Enough with the subtitles, already

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

They certainly have their uses, there was no way that I was going to sit through the endless chatter in Oblivion, the characters talk far too slowly, if I wasn't able to skim over the subtitles and click the mouse to move things along faster...I wouldn't have had any clue what was going on.

 

[Blind Sight]

I usually have to turn them on because I have some weird hearing issues, anything in a really low pitch is almost impossible for me to hear. Subtitles are key, but I see the point in wanting to be able to turn them on and off, it's far more immersive if you have them off and just absorb the scene.

 

[AugustFall]

I like them so I can listen to music. And I can read faster than they speak so it doesn't jar me, or, I would imagine, a large percentage of humans.

 

[dthvirus]

I like subtitles when your machine gun is rattling away and grenades are exploding all around you.

I must say though, Battlefield Bad Company 2's subtitles were godawfully synced.

 

[demoman_chaos]

I turn them on, helps when there is noise in the room and you can't hear.

 

[Joseph Murray]

I watch alot of subtitled anime. I have mastered the art of reading the subtitles and keeping up with what is going on on the screen. Interestingly enough, I usually put subs on regular TV before I started watching anime. And (television speaking) nothing beats when the subtitles dont match what is said. Or the subtitles they use for sound effects.

 

[The Youth Counselor]

Back in the 80's and 90's there wasn't sufficient memory to record audio dialogue all the time, nor was the facial animation up to par to carry emotion.

But since 2004, we can hear and see fine.

I understand the need for captioning titles such as Shadow of the Colossus which uses a made up language. Or in the Assassin's Creed series which showcases authentic foreign languages. It multiplies the factor of immersion. But you are correct. Automatic subtitles can be distracting and spoil dramatic effect when it appears before the action.

 

[Erzengel]

We did usability research and found that by far most people want subtitles on by default. We also found that a significant portion of gamers play games with other distractions going on that make it difficult to hear what's happening, so subtitles help by being there to convey necessary information at all times. For those of you who don't like it, there's an option to turn it off.

You may find it difficult for you complaint to offset the stacks of usability research data that disagree with you.

 

[Kurokami]

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.

You have a problem with optional reading?

I prefer having subtitles turned on, not all games have great dialogue, even those that do aren't always easy to hear, especially with whatever's happening in the background. They also tend to have the option of turning them off, so there's a suggestion.

 

[oktalist]

Most of the games I play have subtitles off by default. I switch them on.

 

[Cagia]

There are sometimes Easter eggs in subtitles. If you watch the cut scene on the level you first play the Arbiter on Halo II, you see an extra line of dialogue that's not spoken. I've seen stuff like that in a few other games too.

 

[Treeinthewoods]

My brothers girlfriend thinks they are great, I can't figure out why... oh yeah, it's because they are for deaf people.

All the games I play I have to choose to turn them on if I want them. I usually don't unless she's over and wants to play games with me.

She also loves Xbox Live and has never had a problem with twelve year olds screaming at her. She did tell me she thinks her headset is broken though.

I think all games should have them with the option to turn them off or on at will.

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

I like subtitles, sure it would be nice if they knew how to magically master their audio so that it could be heard perfectly on any volume setting of any audio playback device in the world, but that's fucking impossible. So to ensure the player fully understand the actors they throw in optional subtitles.

(Side note: what about accents? There have been many characters with heavy accents that I cold not understand without subtitles)

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

Well unlike you OP not all of us can play with our surround sound up all the time. We live with other people who sleep or whatever. Also some of us listen to music, have noisy houses or something that prevents us hearing every word being said. Subtitles have nothing to do with the quality of writing it just lets us read the whole conversation so we don't miss anything. Nobody holds a gun to your head and forces you to use them. Turn them off and move on with your life.

 

[bubba145]

i like them on that way i can blast music without not hearing or knowing what the actors said.

 

[Berserker119]

I love subtitles. Subtitles are my friend. They should be your friend too.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I think it's a good thing when they're on by default. In a movie you can rewind to catch a line you missed, but in a game you usually can't go back to re-watch a cutscene.

 

[Jake the Snake]

There's nothing wrong with subtitles. They only want to help you And if you don't like our nice little written friends, you can just go turn them off you silly person. Problem solved, grievance fixed.

 

[Necrofudge]

Complaining about something that can be easily changed really shows how much effort (or lack of which) you put into the things you do.

I never had any problems with it. Especially if the voice actor is attempting to play someone with an accent. He could do a very good job, but I still won't know what is being said.

 

[Communist partisan]

In what world are the subtitles default? And I like subtitles I prefer lisening to music instead of russians germans americans or britans yelling what they are going to do in the next two seconds.