especially in studios who
have already chosen to implement it in
previous games they've sort of set an
expectation for themselves and for their
peers to only go upward from there on
the business side of things it just
makes sense to care about such a large
percentage of people it is the world's
largest minority so it makes good
business sense to make accessibility
features that are going to allow more
people to consume your game there's a
difference between accessibility and
approachability um accessibility is just
removing barriers to uh intended it's
intended to remove barriers for people
with disabilities to be able to consume
your media it's removing things like uh
like putting in audio description
putting in navigation assistance putting
in a screen reader to remove barriers so
that uh all players can have a uh an
equivalent experience approachability is
making it appealing to more people so
that's not what we're talking about here
we don't want every game to be you know
Bland and watered de and not have any
controversial narratives or anything
like that no we just want it to be
physically possible for everyone to play
it if at all possible and that just
makes good business sense we we want
more people to be able to play more
games even if you wouldn't necessarily
choose to even if it's not your cup of
tea you want it to be an option that's
available to you not something that is
just closed off because you can't
physically play the game and of course
we have to address the uh the AI is the
the buzz of the industry right now
trying to replace humans or increase
efficiency right now we're not really
seeing that yet in our particular line
of work we might reassess that in a few
years but we're not seeking out any AI
tools especially not to replace uh human
writers narrators or mixers we are not
um using it to replace any creative
workflows right now to some extent it's
unavoidable I think in one of my
software tools like the spell check is
technically AI powered which you know
we're we're not going to go out of our
way to avoid that but I'm always going
to take my cues uh from the ACB and The
nfb Who currently have issued statements
strongly condemning the use of synthetic
voices in audio description and in
writing I'm going to take my cues from
them and from what are our viewers and
customers want more so than what is the
cheapest or easiest or the the fastest
option that's available to us because
creating the highest quality possible
audio description is more important than
than anything else Ross we've talked
about quite a lot of very positive
examples so far I'm wondering if you
have any where things have really fallen
short or kind of anything that you want
to happen in the industry to make things
better where's there still work to be
done yeah well in terms of audio
description um I mean so like starting
with The Last of Us Part One only
strictly cinematic cutcenes were
described and you know some people found
that to be a bummer but it's constantly
gotten better um with each kind of
iteration of video games that have had
audio descriptions provided um case in
point with Spider-Man 2 audio
descriptions now play during um kind of
in-game cut scenes that kind of flow
into quick events and it's actually
quite seamless and so of
course I really I think just the only
con I see right now is that not enough
games have audio description I think
that there's no reason not to have them
because many people think that they're
only just for blind people but in fact
um many people use them whether they
have a cognitive disability or even if
you just need to temporarily look away
from the screen um if something else is
distracting you like that's where audio
descriptions come into play and
so as far as yeah just anything that um
really needs to be improved I would say
just the the frequency of audio
descriptions I think um there's still
always more room to to just pack as many
audio descriptions um in a game as
possible so the frequency and then just
yeah the number of games that have
descriptions because uh there are still
many many games where I would love to
actually experience the story how it was
was meant to be
experienced and a last one from me have
there been any moments in the narration
where you you know it's really shocked
to you or it's being particularly funny
or I don't know just a moment where
people who don't have it switched on
will have missed something that could
have been
amazing oh I mean just like I know he
keeps saying like Spider-Man for example
but like the I'm reaching the end of the
game and so I don't want to
give too many spoilers but um just just
really the cut scenes between like the
bosses and the fight scenes first off
all of that you know if you don't have
the descriptions on it's literally just
like Grunts and punching sounds and
that's it um or even unspoken dialogue
you know facial expressions hand
gestures um all that stuff is a miss and
so whether it is Spider-Man or The Last
of Us um or Mortal Kombat they have just
been so many things in video games that
I didn't realize I was missing until
they were described to me and that was
the case with movies when I began uh
watching movies with audio descriptions
I was like oh I know everything that's
happening and then I actually listen I'm
like oh wow there's so much and so like
Mortal Kombat actually being able to
watch all the fatalities and their
gruesome gory detail I think it is
just I I don't want to say like people
take it for granted
but I just feel like I'm experiencing
the game like everyone else and it it
just it's it's a really good feeling
because at the end of the day this is
what inclusivity feels like and to know
that I was you know people with my
disability were
considered just really really means the
world Jenna same question to you is
there any one moment where you thought
this was really cool
oh I love this question this is great
there's I I have had to do some very
strange research at times to ensure the
audio description is is accurate my
Google search history could uh probably
get me on a list somewhere for the the
weird terms that I've had to look up
everything from martial arts moves to
wrestling moves to uh what kind of
animal is this and all sorts of things
so there are definitely I I don't know
if I would call them Easter eggs but
like additional information sprinkled
throughout the audio description that
sometimes draws attention to things that
you might not have noticed before but
might also uh give some some more depth
to some of these characters and and
events that you already love but I think
there was this one particular moment um
with interspersed qtees and cinematics
near the beginning of Spider-Man 2 that
was sort of the the really cool moment
for me uh QuickTime events are where the
game gives you a button prompt and those
button prompts are read via the game's
screen reader and those blend seamlessly
with the Cinematic events which are
audio described that are kind of
interspersed in between those so it'll
give you button prompt thing happens
button prompt thing happens and it tells
you exactly what you did exactly how you
were successful or not successful it
tells you what the characters are doing
and it was really cool to see all of
that come together because I had seen
each of those little individual dozens
of pieces up until that point I've seen
you know a 5-second video clip and then
a 3-second video clip and then a
12-second video clip I had never seen it
fully come together until I played
through it myself and that moment where
everything sort of seamlessly Blends
into this holistic experience
that really makes you feel like
Spider-Man was just it was just cool it
was so cool and I loved that so that was
the moment for me and it's those cool
moments that I I imagine just makes it
all all really worthwhile thank you so
much definitely Jenna Ross thank you for
for chatting to us uh really appreciate
it thank you so much
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