Welcome to the 1,206th edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
The disabled gaming
community has made many strides in pushing for accessibility in MMOGs
and other video games, but a recent lawsuit by a visually impaired
gamer against Sony Online Entertainment looks more like a setback for
disabled gamers than a leap forward. How far do developers need to go
make their games accessible to all? What constitutes a reasonable
request? Read on to learn more in today's Loading... Blind Rage.
The Pulse
You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/41"
target="_blank">World of Warcraft -
EVE
Online (UP 10)
- Dungeons
& Dragons Online - EverQuest
2 -
Aion
(UP 1)
Biggest movers over the past week:
-
Star
Trek Online (DOWN 8 to #12) -
href="http://tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1407">DC
Universe Online ((UP 5 to #19) -
href="http://tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1303">Atlantica
Online (UP 3 to #13)
- 9/9
- Dungeons
& Dragons Online Unlimited (release date) - 9/15
- Runes
of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion) - 9/22 -
Fallen
Earth (release date) -
9/22
- Aion
(release date) - 10/8
- Cities
XL (release date) - 11/3
- Dragon Age:
Origins (release date) -
style="font-weight: bold;">11/10
- Final Fantasy
XI Ultimate
Collection (release date)
Releases
- 12/1
- LotRO:
Siege of Mirkwood (expansion) - 12/1
- EVE
Online: Dominion (expansion)
- 12/2
- DOFUS 2.0
(release date) - 12/15
- EverQuest:
Underfoot (expansion) -
style="font-weight: bold;">2/2
- Star Trek Online
(release date)
- Early 2010
- APB - Feb. 2010
- href="http://everquest2.station.sony.com/expansions/sentinelsfate/index.vm">EverQuest
2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)
Loading... Daily
Last week, AbleGamers published an
href="http://www.ablegamers.com/general-game-news/Visually-Impaired-Gamer-Sues-SOE-for-Game-Accommodations-AbleGamers-Statement.html">article
addressing a
href="http://www.gamespot.com/news/6239339.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6239339">lawsuit
brought against Sony Online Entertainment by visually
impaired gamer Alexander Stern. The lawsuit alleges that SOE ignored
repeated letters and demands for accommodations for the visually
impaired, and violates the Americans
with Disabilities Act, which states the following:
discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal
enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages,
or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person
who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public
accommodation.
The suit also takes SOE to task for cutting into Stern's cash flow,
since its lack of accommodations for the visually impaired apparently
hinders his selling of virtual items for real world cash through the
href="http://stationexchange.station.sony.com/livegamer.vm">Station
Exchange.
There's no doubt that the ADA has done some good. Thanks in no small
part to the ADA, disabled Americans have accommodations such as
wheelchair ramps, audible signals at crossing lights, and even a
Braille menu at McDonald's. All of these are positive changes that
enable people with disabilities to live richer lives. (Well, the
McDonald's one may be questionable, but even the disabled need a McFix
from time to time.) Unfortunately, the ADA is also vaguely worded,
which allows frivolous lawsuits like the one Alexander Stern
brought against SOE to enter the justice system.
There, I've said it--the Stern v. SOE lawsuit is, in my opinion, a
frivolous one. (AbleGamers
href="http://www.ablegamers.com/general-game-news/Visually-Impaired-Gamer-Sues-SOE-for-Game-Accommodations-AbleGamers-Statement.html">agrees.)
I believe that the MMOG industry has grown more and more sensitive to
the needs of disabled gamers in recent years, thanks in part, no doubt,
to the efforts of individuals and sites like AbleGamers. While there's
still progress to be made in the area of accessibility, we regularly
see things like voice overs, subtitles, settings for the color blind
and other accommodations we wouldn't have thought to expect from our
games 10 years ago. Each movement to bring more potential gamers to
MMOGs is a step forward.
But lawsuits like this one do nothing but bring what progress disabled
gamers have made in the area of accessibility to a screeching halt.
Suddenly, instead of relating to the disabled as folks who just want to
be able to play the same games we enjoy despite their disabilities,
we're looking at people like Stern and seeing someone who seems to want
to cash in on his disability by bringing down legal action on a large
development firm. Sensational stories like this one do nothing to
further the cause of communities like AbleGamers, and instead distract
from and trivialize those causes.
Mark Bartlet, president of the AbleGamers non-profit organization,
issued the following statement:
I can understand this gentleman's frustration I do not believe that the
courts are the place to forward accessibility in the gaming space. As a
gamer, I want games to be fun for as many people as possible, but as a
person with disabilities, I understand that there are limitations that
I am going to face in life. This is the nature of having a disability.
I think that this approach does little to endear our community and our
mission to the gaming public, and this move may lower the willingness
of content producers to work with organizations like AbleGamers in
making reasonable changes to their games to help accommodate as many
disabled gamers as possible for fear of legal action.
In short, pushing for positive change in the gaming community is not
accomplished by heavy-handed lawsuits; it's accomplished through the
steady and persistent efforts of those who are among, or care about,
the disabled community. Instead, judging by the comments of gamers on
sites like
href="http://www.gamespot.com/news/6239339.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6239339">GameSpot,
we're viewing the lawsuit as ridiculous and over-the-top, and
potentially dismissing the valid
requests of disabled gamers as similarly pointless.
The question becomes this: how far are MMOG developers required to go
to accommodate disabled gamers? One could argue that whatever's being
done already would likely never be enough, since for every disability
accommodated another disability arises. What amounts to a reasonable
request on the part of the disabled community, and which requests take
things too far? Have your say in the Loading... forum.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6">Articles,
News & Events Discussion forum
style="font-weight: normal;">EA Cutting 1,500 Jobs, 1/3rd of
Mythic and 17 Titles
We all know that the global economy is still shaky, and that point hits
home whenever we hear about mass lay-offs. EA recently cut 1,500 jobs
(a "head count reduction," or so their href="http://news.ea.com/portal/site/ea/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&ndmConfigId=1012492&newsId=20091109006515&newsLang=en">press
release says) in an effort to cut expenses. That this
reduction is tucked within a press release that claims record Q2
earnings certainly doesn't soften the blow.
This news stirred up our forum community. SirRobin even found
speculation that Warhammer Online has lost 90% of its staff and has
been put in "maintenance mode." (Let me remind you that this is only a
rumor at this time.) What do you have to say about EA? Stop by our news
forum and href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=47679">make
yourself heard.
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"It's a viscious cycle -
companies are not doing well because consumers are not buying their
products so they have to lay off people who then don't have the money
to buy their products so the company can stay afloat. It is frustrating
to no end - I know people who have been affected by layoffs and I
consider myself lucky I have a good job and do well at it.
Yes, EA is a big company and a lot of their decisions are
profit-motivated, but a lot of companies these days are focusing on
their strengths and jettisoning anything that isn't doing well. There's
no room anymore for long developments of games without return. Maybe
things will change maybe not. Hopefully SWTOR is not affected by this,
but if it is then it is."
- Miralyn
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
4 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG
features today! 38 in November! 3,010
in
2009!
Today's Exclusives at Ten Ton Hammer
-
style="font-weight: bold;"> Dragon Age Origins
- PC Version Review
In
this day and age of rampant internet growth and the desire by many to
be always connected, it is a rare thing to find a game with no
multi-player aspect, and rarer still for that game to feel as immersive
and massive as it's online-only counterparts. BioWare has once again
gone to the creative well and drawn up a masterpiece with their newest
RPG offering, Dragon Age Origins. Want to know what sets this game
apart and has gamers bleary eyed in the morning from playing into the
wee hours of the night? Join Medawky as he delves into this epic tale
in our complete review of the game.
New Features & Guides Today at Ten Ton
Hammer
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/guides/builds/meleedps">
style="font-weight: bold;">Champions Online -
Melee DPS Build Guide
Creating a build
for Champions Online can be difficult with the insane
number of choices a player has. Fortunately for you, your friends at
Ten Ton Hammer are here to provide a quick guide for a melee DPS build
based upon Telekinesis Ego Blades.
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76503">
style="font-weight: bold;">AdventureQuest Worlds:
Diary of the Dev - Mogloween and Friday the 13th
AdventureQuest Worlds is running strong and fresh off their Mogloween
event, the developers are already planning more events for players.
Since the last Friday the 13th event was met with a few setbacks,
developers are planning a new one for players to enjoy. This week in
the Artix blog we get a double dose of the good stuff with two blogs in
one as the developers explain what kind of events players can expect to
see in the future and what's in store for this weekend's Friday the
13th event.
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/gathering/asmovitality_pt3">
style="font-weight: bold;">Aion Asmodean
Vitality Extraction Guide 200-299
In our next entry in Asmodean Vitality Gathering, we make things much
more interesting. You'll be flying between zones, using teleportation,
and running for your life at some point. Such is the price you pay for
trespassing in level 46+ areas. Don't whine -- this is as exciting as
gathering can ever get. "If I get Aggro, I'll die!", you may say if
you're below level 40. Good, at least you're still sane after the last
200 levels of farming. Welcome to the 200+ range of gathering on the
ground, folks!
Today's Hottest Content
-
style="font-weight: bold;"> Dragon Age Origins
- PC Version Review href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76412"> style="font-weight: bold;"> -
style="font-weight: bold;">Champions Online
Developer Diary -
Systems Balancing, Pt 2. - Many
Games on ONE Card
- A Q&A with Pete Grubb - In-Depth
LotRO: Siege of
Mirkwood Expansion
Q&A with Jeffrey Steefel -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/giveaways/allodsonline">
style="font-weight: bold;">Allods Online Beta
Key Giveaway -
style="font-weight: bold;">Star Trek Online Abilities
Interview - The
Overdue
Sequel - A Look at Diablo
3 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/editorial/bloodmoon">
style="font-weight: bold;">Champions Online:
Blood Moon Hands
On Impressions -
style="font-weight: bold;">Global Agenda
Assault Class Interview -
style="font-weight: bold;">Torchlight
Post-Launch and MMO
Interview
Thanks as always for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!
- Karen "Shayalyn" Hertzberg and the Ten Ton Hammer team
