[games_access] Semi-OT...

[Reid Kimball]

One of my goals someday is to make a game that features at least one
character that speaks only in American Sign Language. With animation
blending and procedural animation I think a game could possibly have
all characters speak in a sign language, rather than use audio or text
like Rich suggests. The animator will still be able to make specific
animations, like pointing or shaking a fist, but those animations
become the expressions to supplement the sign language. Sign language,
with the right person can be beautiful and very emotive to watch. A
character shouldn't feel any less communicative if they are signing
instead of speaking out loud and gesturing.

Thanks for sending those links about the virtual sign language
projects. I think they'll come in handy one day when I do try to make
the game that features a character that speaks in sign language. It's
not something an animator will want to animate every time the
character speaks. It would be the equivalent of an animator working on
the mouth movements every time a character speaks. Not fun I imagine!

-Reid

On 4/13/06, AudioGames.net <richard at audiogames.net> wrote:
> Hi again,
>
> I forgot to mention that there are many other virtual sign language
> initiatives like VSign, such as:
>
> - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4510567.stm (eSign)
> - http://www.signingbooks.org/animations/sign_language_animations.htm
> (various, includes VSigns application "Multireader" at the bottom)
>
> So although VSign is not really unique, I really enjoy the idea of a
> plugin/mod thing to have an character model in your game HUD which does the
> signlanguage (if you prefer that over written text). Reid....?
>
> Just had another idea:
> Wouldn't it be a cool to have an option "Sign Language On" in games, and
> when it is turned on, characters would do sign-language while they're
> speaking. Ok, NOT as an alternative to captioning of course, but just as an
> extra option. So for instance, in a game like The Matrix, whenever a
> character shouts "There he goes" the 3D character would automatically do the
> sign-language animations as well ;)
> Of course, I bet many people working on motion-capture and
> character-animation would scorn the idea, since their lovely animations
> would be replaced by sign language. And of course there are technical
> issues, since sign language includes many details of the hands and facial
> expressions. And there are language differences you have to tke care of. But
> still, why not...?
>
> Greets,
>
> Richard
>
>
>
>
>
>  and I really hope that
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "AudioGames.net" <richard at audiogames.net>
> To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 5:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [games_access] Semi-OT...
>
>
> > This might be interesting for you then too:
> >
> > http://www.vsign.nl/EN/vsignEN.htm
> >
> > VSign was a project done while we were doing Drive. What I like about it
> > is that it is made in Director, so in theory thousands of Shockwave
> > Game-developers could use it in their *online* games almost immediatly.
> >
> > Greets,
> >
> > Richard
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Reid Kimball" <rkimball at gmail.com>
> > To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 5:21 PM
> > Subject: Re: [games_access] Semi-OT...
> >
> >
> > Yeah I also read about this. Here's an alternate article if anyone
> > cares to read more.
> >
> > http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/04/10/breaking_a_sound_barrier/
> >
> > On 4/13/06, Tim Chase <agdev at thechases.com> wrote:
> >> This link came across my RSS feed today:
> >>
> >> http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70585-0.html
> >>
> >> Which details some advances in video-phone technologies for
> >> enabling deaf folks to communicate more expressively than
> >> just text/TTY communications.
> >>
> >> Of course, my first thought was along the lines of
> >> "hmmm...how can this be made into a cool gaming technology?"
> >>
> >> :)
> >>
> >> -tim
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> games_access mailing list
> >> games_access at igda.org
> >> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > games_access mailing list
> > games_access at igda.org
> > http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
> > _______________________________________________
> > games_access mailing list
> > games_access at igda.org
> > http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>