Enough with the subtitles, already

[Norman Rafferty]

When I watch a television show or a movie, I'm expected to pick up on what's going on by listening to what the actors say, and by watching the videos. Closed-captions aren't turned on unless I go in and turn them on.

But modern video games always have subtitles turned on by default. What gives? This isn't 1996 any more. You have high-talent voice acting and Dolby sound. I can hear you.

If I can't understand your game without subtitles, then your cinematic has failed to inform me of what's going on. Go re-do it, correctly. Hire better writers and better directors; the video-game industry makes more money than the TV and movie industries, so you can hire better talent, if you need it. (Stop burning out those interns. I'm looking at you, Electronic Arts.)

Or better yet, leave the cinematic out and let me play my own damn game. Yes, we're very proud that you have FMV technology, now celebrating its 25th year. Is it so hard to let me push my own buttons?

No wonder Roger Ebert doesn't take us seriously. He thinks cut scenes are made by people who can't tell a good story succinctly, dramatically, and excitingly. He thinks we have to READ it.

 

[Radeonx]

I like subtitles.
Especially in some games, because a lot of times when I play, I listen to music. And if you really have a problem with it, you can manually turn it off in 90% of the games.

 

[Shockolate]

Transformers: War for Cybertron's subtitles weren't on by default.

I know, because I had to turn them on.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

Yes...it's an epidemic >_>
However, there are some more important issues than subtitles in cutscenes, like the quality of said cutscenes.

 

[James Rednok]

I always have subtitles on. And not just with games; movies, television, if anything's got 'em, I'll use 'em. I don't really see what the problem with them is.

 

[Sir_Tor]

It's not always possible to hear every word of a conversation. In any SP shooter for an example if enemies are flanking you and your friendly NPCs yells "Enemies moving up on the flank!" and at that time someone is shooting or an explosion occurs and you didn't hear it and then you die.

For the cutscenes you don't always hear every word that they are saying or someone says something in the background or maybe a complex word. Subtitles should stay.

 

[Zaik]

To oppose your point for the sake of discussion, i generally need subtitles on, as i have trouble understanding what people are saying sometimes due to gameplay still going on, other characters who talk at the same time, or the fact that 90% of games seem to think it's ok to have your conversations quiet and your sound effects BLARINGLY LOUD SO YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD TO UNDERSTAND THE DIALOGUE GOING ON and a lot of them treat sound effects and some dialogue as "sound effects", while the rest of it gets it's own option.

 

[Finnboghi]

I usually turn them on, especially in games like Half-Life 2, where I enjoy running and around and looking at things while people are talking - the Source engine pays a lot of attention to audio fall-off, and if you get more than a few meters away, you can't really hear what the characters are saying.

Also, in every game I've played recently with voice acting, the subtitles have been off by default, and I've had to go and turn them on (Source games, Metro 2033, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, to name a few).

 

[Enigmers]

I like to have subtitles on in games because I don't want to miss anything, but generally speaking you can turn them off if you don't like them.

 

[Vrach]

I like subtitles.
Especially in some games, because a lot of times when I play, I listen to music. And if you really have a problem with it, you can manually turn it off in 90% of the games.

This, every game I played recently that had the option of subtitles had the option to turn it off afaik. Also, I like having it on, in whatever, just in case I misheard a word or two in a cinematic, or far more often when the game decides to give you a buttload of tactic-relevant information in the middle of combat while you're fighting for your life and concentrating on your surroundings rather than the sound.

 

[jopomeister]

If the subtitle doesn't say "Press -button- to skip", I don't want it there.

 

[Woodsey]

I like subtitles.
Especially in some games, because a lot of times when I play, I listen to music. And if you really have a problem with it, you can manually turn it off in 90% of the games.

I think his issue is that you have to turn them off in the first place, and although it may seem kind of petty I agree.

If you're hard of hearing - or full-blown deaf - then the first thing you're going to do is turn on the subtitles. If you aren't then they're not going to cross your mind.

I often find myself reading the subtitles and totally ignoring what's happening in a scene if they're on, which really takes away from a game's opening moments - as does hopping into the menu mid-cutscene, if you're allowed, or skipping it and turning them off then starting over.

 

[maninahat]

I usually have them on, for the sake of speed. I can just read and skip the dialogue. If it is the first play through I tend to switch them off so that I can't ruin any of twists or jokes by reading them before the actor can come out with them.

If it is an old school game, like Monkey Island, I like to have no dialogue and only subs.

 

[Lordmarkus]

Because I read English better than I hear it. It really aggravates me when there isn't an option to put subtitles on or off.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

I use them in the left 4 dead games, as they alert me to special infected before I can here them. I find them very helpful in game (for figuring out what to do next) and in cutscenes (in case I miss anything)

That's the first thing that came to mind for me, too. You get all kinds of warnings about stuff that you might not be able to hear over the other sounds that it throws in the subtitles/captioning anyway in some games.

My experience is generally that they're off by default, and I have to go turn them on myself, which is one of the first things I do when starting a game. It's a huge pain in the ass to be in the middle of some scene that's important to the plot or is telling you what you're supposed to do next and miss it entirely because the air conditioner suddenly turned on halfway through and drowned it out.

 

[Chicago Ted]

They normally are off by default. Most of the time I have to go and manually turn them on.

The reason I do it is because I miss words on occassion. Same happens to me with movies from time to time if there's stuff going on in the background, sometimes leaving me a bit confused if it's one with a lot of story or at the wrong part. I like my subtitles.