Valve Researching Games for the Deaf

[Mess]

Sounds like now they're getting pretty competent with facial animations, they can move onto hand and arm animations...

A new HandPoser tool? With arm gestures?

[Major Banter]

More concerned about the fact that if we get a love triangle situation with Gordon and "Deaf Chap McGee" lusting after Alyx, Episode Three will rapidly spin down the spiral slide of shit.

[srredfire]

I think this is awesome. I myself took two years of American Sign Language, and I work with some deaf people as well. I don't know really what they have planned, hopefully it's more than just closed captioning.

As per what Mess said, with "Handposer", that'd definately be ambitious, but seeing a character using sign language would be cool, at least for me, probably not so much for someone who doesn't know it. Regardless, this may or may not be really even a big thing, it could be more of a feature or option to help the deaf, rather than an actual part of a plot or story line.

Valve always makes good moves in the end as we know, so I have no concerns.

On a side note, maybe the Pyro in TF2 really doesn't have the mask muffling his voice, he's just a deaf guy trying to fit in and speak.

MUNNUNFUNNADUMMANUH!

[ghost12332]

Srred... Man. After so many interlopers chats with you, I just can't see you working with a deaf guy. I just can't see it (I make pun hahaha....).

[nub]

I have to agree that if they put some stupid love-triangle in the storyline, it will really drag it down. Half-Life doesn't have the room for a mainstream love-drama plot, nor the need for one. Having a general attractions between two characters, such as Gordon & Alyx, is perfectly fine. I'd mention Judith and Eli, but Eli is dead so it's obsolete now.

However, all that is more than likely not going to happen. I think it'll just be something to make the experience of the deaf more enjoyable and rewarding. I can easily see TF2 getting such features, and maybe even L4D2. Subtitles and captions are good and all, but they're just not as rewarding. I think it would be better for deaf people if they don't just have to read words all the time and have something more interesting to analyze. That's more than likely what Valve wants to achieve.

[RC-1290]

I think we're just going to see some kind of sneak action in the next Half Life 2 episode, which asks for silent communication between alyx and dog.

[Qbicle]

Yeah, sounds pretty cool actually, sign language. They (Valve) would be among the first 'big' developers that explore these, I guess. There are other disadvantages too, like the loss of Limbs, colour blindness, dyslexia, total blindness, that can and would affect gaming. Big cheers for Valve!

[Lobstar]

I cant help it but i loled like crazy when the deaf guy was speaking

[source-maps]

I cant help it but i loled like crazy when the deaf guy was speaking

that is mean

[Strider_07]

Isn't she into Gordon, though?

[nub]

No one really knows for sure but from the looks of it she is slightly attracted to Gordon, and it may not even be romantic. I think there's still some time before she becomes blatantly attracted.

Even if she is in to Gordon, what's to stop her? I don't think that her having had a crush on another person would stop her from becoming attracted to him. It('s) (was) just a crush after all.

[Strider_07]

No one really knows for sure but from the looks of it she is slightly attracted to Gordon, and it may not even be romantic. I think there's still some time before she becomes blatantly attracted.

Even if she is in to Gordon, what's to stop her? I don't think that her having had a crush on another person would stop her from becoming attracted to him. It('s) (was) just a crush after all.

Maybe I'm just looking to deep into it, but the end of EP2 (leading up to Eli's death) kind of insinuated that at least Eli expected Gordon and Alyx to get together.

[nub]

True. He also made a slight joke about it at Black Mesa East, although Alyx and Gordon barely knew each other at that point.


Oh...and just curious, how would DOG perform sign language? His he has like 3 fingers on both hands.

[Megadude]

True. He also made a slight joke about it at Black Mesa East, although Alyx and Gordon barely knew each other at that point.


Oh...and just curious, how would DOG perform sign language? His he has like 3 fingers on both hands.

You only need 2 fingers to do sign language

[no00dylan]

True. He also made a slight joke about it at Black Mesa East, although Alyx and Gordon barely knew each other at that point.


Oh...and just curious, how would DOG perform sign language? His he has like 3 fingers on both hands.

You only need 2 fingers to do sign language