The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that, “One in eight people in the United States (13 percent, or 30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations.” If you’re among this population, you know that your hearing loss can impact your life in many ways. And if you’re a gamer, you know it can also affect this experience. Below we review how to make the most of video games with hearing loss.
Visual Cues
In most video games, the visual aspect is more important than the audio. Many video games utilize awareness indicators, which are visual alerts that something is happening – for example, if an obstacle or another player is coming your way. In addition, some video games are text-centered, meaning they have a minimal audio component and are essentially like interactive reading exercises. You can talk to an employee at Grand Line Games in Red Feather Plaza to see if they have any games like these.
Subtitles and Captioning
One popular accessibility feature offered by many video games is subtitles and captioning. Many video games offer subtitles of NPC dialogue and live captioning of other players’ speech. Here is a website that provides reviews for various games that discuss their accessibility, including how well they are subtitled and captioned.
Volume Control
You can also ask the store employee if any games offer dynamic sound controls. This means you can turn up the volume on speech and turn down the volume on background noise, so you can hear what you need to hear better.
Haptic Feedback
Many of today’s video game controllers and headsets are designed with a feature called haptic feedback, also known as touch feedback. This means the accessories provide real-time physical feedback as you play your game, as vibrations of various degrees of intensity simulate real-life experiences, like raindrops or explosions. This will help you react to what’s going on in the game without having to hear it. For more information about video games and hearing loss, or to schedule an appointment with a hearing expert, call Nevada Ear + Sinus Institute today.
Call Nevada Ear + Sinus Institute at (702) 735-7668 for more information or to schedule an appointment.