Sony Sued For Discrimination Against the Blind

[Vyper1X]

Sony is pissing a lot of people off lately.

like who?

 

[axia777]

as a games programmer i can see why he would take them to court over the fact that he cant use certain functions that come with the PS3 as that can easily be changed so when it goes onto said section it will play a audio file which will mention which section it is on, making it easier for the visually impaired and blind to use.

but on the other side, making a 3D game for the blind i can see as a very hard challenge, if it where a 2D game i could understand it, as when i was at College a student in the year above who was blind made a game that blind people could use

Making WOW or Everquest for a blind person is nigh impossible. The interface is to visual for it to work at all. They would need to redesign the game from the ground up for blind people to use. Why even make with graphics at that point? They might as well just stick to on-line MUDS and such with a keyboard for blind people. Otherwise they are just asking for too much.

 

[SomeUnregPunk]

Yes and just to prove a point I will make a recording explaining my paintings in the dullest most monotone voice possible with a little push button next to them. I'm certain blind people WILL LOVE IT AND I WILL BE HERALDED AS A GOD. Or not.

They actually have this installed in art galleries. I have been to a few galleries in New York, where there is a little box placed next to the art. It does pretty much what you say. I don't think it was made for the blind but to help the artist convey what ever they wanted the viewer to experience when looking at their art. This thing was placed next to all the new pieces.

 

[Jason Danger Keyes]

This is like a deaf person suing a musician.

 

[Tony Harrison]

Damn, there are so many idiotic posts in this thread. Over half of them even show ignorance of what is written in the news article. Jesus.

 

[Pendragon9]

Once again, this person seems to think a company is there to cater to them.

No. I'm sorry, but your blind butt doesn't deserve jack squat from this lawsuit. And for that matter, why does he not sue Nintendo or Microsoft for the same thing?

Because I'm thinking back to Pokemon Fire red where they had a section of the game that required you know braile. But you had to look at the symbols with your eyes, which just defeated the entire purpose of it. To me at least.

 

[Jumplion]

Though no specific videogame has been named in the suit, the one most likely involved here would be SOE's Everquest. Stern claims that he has been sending both emails and snail mail to Sony for a while, requesting simple ways that Sony can make its games easier to play, though these requests have been ignored. Other games, such as World of Warcraft, already allow for third-party modifications that have been aiding visually impaired gamers. Two examples include an audio compass and a text-to-voice inventory system; these are what Stern hopes to get Sony to implement, or to at least allow for the possibility.

BAM, this is where he fails.

He's yelling at a first party for not including something similar to third party accessories. 1st-party are not responsible for 3rd party, and I wouldn't be surprised at how many of those "Third-Party modifications" are illegal and/or against Blizzards TOS and whatnot.

As harsh as it sounds, Sony doesn't have to "cater" towards blind/visually impaired/whatever other disability there is. Same thing with private schools and the like, Sony's a private organization. And for that matter, who really thinks about "Oh, half-blind people will have trouble playing our game"? While it's great that he sent Sony some suggestions on how to make the game better, it's nothing to get a hissy fit over and start suing.

 

[leeloodallasmultipass]

This will fail. They dont have to Cater for anyone. they are providing a luxury service not a persons right. they have no obligation at all to provide games for anyone, let alone a visually impaired person.

Actually that isn't true. According to law all internet sites must be made accessable by the blind. I'm assuming similar laws apply to other forms of technology. By not providing access for the disabled this can be seen as discrimiatory.

Depends on the law in the country you are in. im pretty sure in the Escapists example there is no Accessability to the blind, you use Microsofts (or your operaters system of choice) Text-To-Speech program that will Translate the whole page to Audio so you can "See hear" it.

The Law is iffy in these areas, They Cannot Deny you access to a Product based on your Condition/disability, as yes this is Predjudical but in the case of a optional Luxury non civil/human rights based product/service (lets say Healthcare is a Rights based Service/product) they dont have to cater completely to your disability, you just cant restrict them access from using your product just because "you are blind therefore you have no right to use our product"

This will fail. They dont have to Cater for anyone. they are providing a luxury service not a persons right. they have no obligation at all to provide games for anyone, let alone a visually impaired person.

That is very true, but they will likely settle out of court.
Every big company does it, no matter how ridiculous the charges are.
They would rather give money to shut the person up than have their names dragged through the mud in a long and expensive trial.

yea exactly they will probably settle out of court so Sony? doesnt get a bad rep for treating visually impaired people badly.

 

[ThaBenMan]

I don't understand how playing a video game would even be fun if you were blind... I feel bad for the dude, I guess, that he can't play the game as easily as everyone else. But suing the devs seems unnecessary.

 

[FROGGEman2]

It's a good idea, and I feel for him.

Sony will still own him though.

 

[hebdomad]

Oh but Toyota dose not make cars for the blind! Let's sue them!

Blind people can still play D&D, chess, or any kind of card game (heck they would be at home on the poker table, sunglasses and all)... video games however have never really been for the blind... something about the whole 'video' part.

 

[TZer0]

If he's blind, how the heck did he even find the game to ***** about it? And how did he write e-mails for that matter?

There are attachments to PCs which allow blind people to read - Braille-screens if you wish. They they give you the corresponding braille from where you currently are in your text and about 50 characters ahead. Writing an e-mail is most likely not a problem if you're used to the keyboard layout.

 

[shannon.archer]

the guy seems fairly reasonable. I just think that everyone is prejudice against him because there is a bit to many law suits out there nowadaysv

 

[Jenova65]

Well, if other games have that kind of thing, I guess he has a legitimate argument...
Isn't paper money also discriminating against the blind?

Not in countries where paper money is a different size for each amount! Like the UK. When we have holidayed in the States I always wonder how blind people know if they are holding a $5 bill or a $100 bill? It is lovely and neat in my purse though

 

[The_Healer]

He should sue the wall next, for not having technology that tells him it is there to stop him breaking his nose on it.

Seriously, I try not to be insensitive and then people like this turn up.

 

[TMAN10112]

It's official, people. We have now reached shenanigans level 5. It is now possible to sue anyone, at anytime, for anything.

I'm coming for you, Michal Bay.

P.S. Are you sure that this isn't from The Onion? It sounds just like something that they would do.

 

[Tears of Blood]

I may sound like a jerk here, but I still find this totally unreasonable.

Sorry you're blind, Stern. I'm sure it sucks and I feel for you, but you aren't going to be able to do certain things since you have a disability. Those are the breaks.

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't be just as hurt as he is about the whole thing. On the contrary, I'd be doing everything I could to try to play my games while blind if I became so. However, I wouldn't be looking to sue Sony or any other company related to gaming simply because I couldn't see. Maybe concentrate more on music and singing. There really is more to my life than my games, despite my love and passion for them.

Do I support gaming for the blind? Absolutely I do. However, this isn't exactly the way he should be going about it. He should instead be educating himself in the proper fields to be doing things about it if he cares so much.

Then again, sometimes, if you want anything done, you have to threaten other people's money. *Sigh*

EDIT: I mean, this really is quite ridiculous if you ask me. Lots of bands make music videos, but you don't see people raging at bands for not having some visual to every single song they make. It's just completely silly. You're trying to convey information meant to be taken in by a certain sense through another and that's just not reasonable.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

God, being blind must be terri- Actually, to be honest, it probably isn't. Unless you weren't born blind and got it in your late 40's. After living with vision for so long it must be terrible, but honestly, being born with it must be normal. You can't see and thats how you live your life.

 

[Chester41585]

No company in Sony's shoes would spend the money to cater to such a small demographic. It would not be cost-effective. Period.