Could you turn the subtitles on, please?

[yeti585]

So, I have been on a video game binge of sorts. While playing I noticed something. I turned on subtitles while playing Call of Duty: Black Ops for the fiftieth time. For anyone that doesn't see what is wrong here: I turned subtitles on while playing a game that is only played for military hardware and explosions. After sitting at the main screen, in which Alex Mason is strapped to an electric chair, for a few seconds I started looking back. I had an epiphany: I play every game with subtitles, and my hearing is good.

Does anyone else do this?
Thoughts on why I do this?

 

[DustyDrB]

Hm...subtitles actually annoy me. I turn them off in the menu screen before starting any game. The only problem I ever tend to have with games is hearing the voices over the music/sound effects. So I usually also turn down the music and effects volume.

 

[Tazzy da Devil]

I always turn on subtitles, whether be games or movies. My hearing isn't bad, though sometimes I find myself listening to background sounds instead of dialogue. I get really annoyed if games don't have subtitles, such as the first Assassin's Creed.

 

[lithiumvocals]

I get really annoyed if games don't have subtitles, such as the first Assassin's Creed.

That is honestly the most irritating thing about that game.

 

[sanquin]

I always try to turn off subtitles in cutscenes, but keep them on for in-world conversations. That's how I did it for mass effect and dragon's dogma. I never need subtitles in cutscenes as I can understand them just fine. But while I'm playing or running past someone, my focus isn't exactly what exactly they're saying most of the time and ambiance is a problem too at such times.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

I always turn subtitles on whenever I play games, but when I'm watching tv or a movie, I absolutely abhor having subtitles anywhere on the screen.

Unrelated bit: The captcha is getting really, really fucking obnoxious. I'm getting tired of having to deal with a captcha literally every. single. post. I. make.

 

[Zhukov]

I always keep them off.

I can read many times faster than an actor can deliver their lines, so if subtitles are on I just end up reading ahead then impatiently waiting for the voice actors to catch up.

 

[Hawkolf]

Do you remember when you could switch subtitles on and off while the cutscene was actually playing? Like in Jak II and III etc. That was pretty convenient.

 

[Scrustle]

I always do it too. I never use subtitles on anything else though. I guess it's just habit since my first games were stuff like Pokemon and Zelda. Dialogue through text is just the way games are to me, with or without voice acting. It's also useful not to miss any plot points or instructions too. Even if I don't read them it's good to have them there if I miss something a character says. I sometimes find the audio mixing isn't that great on the game so speech can be hard to pick out, so it helps there.

 

[Fiad]

I always have them on as well. I like being able to hear and read everything said. And a lot of the time background folly is said that you can't really hear, but the subtitles still read it out.

 

[PatrickXD]

I used to, but come about a year ago, I decided to turn them off for most games. I still have them on for a game like Black Ops or some other fast paced shooters, and I still have general subtitles on for a game like Skyrim, but that's only because it can be otherwise easy not to hear what people are saying.
Generally, though, with subtitles off I feel more invested in the game. I don't skip through conversations like I always felt compulsed to do when I just read through the subtitles before the character finishes what they're saying.

 

[Bat Vader]

I always turn on subtitles whenever I play a game or watch a film. I think it has to do with my love of reading. That is also why I love films that are in the widescreen format. The subtitles don't get in the way of the film. Plus, I think widescreen is better overall.

 

[Creator002]

I turn them on too. Movies, TV shows, video games. If it has subtitles, I like them on.

 

[The_Echo]

I always turn on subtitles when I play games. Some games don't really balance the audio levels well, so occasionally it's hard to hear what's being said.

And I just think it looks better when subtitles are on, honestly.

I get really annoyed if games don't have subtitles, such as the first Assassin's Creed.

That is honestly the most irritating thing about that game.

FFFFFFFF. I forgot about that. That was a game that pretty much needed them, too. But I think the lack of a manual save was more irritating. For me, at least.

 

[MetalMagpie]

I always keep them off.

I can read many times faster than an actor can deliver their lines, so if subtitles are on I just end up reading ahead then impatiently waiting for the voice actors to catch up.

Yeah, I have that problem. The worst is the games that allow you to "advance" early by pressing a key. I end up clipping the voice actor's line short the second I've finished reading the subtitle, leaving me with the guilty feeling that I'm rubbishing someone's hard work.

On the other hand, I prefer subtitles to dubs when it comes to foreign-language films.

 

[Tony2077]

i like them since sometimes it hard to tell what someone said be it in game noise or real world noises. for some reason i don't like them when i watch a series or movie unless its really good an draws me in

 

[Smeatza]

Conversation subtitles - Off
Ambient Subtitles - On

Otherwise you might miss all sorts of little references or blobs of atmosphere.

 

[Easton Dark]

I always do, and what pisses me off is when the subtitles and the words characters say don't match up.

Just got through another run of Human Revolution and there's mistakes in EVERY conversation.