Forum Discussion

Psignosys's avatar
7 years ago
Solved

EA doesn’t accommodate hearing impaired. Not competitive

Product: Command & Conquer: Rivals
Platform:Apple iPhone
List the specific devices you play with (e.g. iPhone 6s Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7) iphone X
OS Version latest
What is your Player ID? Psignosys
What type of issue do you have? Gameplay
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
Summarize your bug There are audible cues that notify players what the opponents are doing. I’ve come to realize it can be used as opponent indicators
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? This is obvious
Connection Type Mobile
Please select your region North America
Country USA

please add clear subtitles when the opponents are building, deploy units, etc. It allows hearing impaired to remain competitive. Also I want EA to advocate inclusive gaming culture. 

For those that are interested, Check out game makers toolkit take on designing for disability:

https://youtu.be/4NGe4dzlukc

7 Replies

  • I’ve come to learn that there are audible cues that can be used as tactical advantage in gameplay. Early game, you can hear opponent harvesters, buildings, and unit deployments which can be used against the opponent. In a competitive space, this can be critical. EA could use some good PR and out in subtitles options during game play. Especially if they are serious about making this competitive.

    A great video on designing for disabilities:

    https://youtu.be/4NGe4dzlukc

  • Really?  Man, I've been playing it like every other mobile game I have... no volume.  I'm not super competitive - but I'll have to give it a shot.

    That being said - I agree.  Whether for hearing impaired or you just don't want the music and sounds or EVA's melodious voice brings you back to 1997 C&C: TS and you're like... 'what game am I even playing now?' - for many reasons there should be options to make playing with and without sound as similar an experience as is possible.

  • RxyDxy1's avatar
    RxyDxy1
    7 years ago

    I agree that games should aim to be more inclusive, but I suppose it's also tough, because you also don't want to affect the core gameplay, since it's really hard to stop any hearing person from using the resources for hearing impaired ppl as an advantage. (eg. visual cues). Visual cues may even be more advantageous in the game, since sounds tend to overlap a lot while playing the game, so I don't always catch every audio cue, but visual cues are probably way easier to notice. Maybe there could be an option where you take away the audio cues and replace them with visual cues, which might prevent a hearing person from abusing it completely.

  • t5x0wtsyw9zv's avatar
    t5x0wtsyw9zv
    New Novice
    30 days ago

    Totally agree with you. Competitive games need better accessibility for players with hearing loss. I use professional ear wax extraction services every few months to make sure my hearing aids perform optimally during long sessions. Small maintenance things like that make a big difference in clarity and response. Hopefully, studios will follow through with proper subtitle and alert systems soon.

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