Computer games give people with disabilities the opportunity to live. “They are more complete than you”
Outdoor games for children with disabilities
A lot has been written about the game, gaming behavior and about those who play, both fair and true, and contradictory and inaccurate. The breadth of interpretation has an endless variety of interpretations - from mystical to scientifically advanced. The game is not a product of a passing fashion, it is a phenomenon characterized by a special constancy that unites time, eras, and generations. The game cannot be defined using an unambiguous definition, but the very concept of the game is inextricably linked with freedom, good will, pleasure, and joy. Game is an integral element of life, human culture, connecting generations. This phenomenon is studied by philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, and biologists. Pedagogy connects play and play behavior with the processes of upbringing, education and personal development.
The psychological basis of the game is the dominance of feelings in the child’s soul, freedom of expression, sincere laughter, tears, delight, that is, that natural emotional essence of the child that seeks expression in both the physical and psychological spheres.
It is known that children with various health conditions (with pathologies of vision, hearing, consequences of cerebral palsy, with intellectual problems, etc.) have different physical capabilities, and this feature must be taken into account when conducting outdoor games.
Outdoor play activates all systems of the body: blood circulation, breathing, vision, hearing, it brings positive emotions to the child. All this taken together allows us to talk about the health-improving effect of outdoor games. For a child with a developmental disorder, it is extremely important what motor actions the game consists of, with what intensity (tension) it is carried out, and how the body responds to the resulting load. Therefore, when selecting games, it is necessary to take into account the nature and depth of the defect, the child’s real motor capabilities and his individual reaction to physical activity. It is important that the amount of load is accessible to the child and does not cause overexertion.
The quality of organizing and conducting the game - from choice to its completion - depends on the adult’s psychological readiness for this activity, his pedagogical knowledge, experience and ability to communicate with children.
Sincerity and goodwill, cheerfulness and openness, empathy and the ability to help, to notice successes - these are the qualities that attract children, arouse their sympathy and respect for adults, and sometimes are the main motive for participating in the game.
On psycho physical development A child is greatly influenced by communication with an adult to whom he is emotionally attached and with whom he likes to communicate. It is in the game that the necessary conditions are created for the emergence and development of such relationships.
- "Zoo"
Target: development of imagination, freedom of movement.
Number of players– 4-20 people.
Instructions. All participants take turns showing movements characteristic of the animal they have planned for the game. The rest are trying to guess. Then the participants are united into subgroups of 2-3 people. The presenter, pointing to any subgroup, gives the name of the animal. Participants, without saying a word, together depict one named animal. Next, the subgroup can also depict any animal, and the other participants guess which one.
Methodical instructions.The game can be repeated several times.
- "Try again"
Target: development of auditory memory, speech clarity.
Instructions. The presenter offers to repeat after him the tongue twisters, the number of words in which gradually increases:
- Daria gives Dina a melon.
- The thicket is thicker in our Pushcha, the thicket is thicker in our Pushcha.
- It’s not bricks bursting on the stove in the night. Rolls of bread are bubbling on the stove.
- The cuckoo bought a hood, the cuckoo in the hood was very funny.
- Sasha was walking along the highway, carrying dryers in a bag. Drying - Grisha, drying - Misha. There are dryers - Proshe, Vasyusha and Antosha. There are two dryers - Nyusha and Petrusha.
- "Recognize by voice"
Target: development of hearing and ability to navigate in space.
Number of players – 5-20 people.
Instructions. The game is played in the gym or on the playground. All players, holding hands, form a circle, the driver stands in the center. Players, at the driver’s signal, begin to move in a circle to the right (left), saying:
We had a little fun
Everyone was settled in their places.
Guess the riddle
Find out who called you.
With the last words, everyone stops, and the player, whom the driver touched with his hand while moving in a circle, calls him by name in a changed voice, so that he does not recognize him. If the driver recognizes the player, they change roles, but if he makes a mistake, he continues to drive.
Methodical instructions.
- Complete silence must be maintained during the game.
- The driver with some vision or normal vision should close their eyes or wear a blindfold.
4. “Catch up with the ball”
Target: development of attention, accuracy and coordination of movements.
Number of players – 10-12 children.
Inventory: two sounded balls.
Instructions. The game is played on the playground. All players form a circle. Two players standing in a circle 3-4 players apart are given a ball. At the driver’s signal, the players try to pass the balls to the player on the right as quickly as possible, so that one ball catches up with the other. When this happens, the game starts again.
Methodical instructions.
- Balls can only be passed, but not thrown.
- The number of balls can be increased.
- The ball is passed at waist or chest level.
- "Catch up with the bell"
Target: development of speed, dexterity, ability to navigate in space.
Inventory: bell.
Instructions. The playing area should be marked with tactile landmarks. From among the players, two pairs of drivers are chosen. One of the players is given a bell. The player with the bell runs away from the drivers, and they try to surround him with clasped hands. This can be done by one or both pairs of drivers.
The player with the bell, in a moment of danger, has the right to give (but not throw) the bell to any of the participants in the game.
The caught player and the one from whom he previously accepted the bell replace one of the pairs of drivers. The bell is awarded to the most dexterous player, and the game continues.
Option (game for the visually impaired and sighted):
Instead of a bell, a head cap is used. You can only catch the one who has a cap on his head. This game will be called “Beware, Pinocchio!”
Methodical instructions.
- Pairs should be completed as follows: blind – a child with some vision; sighted - blind.
- Players are not allowed to leave the court.
- Everyone playing on the court can wear voiced bracelets (with bells, etc.).
- If the driving pairs open their hands, the escaping player is considered not to have been caught.
- "Best Nose"
Target: development of the sense of smell.
The number of players can be any.
Inventory: several identical bags with different odorous substances: orange peels, apple slices, garlic, cheese, pepper, onion (peeled), a slice of lemon, etc.
Instructions. Children should be encouraged to sniff one package after another at a short distance. Whoever gives the most correct answers wins.
Methodical instructions.The game can be repeated 2-3 times.
- “Where to erase?”
Target: development of visual memory, training of the ability to navigate on a plane.
Number of players – 4-10 people.
Inventory: paper, pencil, erasers.
Instructions. On a piece of paper, the participants in the game draw a “face”. Then, covering his eyes with a bandage, the player must erase in the order and only those fragments of the drawing that the presenter names (for example: first the left eye, then the right ear, chin, nose, hair, etc.). The one who completes the task more accurately wins.
Methodical instructions.This is a game for visually impaired and normally sighted children.
- "Forbidden Color"
Target: development of speed of motor reaction, attention, counting and pronunciation skills, ability to distinguish the color and shape of geometric shapes.
Number of players – 6-8 people.
Inventory: 30-40 multi-colored geometric shapes cut out of cardboard (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles).
Instructions. Scattered around the playground geometric shapes. The presenter names a color (for example, red). At the signal, all players must collect as many pieces of the indicated color as possible. The one with the most wins.
Options
- Collect only circles (color does not matter).
- Collect red triangles.
- Collect as many pieces as possible except green ones.
Other options are also possible.
Methodical instructions.
- The winner of any variant of the game demonstrates his result by out loud counting the collected figures, and then out loud (together with the leader) naming them (square, triangle, etc.). The color of the figures is also called out loud (red, blue, yellow, etc.).
- The playground should be large enough to ensure the safety of those playing and to prevent children from colliding with each other when collecting pieces.
- "Rope"
Target: development of imagination, fantasy, fine motor skills, coordination abilities.
Number of players – 10-12 people.
Inventory: a jump rope or rope at least 1.5 meters long.
Instructions. The presenter gives each player a rope and gives the team the task of “drawing” a certain figure, for example: a ladder, a snake, a man, a house, a boat, a Christmas tree, etc. The team that most accurately depicts the given task wins.
Methodical instructions.The load can be increased if the game is played in the form of a relay race with movements from the starting point to the “drawing” place.
10. "Catch the ball"
Target: development of attention, memory, acquisition of skills in throwing and catching the ball.
The number of players can be any.
Inventory: one medium sized ball.
Instructions. The players sit in a circle. The driver is in the center. Throwing the ball up, he calls the player's name. The named player must catch the ball. If he catches it, he returns to his place, but if he doesn’t catch it, then he changes place with the driver. The one who drives the ball the least wins.
Methodical instructions.
- The pace of the game depends on the number of participants standing in the circle.
- If the players do not know each other, then before the start of the game they need to be introduced to each other: everyone in turn says their name, and the whole group repeats it in chorus.
- Players can move freely in a circle.
11. "What's Missing"
Target: activation mental processes: perception, attention, memory.
The optimal number of players is 5-10 people.
Inventory: several items (toys, skittles, hoops, jump rope, etc.).
Instructions. On the playground, the leader lays out 4-5 items. Children look at objects for one minute, trying to remember them. Then, on command, the children stand with their backs to the playground, and the leader at this time removes one of the objects. Children turn and name the missing item. The one who makes the fewest mistakes wins.
Options
- Increase the number of items.
- Reduce the time it takes to memorize items.
- Remove two items.
Methodical instructions.For the game, you should select items that are familiar to children.
12. "Get to know a friend"
Target: development of tactile sensations, auditory attention, memory, and the ability to navigate in space.
Number of players – 8-12 people.
Inventory. Blindfolds.
Instructions. One half of the children are blindfolded and given the opportunity to walk around the playground. Next, they are invited, without removing the bandage, to find and get to know each other. You can recognize with the help of your hands - by feeling your hair, clothes. Then, when a friend is recognized, the players change roles.
Option: If the player cannot recognize another child by touching, you can offer to try to recognize him by his voice.
Methodical instructions.Care should be taken to ensure that the play area is completely level, otherwise blindfolded children will feel insecure.
13. "Castle"
Target: development in children of small muscles of the hand, oral coherent speech, memory, and imagination.
Instructions.
14. "Pigeons"
Target: developing throwing skills in children, developing coordination of movements of large and small muscle groups, dexterity, and eye control.
Number of players – 2-10 people.
Inventory: For the game, paper “pigeons” (airplanes, etc.) are made.
Instructions. Children compete to see whose pigeon will fly the farthest.
Option: children compete with adults.
Methodical instructions.Game for children 5-8 years old, low intensity.
15. “Sitting football”
Target: development of coordination of movements, strengthening of the muscles of the legs and torso, training of accuracy and speed of reaction.
Two teams of 4-6 people each play.
Inventory: soccer ball, skittles.
Instructions. Children sit on the floor, legs bent at the knees and pressed to the stomach. One line is located facing the other at a distance of 2.5-3 meters.
The player, moving his legs forward, throws the ball to the child sitting opposite him, who catches it with his hands, and then sharply rolls the ball back to his partner with his feet. For inaccurate throwing of the ball, the team receives a penalty point. The team with fewer penalty points wins.
Options
- Catch a thrown ball with your feet.
- Roll and catch the ball with only one foot.
- Knock down the pins with the ball, which are placed at an equal distance between the teams; For each pin knocked down, the team receives a bonus point.
Methodical instructions.Game for children from 3 to 14 years old, moderate load.
16. “We wear hats”
Target: formation of correct posture, strengthening the muscular “corset” of the spine, development of balance, dexterity, and coordination of movements.
The number of players can be any.
Inventory: “hat” for each player – a bag of sand weighing 200-500 g, a board, a pyramid wheel.
Instructions. The players are standing. Children are placed on their heads with a light weight - a “hat”. After checking the children’s posture (head straight, shoulders at the same level, parallel to the floor, arms lying calmly along the body), the leader gives the signal to walk. Children should walk at a normal pace around the room or playground, maintaining correct posture. The winner is the one whose “hat” never falls off and who does not lose his posture.
Options
- Children are encouraged not to walk, but to dance.
- Walk along the winding line drawn on the floor with chalk.
- Walk along a gymnastic bench or step over various objects on the floor or on the playground (skittles, cubes, small toys, pebbles, cones, etc.).
Methodical instructions.
17. “Throwing bags”
Target: development of accuracy, coordination of movements, muscle strength of the limbs and torso.
The number of players can be any.
Inventory: sandbags, hoop (rope).
Instructions. Children stand in a circle. In the center of the circle lies a hoop (a rope in the shape of a circle). The children have bags in their hands. After the presenter says: “Throw it!”, all the children throw their bags. The presenter notes whose bag fell exactly into the circle. The task is repeated 10 times. The one with the most accurate hits wins.
Option: each of the players (in turn) stands on a line drawn at a distance of 3-4 meters from the chair and throws three bags onto it one after another so that they all remain lying on the chair. Then he passes the bags to the next one, who also throws them, etc. The one with the most accurate hits wins.
Methodical instructions.
- Bags can be thrown from any position (sitting, standing), with one or two hands.
- If children are playing of different ages, then the kids can be placed closer to the goal, and the older children further from it.
18. "Sunny"
Target: development of speed and accuracy of movements.
At least 15 people play.
Inventory: batons or tennis balls.
Instructions. A circle is drawn in the center. All players are divided into five teams and line up sideways to the center of the circle. It turns out to be a kind of sun with rays. Each ray is a command. The players, first from the center of the circle, hold relay batons in their hands. At the signal, they run in a circle and pass the baton to the player who is now first on his team. The person who comes running stands in a line in a place closer to the center. When the player who started the game is on the edge and receives the baton, he raises it, indicating that the team has finished the game.
Methodical instructions.
While running, it is prohibited to touch standing players or interfere with those making dashes. Penalty points are awarded for violating the rules.
19. "Homeless Puppy"
Target: development of attention, speed of reaction and accuracy of movements.
Number of players – 7-9 people.
Inventory: 6-8 chairs, one less than the number of players.
Instructions. The chairs are placed in a circle, with the seats facing outwards. The participants of the game, standing in a circle on the outside, run to the right (left) at a signal. When the whistle blows, everyone tries to take a seat, but since there are fewer chairs, one player is left without a seat. He is eliminated, and another chair is removed from the circle. The last one standing wins.
Methodical instructions.The game is of medium intensity and can be repeated several times.
20. “Ball in a Circle”
Target:
Number of players – 5-15 people.
Inventory: volleyball.
Instructions. The players form a circle and settle for first or second. The first numbers are one team, the second numbers are another. Two players standing next to each other are captains, each holding a ball in their hands. At the signal, the captains pass the ball in a circle to the players of their team, that is, through one player. The ball must return to the captain as quickly as possible.
Methodical instructions.You can agree and pass the ball three times in a circle. If the balls collide, the game continues from that moment.
21. “Hoop Relay”
Target: development of attention and accuracy of movements.
Number of players – 10 people.
Equipment: hoops.
Instructions. The players form a circle of five people, they line up opposite each other. The distance between players in teams is 1.2-2 steps. The first (captain) in each team is given a hoop. At the whistle, the captains pass the hoop from top to bottom through themselves, lower it, and then pass it to the neighboring player. He does the same, passes it on to the third, etc.
Methodical instructions.
- The game lasts until the hoop returns to the captain.
- The team that finishes the game faster and makes no mistakes wins.
- The game is played 3-4 times.
22. “Knock down the pin”
Target: training in differentiation of efforts, development of the eye, accuracy of movements.
The number of players can be any.
Inventory: skittles, cubes, toys.
Instructions. In front of each participant, at a distance of 2-3 meters, there are objects: skittles, cubes, toys. You need to knock down an object by rolling the ball across the floor. The one who knocks down the objects the most times wins.
Methodical instructions.The game is low intensity and can be repeated several times.
23. “Cones, acorns, nuts”
Target: development of attention, reaction speed, accuracy of movements.
The number of players is more than six.
Instructions. The players stand in threes, one after another, facing the center, where the driver stands. The first in threes are “cones”, the second are “acorns”, the third are “nuts”. At a signal, the driver pronounces any of three names, for example, “nuts.” All playing “nuts” must change places. The driver strives to stand in any vacant place. If he succeeds, then the player left without a place becomes the driver. You can shout out two names or even three. The winner is the one who has never been a driver.
Methodical instructions.At the request of the children, this game can be played several times.
Municipal budget special (correctional) educational institution for students and pupils with disabilities "Special (correctional) general education boarding schoolVIII view of the city Chernushka"
GAMES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
methodological association of educators
Compiled by:
Zotova E.V.
Teacher of 1st qualification category
Currently, a whole direction in pedagogical science has emerged - game pedagogy, which considers play as the leading method of raising and teaching children of preschool and primary school age. According to this concept, reliance on play activities, play forms, and techniques is the most important way to include children in educational work, a way to ensure an emotional response to educational influences and normal conditions life activity.
The game performs the following functions: 1) general educational - the assimilation of norms and rules of behavior, the development of moral and volitional qualities, the ability to empathize, provide assistance, collectivism and friendship. 2) cognitive - the child receives all information about the environment through games and knowledge of social roles.6 3) developmental - the mental and physical development of children is carried out. 4) speech development.
As a form of organizing the life and activities of children with disabilities, play should have its own certainplace in the daily routine and in the pedagogical process generally. There must be a time in the daily routine when children can calmly play games, knowing that they will not be distracted or rushed.
Thus, the teacher, organizing life and activity in the form of a game, consistently develops the activity and initiative of children with developmental disabilities, and develops self-organization skills.
Name
games
Game description
What it corrects
What shapes and develops
Methodology for children to master
Zoo
All participants take turns showing movements characteristic of the animal they have conceived according to the conditions of the game. The rest are trying to guess. Then the participants are united into subgroups of 2-3 people. The presenter, pointing to any subgroup, gives the name of the animal. Participants, without saying a word, together depict one named animal. Next, the subgroup can also depict any animal, and the other participants guess which one.
Correction of emotional withdrawal
Development of imagination, freedom of movement
Number: 4-10 people
Children sit in a circle. One of the students shows the animal, the rest try to guess.
Where to erase?
On a piece of paper, the participants in the game draw a “face”. Then, covering his eyes with a bandage, the player must erase in the order and only those fragments of the drawing that the presenter names (for example: first the left eye, then the right ear, chin, nose, hair, etc.). The one who completes the task more accurately wins.
Correction of visual perception and thinking
development of visual memory, training of the ability to navigate on a plane
(for visually impaired and normally sighted children)
Number: 4-10 people.
On a sheet of A4 paper, children draw smiley faces. They close their eyes. At the command of the leader they erase,
those fragments of the picture that the presenter names
Boiler
A “cauldron” is a limited space in a group (for example, a carpet). During the game, participants become “water droplets” and move chaotically on the carpet without touching each other. The presenter says the words: “the water is heating up!”, “the water is getting warmer!”, “the water is hot!”, “the water is boiling!”, .... Children change their speed depending on the temperature of the water. It is forbidden to collide or go beyond the carpet. Those who break the rules leave the game. The winners are the most attentive and dexterous.
Development of motor coordination
promote team unity; removing the state of aggression; learn to control your emotional state;
Quantity: unlimited.
Participants stand in a limited space. At the command of the leader, they begin to move in a chaotic manner in accordance with the commands of the leader. The main condition is
do not touch each other, do not go beyond the designated territory.
Find and remain silent
Children, standing, close their eyes. The presenter places the item in a place visible to everyone. After the driver’s permission, the children open their eyes and carefully look for him with their gaze. The first one who saw the object should not say or show anything, but silently sit down in his place. Others do the same. Those who have not found the object are helped in this way: everyone looks at the object, and the children must see it by following the gaze of the others.
Correction of attention, intolerance
development of concentration; education of a stress-resistant personality; fostering camaraderie
Number: at least 5 people
The children stand in a chaotic order. They close their eyes.
The presenter places some new object in the room. The task of children is to find an object with their eyes.
Box of experiences(
relaxation exercise)
The presenter shows a small box and says: “In this box today we will collect all the troubles, grievances and disappointments. If something bothers you, you can whisper it directly into the box. I'll let her go in circles. Then I will seal it and take it away, and with it, let your worries disappear.
speech correction,withdrawal psychological stress
relieving psychological stress; developing the ability to recognize and formulate one’s problems
Quantity: unlimited
Children express their worries, grievances, and sorrows “in the box.”
Shadow
One participant becomes a traveler, the rest become his shadow. The traveler walks through the field, and two steps behind him is his shadow. The shadow tries to exactly copy the traveler's movements. It is desirable for the traveler to make movements: pick mushrooms, pick apples, jump over puddles, look into the distance from under his arm, balance on a bridge, etc.
development of motor coordination
speed of reaction; establishing interpersonal contacts
Quantity: unlimited.
One leader is selected and becomes a traveler. The rest of the students are his shadow.
The children’s task is to repeat the leader’s movements as accurately as possible.
Lords of the Ring
You will need a ring with a diameter of 7-15 cm (a roll of wire or tape), to which three threads, each 1.5 - 2 m long, are tied at a distance from each other. Three participants stand in a circle, and each takes a thread in their hands. Their task: acting synchronously, lower the ring exactly onto the target - for example, a coin lying on the floor.
Options: eyes are open, but no talking is allowed. The eyes are closed, but you can talk.
Correction of coordination of joint actions
Team development, learning to find ways to collectively solve a problem
Number of people: 3-5 people.
Participants stand in a circle, holding one end of the rope in their hands. And the other end is tied to the end of one ring.
The players' task is to lower the ring onto the target (bottle, toy, coin, etc.)
Creating a drawing
Everyone sits in a circle. Each participant has a piece of paper and a pencil or pen. In one minute, everyone draws something on their sheets. Next, they pass the sheet to the neighbor on the right, and receive the sheet from the neighbor on the left. They finish drawing something in one minute and again pass the sheet to the neighbor on the right. The game continues until the sheet returns to the owner. Then everything is reviewed and discussed.
correction of fine motor skills, development of imagination
Number: 4-8 people.
Children sit in a circle. Each has a piece of paper and a pencil. Each child draws something on his or her piece of paper for 1 minute, then, at the leader’s command, passes it to his neighbor in a circle.
Applause
(relaxation exercise)
Children stand in a wide circle. The teacher says: “You did a great job today, and I want to applaud you. The teacher selects one child from the circle, approaches him and, smiling, applauds him. The chosen child also chooses a friend and approaches him together with the teacher. The second child is applauded by two people. Thus, the last child is applauded by the whole group. For the second time, it is no longer the teacher who starts the game
Correction of the emotional-volitional sphere
establishing interpersonal contacts; creating a favorable microclimate in the group
Quantity: unlimited.
Children stand in a wide circle. Starting with the leader, they choose one child at a time and clap him, etc., along the chain, until all the students are “collected”.
Who wins
The group is divided into two parts. Everyone starts stomping or clapping at the same time. The team that clapped or stomped louder wins.
Correcting intolerance towards other people
relieving psychological and muscle tension; Creation good mood
Quantity: unlimited.
Children are divided into two teams.
At the leader’s signal, students begin to perform a certain command (stomp, clap)
Good day, dear readers!
Now the time has come to draw a line under the next material from the “TOP 10: Your Choice” series, the theme of which was the best games about superheroes. If anyone missed the beginning, let us remind you that the choice of the dozen was done exclusively by our users, who first proposed their options on the forum and then voted for the best of them. Our task now is to talk about the results in this material and, in fact, show them in the video attached to the article. That's what we'll do.
So, let’s meet the ten best games about superheroes according to our users!
DC Universe Online– the animal in this particular top is not quite ordinary, rare and unique in its own way. And the point here is not even in the genre intercourse of the MMO sphere and RPG with knitted suits. Everything is much simpler. If the titans, sitting a little higher, offer to play the role of only a certain, one and only fighter for a just cause, then a boundless ocean of possibilities DC Universe Online gives you the chance to whitewash the face of your own character, endow him with powerful powers, a name that strikes fear into the hearts of criminal rabble and, finally, personally select a designer outfit for the superhero he has nurtured in a few minutes.
Metropolis and Gotham in DC Universe Online this is an ordinary setting, a large sandbox for small heroes who have not yet smelled gunpowder, trying to reach the heights of glory, to equal the stately gold miners of the comic stronghold of DC, whose picturesque profiles are guessed at the count of times. And on the count of two, they force you to plunge headlong into an albeit fictitious, but still living superhero universe, where not a single day goes by without delightful battles between good and evil, in which the central force is the heroes raised by the hands of the players.
Mages and wizards Sony Online Entertainment, who built many attractive MMO worlds, did not lose face and were able to skillfully transfer all the quintessence to DC Universe Online "superhero life". We take off our hats to them and congratulate them on the fact that they still managed to jump onto the step of the train departing from the platform called "TOP-10".
For the offspring of the restless 90s Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael And Leonardo- these are by no means historical figures, luminaries of culture and art who have written their names in the long chronicle of humanity, but representatives of the turtle tribe who have undergone mutations and live in the ornate sewers of Manhattan. It just so happened that the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which took Russian and other television channels by storm in the 90s, has firmly established itself in the memory of countless teenagers, who sometimes gathered in the entire yard to watch their favorite TV creation.
Such a strong love for the series has long gone over the edge and spread into the fields of other areas of the entertainment industry. Video games are no exception. Over the almost thirty years of their existence, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have managed to shine in a cloud of a wide variety of projects, which many fans still remember with reverent awe and sincere love to this day. Yes, yes, we're looking at you, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Video Game the 2007 model is just the tip of the iceberg and a very good experiment in crossing Persian carpets with Manhattan shells, which fits well into the interior of the film TMNT. Ubisoft did a good job of giving the old “turtles” more modern and relevant content that meets new-fangled gaming trends. In fact, for her diligence and hard work, she was rewarded with ninth place in our top.
For several years, Spider-Man's gaming life has been hopelessly stagnant - shoddy “movie cakes” actively jumped off the slab Activision, decorated disposable plates with greasy oil stains and immediately went into the mouths of naive fans who continued to hope for a miracle and a repeat of the success of the early games about "spider". But bad luck - lightning completely refused to strike the same funnel, and projects with call signs from year to year continued to lose prestige points and approach the basement level of the cabinets of curiosities, where completely hopeless creations “based on” live.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, which debuted in 2010, never became "the best" game about Spider-Man, but she corrected the trajectory of the series, leading it towards original ideas, decent gaming gears and innovations. Four dimensions, four playstyles and four unique ones at once Spider-Man, surrounded by ink strokes and comic book haze - for the first time in many years Shattered Dimensions was able to really surprise the players with something new, different from the bends of stamping patterns. Hard workers from Beenox did not take the path of least resistance, but tried to refresh, give games about Spider-Man a new creative impulse that breaks the walls of assembly line thinking.
The result of their efforts? It’s natural that there are high marks and sympathy from the players, who elevated their favorite to a respectable eighth place.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance became one of the last "big" and completely independent projects of the once legendary studio Raven Software, and now - a regular stamping shop that produces multiplayer cards for the series Call of Duty. Unfortunately, to reverse the sad metamorphosis "from riches to rags" no longer possible, commercial success CoD finally convinced Activision The point is that it does not need bold experiments, but only time-tested workhorses. The realities are sad - fans of the craftsmen from Software have no choice but to wrap themselves in warm memories and indulge in sweet nostalgia.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is one of the pleasant episodes burning in the memory of many players. Having absorbed all the hybrid beauty of the action/RPG genre, the product of creative thought Raven Software offered to the discerning gaming community not only a truly huge assortment of titular characters Marvel, each with its own unique superpowers and costumes, but also practical game mechanics, instantly enveloping the mind and will with its clarity, accessibility and at the same time attractiveness. Cooperative races and completing missions together with three like-minded people is, perhaps, the central advantage Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, capable of melting the ice in the hearts of even the most picky citizens and making them scream furiously "Bravo!".
Raven Software managed to create a phenomenal product that united several dozen superheroes under its banner Marvel, which, moreover, subsequently acquired a full-fledged sequel. It's a pity that the third part Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is unlikely to ever be born again. Alas and ah, Activision no longer interested in sponsoring such entertainment. So nostalgia is the only opportunity to return to those wonderful times when Raven Software was still in good standing.
"Notorious"– in many ways a landmark project for Sucker Punch Productions, an American studio that has spent its entire adult life developing games with anthropomorphic characters. You could say it's turning. After all, in InFamous the developers waved their hand at the light, cartoonish visual style that invariably accompanied Sly Cooper, and spent all their artistic energy on recreating an extremely realistic, dark comic book universe with a strong central character - not a slick raccoon in a cap, but a bald representative of the species "reasonable man" who has every right to be called a superhero.
Lucky Cole McGrath received from his father-creators a complete set of “electric” powers, allowing him, like the Thunderer to Zeus, incinerate and fry numerous enemies, while simultaneously absorbing life-giving energy from some car battery. Creative scope for using collapsed Cole superhero gift - the city of Empire City - turned out to be a surprisingly well-built, diverse and travel-inducing place. Complete with additional missions that affect the karma and appearance of the main shooter, trinkets scattered throughout the urban jungle, and gangs walking the streets, InFamous was able to offer a damn hot action cocktail that easily quenches the thirst for superhero adventures of any suffering player.
InFamous was deservedly praised by critics, sold a good amount of copies and, as a result, received the right to acquire a second part, which logically improved and updated all the mechanisms of the original game. Now everything is going to the point that sooner or later the developers will roll out the third part for everyone to see Infamous, which, without a doubt, has a good chance of becoming a new standard of quality for all superhero projects.
The Punisher became a big surprise, a pleasant surprise that took the gaming community by surprise. Studio Volition, which by that time had already become famous due to a series of space simulators FreeSpace and scientific-destructive games with call signs Red Faction, had never tried her hand at creating projects based on films and comics - for her it was a completely new experience, a test of the pen, so to speak, which was reflected in a fairly decent, tightly tailored product.
However, The Punisher wasn't lucky enough to put a crown on your head "the best of the best"“- there were flaws in the game, the linearity and primitiveness of firing at enemies sooner or later set one’s teeth on edge. But one element of the universe The Punisher the developers were still able to convey, with sniper precision, the animal nature Punisher, who does not hesitate to use any means in the war against the criminal world, truly shone in The Punisher, inviting players to interrogate bandits with particular passion, which was usually followed by a scene of dismemberment, beheading and other juicy episodes.
With its cruelty, wild down-to-earthness and political incorrectness The Punisher gained fame as one of the most memorable superhero projects of 2005. And most importantly, sincere love for The Punisher still warms in the hearts of fans, even despite the seven years that have flown by since its release. Volition has every right to be proud of his first and, unfortunately, last sculpture in the field "game-based"– fifth place in the top is clear evidence of this.
Fate decreed it that way, but the release X-Men Origins: Wolverine marked the end of superhero everyday life for Raven Software. After Wolverine V once again went to cut into pieces the chubby special forces, the studio managed to release only Wolfenstein And Singularity, after which the developers fell out of favor, were subjected to repeated procedures for cleaning the ranks and found themselves at the very bottom of the developer’s existence. Where there is no room for tools to turn a piece of marble into an elegant sculpture, but only a lonely conveyor belt with a nailed sign.
However, their swan song is X-Men Origins: Wolverine– wrote her name in huge letters in the history of the industry and became one of the best representatives "games based on films". The same niche that often smells of total secondaryness, boredom and publishing greed. Raven Software did its best so that the product, timed to coincide with the big screen premiere of the film of the same name, stood confidently on two legs, and not groaned and senilely leaned on a Hollywood cane. X-Men Origins: Wolverine managed to most fully, colorfully and bewitchingly reveal all the gaming potential inherent in superpowers Wolverines, from the impressive regeneration of flayed pieces of flesh to the heroic strength with which the hero tears opponents apart.
In a word, it looked and played X-Men Origins: Wolverine very solid, nothing to write home about family curse "games based on films" there was no question of it - the magicians from Raven Software really created a small miracle, coming close to the top three winners. A miracle, which, however, could not save them from the sad fate of being relegated to the rank of ordinary apprentices. Alas and ah, such is the harsh reality.
And here comes hello from the dashing 90s - a game that has become one of the symbols of the era Sega Mega Drive. The main diamond adorning the crown of the old console, which at one time confidently entered the everyday life of any teenager. After all Comix Zone in contrast to the surge of themed “superhero” projects that hit store shelves every month, it offered not just to turn into an all-powerful and invincible fighter, but to become part of an interactive comic book. Run through a series of decorated and inked frames, solve several puzzles and fight a pile of alien invaders using all the means at your disposal.
All this action was decorated with incredibly impressive two-dimensional graphics, thoughtful and clearly verified game mechanics that never get boring and offer truly difficult, exciting challenges, great music, as well as the inevitable text bubbles through which the main character Sketch Turner communicated with the painted world around him. Merging together, the cornerstone elements Comix Zone presented to the world one of the most unique projects dedicated to both superheroes in general and comic books in particular.
It's no surprise that o Comix Zone continue to be remembered to this day - Sega during the heyday of the 90s, she possessed some special magic that allowed her to fashion truly monumental creations from seemingly familiar game elements. And let the period of glory Sega has been languishing at nadir for a long time, Comix Zone is still alive in the memory of many people, which is good news. Third place, bronze and our sincere congratulations.
In the summer of 2009, the "epic" battle - two games, two works of creative forces, collided head-on Sucker Punch Productions And Radical Entertainment, conceptually very similar to each other. And there, and there - open world, complete freedom of action, integral side missions and main missions endowed with superpowers. Multiple points of contact, however, did not become fatal for either Infamous, nor for Prototype– each project was able to excel in both commercially, and in a purely aesthetic way.
At that time Infamous suggested rushing between the light and dark sides of the Thunderer Cole, Prototype did not particularly force players to reassess their moral qualities. On the contrary, employees Radical Entertainment kindly offered to release the beast languishing deep inside and feed their destructive ego with fresh virtual flesh, using the entire mutational arsenal Alex Mercer- not a noble prince at the white end, but true to his ideals "Ripper", who does not shy away from cutting his enemies into pieces.
Radical Entertainment built an impressive sandbox that will easily quench your thirst "blood" any player and will give a rare chance to feel like a real superhero, capable of not only spitting on laws universal gravity, soar and run along sheer walls, but also throw cars and destroy heavy helicopters and tanks with almost bare hands. Due to this Prototype and was able to stand out from the crowd of genre brothers and become something special, truly significant.
The silver award goes straight into the clutches of geneticists from Radical Entertainment.
The fortunetellers and psychics were not mistaken. At the top of the top ten is the silent defender of Gotham. The brainchild of a British studio Rocksteady has been successfully moving from top to top for a long time, taking prizes and basking in the rays of fame, commercial success and enchanting prospects for further development. And you can’t argue with the opinion of the majority.
IN Batman: Arkham City the British gave it their all, squeezed all the creative juices out of themselves and brought the concept to a fundamental level new level. We expanded and deepened the combat system, pushed the boundaries of invisible walls, and significantly expanded the list of gadgets Batman and elegantly introduced not only new villains into the narrative, but also "partners" with sharp claws. In short, we did everything to Batman: Arkham City not just awarded a label "a good continuation of a great game", but was called a self-sufficient, ambitious and head and shoulders above the original project. And so it happened.
Batman: Arkham City still divides and conquers in the “superhero” niche, which is reflected in our top. The people ordered that the winner's crown be placed on his head Batman: Arkham City, so today the award of the highest standard goes to the gentlemen from Rocksteady. Three cheers for the British triumphs!
Well, that’s all for today regarding texts, but there is still excellent video material ahead, which you will find just below. All we can do is say thank you for your participation and say goodbye until June 1st. I was with you today Evgeniy “Mumby” Molodov.
In addition, we remind you that right at this moment the first stage of preparation of the next material from the series “TOP-10: Your choice” began, in which you can take part. The topic was the most anticipated games of this summer.
What unites the paralyzed Canadian Ken Worrell, the English girl Seydoux, born with cerebral palsy, and the blind American Carlos Vasquez? Special attitude towards video games. For people with disabilities, games are much more than just entertainment.
It was a run-of-the-mill battle for survival. Four gamers, divided into two teams, clashed in the role-playing arena Games World of Warcraft. Swords rang, armor broke, magic blazed. Two collapsed on the sand, two remained standing in the arena. “You were defeated by a man who played with his mouth,” a message from one of the winners flashed on the screen. But this was not a hoax or a hoax. Ken Worrell, bedridden for many years, actually played without his hands.
Dreams shattered
If someone had told Ken Worrell 22 years ago that computer games would one day save his life, he would have laughed. Why on earth would a healthy 28-year-old Canadian from Nanaimo, an exemplary family man and father of five children, waste time on electronic trifles? It’s better to play hockey with your sons, get out into nature with your family, or just go ice skating. But everything changed one fateful day in 1994, when Ken was the victim of a construction accident. A poorly secured pipe broke, flew five floors and hit the Canadian in the back of the head, shattering his helmet, and with it his dreams and plans for the future. Worrell, who lost consciousness, was hospitalized.
The awakening was terrible. Ken tried to scream, but vocal cords didn't listen. I wanted to get out of the hospital bed, but I couldn’t move my arm or leg. So he lay there - a helpless clot of consciousness, imprisoned in a paralyzed body. It was possible to communicate with the medical staff only by blinking his eyes: once - “yes”, twice - “no”.
Worrell family photo
The doctors' diagnosis left no hope: Ken has quadriplegia. That is, a complete loss of control over the body and limbs caused by a spinal injury. He is destined to remain paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. But Ken did not want such a fate: it was better to die... When his speech returned a week later, he asked his father to turn off the artificial life support devices. Father dissuaded Ken from committing suicide: “Let’s wait two weeks. If you don’t change your mind, I’ll think about how to fulfill your request.”
The delay turned out to be salutary. Worrell was visited by his wife and children. When he saw his family, his plans changed. “I will never disconnect myself from the devices,” Ken decided. “I want to see my children grow up, start a family, have grandchildren.” Thus began many years of his rehabilitation. And even though he gave up thoughts of suicide, depression still had a stranglehold on the Canadian.
The Cure for Helplessness
Every day Ken became more distant. Sparks of his former life still glimmered in him, but gradually turned into the ashes of memories. He will never play hockey on a Sunday afternoon with his sons again. Never wears a Santa Claus suit to greet his family on Christmas. He will never go out with friends to a sports bar to watch a match of his favorite team, the Philadelphia Flyers. Never. The terrible word "never".
Helplessness pressed harder than a hundred-ton slab. Ken is locked within the four walls of the hospital, being turned over, dried and swaddled like a baby. When his face itches, he is unable to relieve the itching on his own. Spoon fed like a baby. How not to fall into deep despondency? How to prove to himself and others that he is still capable of something?
Worrell managed to get answers in 1996, two years after his hospitalization. The remedy for depression was brought by an employee of a Vancouver rehabilitation center. "Ken, here's a surprise that might improve your life. It's a new computer game - Diablo." Worrell was both pleased and puzzled by the news: “Cool. I love swords and magic and all that. But how am I going to play without hands?”
Killing monsters with one breath
No hands were needed. The revolutionary Jouse manipulator that Ken was introduced to was designed for the mouth and worked on the principle of sucking and blowing air. Instead of a standard computer rodent, there is a mouthpiece that needs to be moved with the tongue and teeth. Instead of clicking on the left and right mouse buttons, inhale and exhale through the same mouthpiece.
The device was created in 1995 by the Canadian company Compusult so that paralyzed people (quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, muscular atrophy) could enjoy computer benefits on an equal basis with everyone else. As it turned out, Jouse was suitable not only for work, but also for entertainment.
After spending a month mastering the manipulator, Ken, who had only touched gamepads a couple of times before the tragedy, became an avid gamer. While the immobilized Worrell lay on the bed, his virtual double famously hacked at devils and skeletons with a sword in the dungeons of the action role-playing game Diablo.
“This game gave me the confidence and strength I needed to fight my illness,” Ken Worrell.
Having calmed Satan in Diablo, Worrell began working on other Blizzard hits in the second half of the 90s. He led alliance troops into battle, liberating the world of Warcraft II from the invasion of orcs. Colonized planets and fought alien creatures in StarCraft. Resolved feuds between angels and demons in Diablo II.
In the 2000s, with the advent broadband internet and the development of MMORPGs, Worrell’s life shone with new colors. Traveling through the vast lands of Azeroth and fighting monsters in World of Warcraft filled his existence with meaning for many months and years. Interacting with users from all over the world, he no longer felt like a hospital prisoner. Online, Ken could conquer virtual universes shoulder to shoulder with his sons and friends.
Wizards of Oxfordshire
Unfortunately, not all people with disabilities are able, like Ken Worrell, to enrich their everyday lives with electronic entertainment. The more complex a person’s disorder, the more difficult it is to select a manipulator and gaming platform. For example, the same Jouse (the latest version, by the way, costs $1,495) is not suitable for all paralyzed people. In some cases, small companies that produce modified devices save the situation. Thus, an Xbox One controller adapted for the left hand can be purchased for $139.99, and a QuadStick gamepad for the mouth will cost $399.
What should those who have lost their hands due to a severe form of meningitis in infancy? Or those who can only move their eyes? Gaming equipment manufacturers don't have answers to questions like these. But charities like the British SpecialEffect have them. Caring Englishmen from Oxfordshire are creating miracles that no Harry Potter could ever dream of: giving the magic of the game to people with severe disabilities.
Voice control, eye tracking, foot pedals, chin joysticks - SpecialEffect engineers and doctors can handle any task (the page with help stories won't let you lie). For example, they helped a nine-year-old girl, Seyda, with cerebral palsy, who had long dreamed of playing video games, but had problems with finger mobility. Solution? An oversized gamepad with a special button layout.
Now Seyda is having fun at Disney Infinity, transforming into her favorite cartoon characters. IN real world she cannot get out of her wheelchair. In the virtual - runs, jumps, flies! And fully interacts with friends, forgetting about physical limitations. "I'm a gamer now too!" - Says Seyda in a touching video.
“The point is not only that games speed up rehabilitation, bringing back long-lost fun,” says SpecialEffect representative Mark Savile. “It’s much more important that they contribute to the integration of a person with disabilities into society. When he picks up a gamepad, he stops feeling isolated. Today’s word "Gamer" means belonging to a community of millions."
Unity with the world
Ken Worrell fully felt the power of a multimillion-dollar community in 2014 when he began broadcasting gaming sessions using the Twitch service. True, on the first day of streaming, the Canadian was scared: he didn’t know how the audience would react to his adventures in Diablo III.
And so, unable to say a word, Ken watched the numbers on the view counter. Tears streamed down his face. Tears of happiness. Ken could not even imagine that the broadcast would appeal to hundreds and even thousands of viewers. Strangers wished Ken good health and wrote warm words of support.
“Thanks to streaming, Ken is always surrounded by the attention of the community. From the comfort of his living room. It’s like the world came into his home,” Rob Evans, friend of Ken Worrell.
Worrell found a new calling by becoming a streamer. He currently has 38 thousand subscribers on his Twitch channel. For some, games like Diablo III, World of Warcraft and Path Of Exile are just a way to kill time. They help Ken look into the future with optimism. However, not only for him, but also for other people with disabilities: Ken’s broadcasts inspire them to fight their own ailments. The Canadian became convinced of this already on the second day of his newfound career, having talked via video conference with a quadriplegic like himself. The interlocutor could not believe that you could play without hands.
Here's how Worrell recalls this event: “I shared my experience with him. And he said that he would also order a Joust manipulator. This was the beginning of a long friendship. It was an important moment - the realization that I had helped someone. My life I found a purpose."
Winning despite the circumstances
Of course, Ken Worrell isn't the only special streamer. Such, for example, is 27-year-old American Matthew Fink. Although the guy's arms and legs were amputated (the result of an infection suffered in infancy), he manages to defeat his opponents in online battles in StarCraft II. Matthew plays so well that he competes in eSports. Incredibly, he uses a standard mouse and keyboard. Demonstration of talents - in this video. "Thanks to StarCraft II, for the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to compete with ordinary people on equal terms," he wrote on his Facebook page.
29-year-old American Carlos Vazquez is also a professional gamer. He has been in love with a series of fighting games since childhood Mortal Kombat. Having lost his sight due to glaucoma at the age of ten, Carlos did not give up his favorite hobby. Over the years of training, the blind American mastered the Mortal Kombat franchise so skillfully that in 2014 he made it to the EVO Championship, the world's largest fighting game tournament. And he even won the first two fights in Mortal Kombat 9.
How does a blind person manage to defeat the sighted? Due to developed hearing. Vasquez discovered that in the Mortal Kombat games, each character sounded different when they struck. Miracles of blind combat - on Carlos's YouTube channel.
There are also special Russian-speaking gamers. 30-year-old Minsk resident Alexander Zenko, born with cerebral palsy, goes through the games without arms. Only if Ken Worrell has Jouse, the Belarusian has to be content with an ordinary computer rodent. Moving it with your chin.
Thanks to the concerns of caring programmers, in 2014 Alexander acquired a utility that allowed him to play games designed for a keyboard using the mouse. Now Sasha shares her hobby with the world, posting streams of DOOM, Limbo, Super Meat Boy and other hits.
The universal injustice is that streamer Karina and similar infernal creations of the Internet, which Life recently wrote about, easily collect hundreds of thousands of views. Alexander is content with only six hundred subscribers on his YouTube channel and two hundred on his Vkontakte page. Dear readers, shall we support the guy? If not rubles, then at least a kind comment or like. After all, indifference kills no worse than a bullet.
Play to save lives
Alexander Zenko and other unsung gamers have yet to hopefully experience the healing power of community support. And she has already given a lot to Ken Worrell. Subscribers helped him raise the necessary amount to travel to BlizzCon, a gaming festival that Blizzard holds annually in California. Ken's cherished dream - unless, of course, his health interferes - will soon become a reality.
"I want to meet Chris Metzen and thank him for creating Diablo, the game that saved my life. I was alone and helpless, but it changed me." - Ken Worrell.
By changing himself, Ken helps others change. He recently received a letter of gratitude with the words: “After becoming disabled, I wanted to shoot myself, but your heroic streams convinced me not to do it.” But Ken was just playing Diablo III.
Ken Worrell. A man who once contemplated suicide is now saving lives himself.
Vladimir Sirin
If someone goes out of their way to insist that they are buying a computer for work, they most likely need the computer to play! Be that as it may, both children and adults are interested in computer games.
What do we find in the game? The first answer is obvious: relaxation, entertainment. This good way relieve tension and fatigue. In some cases, play provides a safe outlet for negative emotions.
For children, this is one of the ways to understand the world, develop thinking and logic. To a certain extent, computer games also help to develop emotional and volitional qualities: attention, perseverance, the ability to concentrate, set goals, and achieve goals.
Psychologists warn that “virtual reality” can replace reality, cause addiction, and lead to isolation from others. At the same time, some researchers come to a paradoxical conclusion: for special children, “formal” interaction with a computer can become a bridge to the real world.
We will touch a little on the content of computer games for children, although in this matter it is better to rely on specialists - in each specific case the most good advice will be given by teachers, speech pathologists, psychologists. We will especially discuss the problems of accessibility - how to make games accessible to adults and children with special motor skills and perception.
Computer games include a variety of programs (and not only programs). Their content can be anything, but from a technical point of view, two categories are usually distinguished:
Online games are actually not programs, but simply web pages using flash animation (flash games) and other Internet technologies. They are opened in a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc.). In this case, the computer requirements are minimal, but a constant Internet connection is required;
Games that, like any other programs, must be installed on your computer. Previously, they were usually sold on laser discs, but now distributions are increasingly downloaded from the Internet.
Games always use computer graphics. What are 3D games? They use complex processing of objects displayed on the screen - so-called 3D graphics. For it, the computer must be equipped with a powerful video card - what is usually called a “gaming computer”. In contrast, simpler 2D graphics, used in many educational, educational and logic games, do not require high performance from the video card. Such games can easily be launched on outdated computers, laptops, netbooks or tablets.
6.1. Educational computer games
Educational games are simply necessary for children - both parents and teachers agree with this. Perhaps any game develops some qualities. If not motor skills, then logic, if not attention, then willpower, reaction, perseverance, etc. However, usually “developing” are those games that are addressed to children from 2 to 5 years old - you need to fold something, sort it, repeat, show, find, name, draw, color, etc. All the same things are done in the computer version.
At what age and to what extent can a child be allowed to use a computer? Preschool institutions and schools adhere to the standards that now seem to be the safest:
A child aged 5 to 7 years can spend no more than 30 minutes a day in front of the monitor, in several doses, with long breaks;
Children from 7 to 12 years old communicate with a computer no more than an hour a day;
From 12 to 16 years of age, the total duration of work at the computer is no more than 2 hours a day.
In this case, you can continuously sit at the car for up to 20–30 minutes. Then a break of at least 3 minutes is required.
The problem of “child and computer” is quite new, and scientists have not yet had time to collect convincing statistics. Those of the same age as mass home computerization are now turning 15–16 years old, and there is simply no one to judge the long-term consequences of early introduction to digital technology. So most of the recommendations so far are based on analogies (computer-TV-books-toys) and known psychophysiological patterns.
Purely physical hazards (electromagnetic fields, air ionization, stroboscopic effect) are a thing of the past along with CRT monitors. The main arguments for a strict “dosage” of staying at the computer today relate to possible problems of a psychological nature. It is because of them that psychologists and teachers recommend monitoring the time a child spends in front of the monitor.
In relation to the topic of our book, it is logical to make some amendments to the usual standards. To the little man With sensory or motor limitations, the computer can provide a significant part of the impressions and experiences that other children can access without technical aids. The sooner and fuller child masters assistive technologies, the wider his capabilities become, the fewer integration problems. These arguments can be argued, but they are difficult to ignore.
6.1.1. Goals and objectives
Educational computer games for young children largely copy “non-computer” games. In this capacity, it is easiest to consider a computer as an analogue of picture books, cards, puzzles, and board games. The picture on the screen differs from “cardboard and paper” samples in size (on a large monitor it can be enlarged as needed for a visually impaired child) and animation. True, you cannot touch it with your hands, which makes it much worse than any “material” toys.
Colors, shapes of objects, recognition and naming - this is usually done using the example of surrounding things and picture books for the little ones. Continuation: “coloring books”, cubes, mosaics. Then the child learns to count, remembers letters and numbers. There are many computer games of this kind, and mostly they are flash games. For example, more than 100 games are collected on the Sun portal (www.solnet.ee/games/).
In almost any children's game there is a place for training logical thinking - you need to see the differences and similarities, identify some signs and patterns. Many games stimulate memory: subject, figurative, visual.
Any game develops observation, the ability to concentrate, and highlight what is important. This also includes switching attention, the ability to monitor several processes simultaneously.
“Fine motor skills” mean precise, complex and coordinated movements, primarily of the fingers and hands. V. A. Sukhomlinsky noted: “The origins of children’s abilities and talents are at their fingertips. From them come the finest streams that feed the source of creative thought. In other words: the more skill in a child’s hand, the smarter the child.”
The development and training of fine motor skills usually begins with playing with objects: you need to place cubes on top of each other, string rings on a rod or cord, etc. The next stage: modeling from plasticine, drawing, crafts from different materials. The final “polishing” of these skills occurs when the child begins to write - writing is perhaps the most complex exercise in which all psychophysiological processes are involved.
A computer mouse, joystick and keyboard in this regard are also simulators, although rather specific ones. The movements here are monotonous, but require great precision.
Reaction and speed of decision-making are fully demonstrated in 3D games: racing, shooters, and sports simulators. The little ones like so-called arcade games - almost without a plot, but colorful and bright. In them you need to collect bonuses, shoot at targets, dodge obstacles, etc.
It is customary to assign age categories to children’s computer games: “from 3 to 5”, “5-7 years”, etc. In fact, for children with disabilities and special needs, you should not focus too much on these labels. It is quite possible that someone will be interested in (and suit the purpose of) games for older children, or vice versa.
The choice on the Internet is huge. If large teams of programmers and artists work for a long time on the creation of 3D games, then new educational games appear in the tens and hundreds every month. Not all of them are successful, but they are offered to download everywhere. Discussions on forums for parents, reviews in magazines and websites dedicated to gaming, and the opinions of friends will help you navigate this diversity.
Be sure to play yourself, together with your child - this will give the most accurate assessment. It is worth listening to the advice of teachers and psychologists - many of them can recommend the most suitable games.
6.1.2. Logic games
Logical games usually include those in which you need to solve any problems, lay out game pieces or cards, find differences in pictures, etc. The difficulty varies - from assembling a picture from several fragments to puzzles that rarely anyone can solve on the first times.
There are programs that reproduce long-known board games, solitaire games. Chess, checkers, mahjong, and many solitaire games inspire programmers year after year - dozens of implementations have been written for each of these games. Among purely computer logic games, “Tetris” and “Lines” (Colored balls) are considered classics of the genre. There are already hundreds of options here!
How does this relate to the theme of our book? From a variety of programs, you can always choose those that best suit users with various limitations. The criteria may be different:
The ability to enlarge and scale the playing field - some games provide it, some do not;
The nature of the graphics - as a rule, in games with “flat” 2D graphics, everything is visible more clearly. You can use Magnifier with these games, but it doesn't work with 3D games;
Appearance settings - for example, in standard Windows solitaire games you can choose the back and design of the cards: from beautiful, but small, to simpler, but large and clear (Fig. 6.1);
Rice. 6.1.
Mouse and key control - is it possible to configure the program so that
Use a special keyboard, remote buttons, joystick?
To find out the first three points, just start the game and look at the screen. You can figure out the control settings either using the program help or a readme file, which do not exist in all games, or by trial. Open the settings menu (Settings, Options) and find out what control options are available there.
Rice. 6.2.
It is possible that mouse or hotkey controls are provided in the game, but are disabled by default. To enable an additional control method, select the corresponding checkbox.
Hints for hot keys are usually provided in the menu. For example, in this "Tetris" the key
Flash games do not provide any settings. If the developers have included such a feature, the page may have a button or link to expand the field to full screen. Otherwise, the size of the playing field is strictly defined and does not change.
However, using the browser, you can scale the entire page. Along with it, the playing field also increases. In any browser, you can zoom in by rotating the mouse wheel while holding down the key
6.1.3. Drawing and coloring games
Almost all children like to draw. Windows comes standard with an application that can be used as an excellent game of this kind. This is the Paint graphic editor (Fig. 6.3). The shortcut to call it is in the Start menu | All programs | Standard | Paint.
There are different ways to draw in Paint. For example, use the Shapes tool to draw rectangles, ovals and other primitives, immediately setting the colors of the lines and fill. The resulting picture can be further colored using the Fill tool.
Another option is to select the Brush or Pencil tool and draw freehand with it. Finally, you can open some ready-made drawing or photograph in Paint and edit it: finish drawing, erase certain places, select, copy and paste details.
For children with motor skills, drawing on a computer may be more accessible than drawing on paper. It is important to figure it out yourself and show your child how to use the same Paint editor or other programs. It is possible that instead of a regular mouse, you will need a “foot mouse”, a special joystick, or control of the mouse pointer from the keyboard.
However, this is drawing “from scratch,” and many games have been created for the little ones in which they need to color ready-made images or assemble pictures from parts. Such games are usually made using flash technology, and they open in a browser.
Let's name just a few resources with coloring games: www.raskraska.com, www.rebzi.ru/colorings/, www.detipaint.ru, www.packpacku.com. These and dozens of other sites contain drawings on any topic. The principle of flash coloring
Rice. 6.3.
Rice. 6.4.
the same thing - select the desired color on the palette with a brush or pencil and click on the image in the place you want to fill with this color. In “pencil” coloring books, you can draw on the picture with the mouse, like with a pencil (Fig. 6.4).
You can print what you get - right on the page, click on the printer icon. If you print the drawing before coloring it, you will get a regular “paper coloring”. It is important that it can be made large, covering the entire A4 sheet - set this in the printer properties.
In addition to interactive coloring books (drawing and coloring on the screen), the Internet contains thousands of black and white outline pictures specifically for coloring. Download them, print them and paint them!
6.2. 3D games
3D graphics brings the computer closer to “virtual reality”. The world of 3D games represents all genres. Among them are shooters and racing games, sports and other simulators, strategies and role-playing games. In what main secret their attractiveness? Computer games provide the opportunity to participate in something that most of us would hardly encounter in real life: you can feel like a special forces soldier, a race car driver, a ruler, and anyone else.
The verisimilitude of the image modern games such that it is sometimes impossible to distinguish it from “live” video. Of course, this requires a fairly powerful modern computer.
6.2.1. Computer requirements
It is no coincidence that they say that any computer is suitable for work, but for games you need a “serious” machine. In the description of the game, the minimum system requirements must be given: in order for the game to launch and work satisfactorily, the computer components must be no worse than those listed. “No worse” - that is, the same in performance, or better - more productive and modern.
For example, if it is said that the processor (CPU) must be dual-core with a clock frequency of at least 2.4 GHz, the game will “run” on any dual- or quad-core processor whose clock frequency is the same or higher. Volume RAM(RAM) the more the better, but not less than what is specified in the game requirements. However, the graphics card has the greatest impact on your computer's gaming performance. Usually they indicate the amount of video memory and some well-known model, which they focus on as a minimum. For example: “512 MB GeForce 210.”
In order not to delve into technical details and not understand the characteristics of different models, you can be guided by a simple rule of thumb - compare the year the game was released with the year the video card was released and its price at that time!
If the game was released at about the same time as the video card, then on a video card costing about 1.5 thousand rubles it will work satisfactorily with minimal and perhaps even medium settings. On a video card costing about 3–4.5 thousand rubles, all games will certainly run with medium settings, but on video cards of the “9 thousand rubles and above” class, games can be safely run with high image quality and detail.
If the video card was released two or three years earlier, then the 1500-ruble models will allow you to run games only with minimal settings, and even then not all of them. Models in the “about 3 thousand rubles” class will still be relatively relevant. Expensive (from 9 thousand rubles) models of that time will roughly correspond to modern models in the mid-price category or slightly higher.
Accordingly, a game that was released 3-5 years ago should launch in good quality and with all the effects even on an inexpensive but most modern video card. In terms of its characteristics, it is most likely not much inferior to the best hardware of that time. Whether we like it or not, within this period of time “gaming” computers will become completely obsolete. If the computer is used mainly for games, it is advisable to overhaul it every few years or change it altogether.
If you want to upgrade your computer (otherwise known as an “upgrade”), first of all it makes sense to replace the video card (Fig. 6.5). In addition, it is advisable to increase the amount of RAM. For example, adding one or more memory modules or replacing existing ones with larger modules depends on whether there are free memory sockets (slots) left on the motherboard.
Rice. 6.5.
Note. Since motherboards, into the slots of which video cards and memory modules are inserted, also become obsolete at the same pace as other computer components, it would be useful to make sure before upgrading that a new video card and memory modules can be installed on the old motherboard without any problems. However, a discussion of these issues is beyond the scope of our book.
To ensure that games run without problems, it is important to install the latest video card driver from the manufacturer. The meaning of updating drivers is twofold. Firstly, their developers monitor the emergence of new games, check drivers for compatibility and, if necessary, add or correct the driver program code. Secondly, the driver, like any program, may contain errors. During initial testing, the developers might not have noticed some of them. However, over time, such problems are identified, for example, thanks to user requests to technical support. In the next version of the driver, the detected errors are corrected.
6.2.2. Game controllers
How do “gaming” mice and keyboards differ from regular “office” ones? Some of their features are useful not only for fans of 3D games, but also for people with disabilities.
Specially “gaming” keyboards began to be produced relatively recently. They differ from mass-produced models, first of all, in their more durable construction - after all, in the heat of a game, a person often hits the keys with all his might. The arrow keys are larger than normal, and the spaces between them are wider. On many models, the keys that are used most often in games (arrow keys and cross keys) ,
The second characteristic feature is the presence of additional programmable keys and buttons. On some models (Fig. 6.6) they are placed in separate group on the side of the main layout, on others they are located in a row above the other keys.
Rice. 6.6.
Although any gaming keyboard is recognized by the system as a standard device, for additional keys to work, you must install a driver from the manufacturer of this model. As a rule, the driver also includes a “proprietary” configuration utility. With its help, additional keys are assigned various functions.
Often such utilities contain ready-made “profiles” for the most popular games. For example, some keys serve to select weapons and ammunition, jump, crouch and crawl the hero, etc. In other profiles, the same keys receive the functions of airplane or car controls, selecting artifacts and spells in a role-playing game, etc. .
In addition, the keys can be assigned arbitrary functions. For example, these are keyboard shortcuts, calling certain programs, and even macro commands from several sequential actions.
Gaming mice are designed for fast, sweeping, sharp, but at the same time very precise movements. To do this, they install special sensors and rather complex electronics.
The gaming mouse has an ergonomic shape and unusual design. True, such mice are usually designed only for the right hand - “left-handed” or symmetrical designs are rare. The mouse comes with a set of weights, and the case has sockets and recesses for their installation. An experienced gamer will definitely adjust the weight of the mouse according to his preferences.
Another feature of gaming mice is the abundance of buttons. There are models with 7, 10, or even more buttons.
Rice. 6.7.
The gaming mouse driver is organized in such a way that everything can be configured in it: from sensitivity and pointer acceleration to backlight color. A significant part of the settings is Button Assignment. Typically, a separate utility is used to configure a gaming mouse (Fig. 6.8).
A multi-button mouse is interesting because it can easily be assigned many functions. For example, in a game one of the additional buttons will control the movement
Rice. 6.8.
moving the character forward, another - backward, a third - using objects, etc. As a result, all control is carried out with one hand, and the keyboard is not used at all. For people with musculoskeletal disabilities and limited mobility, this mouse allows them to participate in almost any game.
In addition to “advanced” keyboards and mice, other manipulators have been created specifically for games. Their scope of application is quite narrow: steering wheels with pedals are indispensable in auto racing, and joysticks are needed for aviation simulators.
Note that the gaming joystick is similar to the devices discussed in Chapter 2, only in shape. Unlike special joysticks that emulate a mouse in the system, gaming ones are a special class of devices. They can only be used in games that support such controls, and they are configured directly through the game menu.
6.3. Games for the visually impaired and blind
The main tool that allows a blind user to receive information from a computer is screen access programs (see Chapter 4). Their action is based on the fact that almost all system and application interface elements have text labels - this text is spoken or displayed on a Braille display.
Screen readers (eg JAWS, COBRA, NVDA) can interact with some games. If the programmers have included in the game some text equivalents for objects displayed on the screen and actions with them, playing through a screen access program is, in principle, possible. Control takes place using the keyboard, and what is happening on the screen is voiced.
“Universal” games that can be played both normally and without visual control are quite rare. Therefore, the most popular games have become those developed specifically for blind and visually impaired users. The graphics in them are kept to a minimum, but there is a developed sound and full speech accompaniment.
Some of these games require a screen reader and/or voice engines installed on the system. In addition to these, scripts are often written for JAWS or NVDA. Scripts need to be copied to the folder of the screen reader (which ones and where exactly are indicated in the instructions) in order to get full-fledged scoring of the game.
Other games include all the necessary audio components. Sometimes they are called "self-speaking". An example of such applications is “Technoshock” or games from the company LWorks.
6.3.1. Logic and card games
Using screen access programs, you can play Windows solitaire games: Solitaire, Spider, etc. The names of the cards in these games are also pronounced by the standard Windows screen reader, albeit in English.
In general, in terms of accessibility, any program from Microsoft is considered a model. The fact is that when developing applications, they must be tested for interaction with screen readers. Today, this is no longer one of the “programming rules”, but clear requirements set out in Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act and the UK & EU Accessibility Standard specification. In practice, not all developers adhere to such standards, but Microsoft always approaches this with full responsibility.
How to play one of the standard Windows games - Minesweeper (Fig. 6.9) using the screen reader and keyboard? We do not remind you of the rules of the game - they are widely known.
To move around the cells on the playing field, use the arrow keys. When a cell has focus, Narrator says the row number and column number where it intersects. For example, the cell in the second row of the fourth column is read like this: Two, Four.
To open a cell, press the key<Пробел>. Then move to any adjacent cell and back. If the cell is empty, Narrator will again say only the row and column number. If a cell indicates the number of mines hidden in surrounding cells, it will announce three values: row number, column number and the number of mines in adjacent cells. For example: Two, Three, One.
To mark a cell with a checkbox, press the key combination
Rice. 6.9.
Russian programmers are the authors of a number of free games in which well-known logic puzzles are adapted for blind users. The ideas themselves are truly “folk”: “Cities”, “Bulls and Cows” and “The Gallows” have been played since time immemorial. Distributions of these and many other games can be downloaded from the Tiflokomp portal. Computer technologies for the blind and visually impaired" (www.tiflocomp.ru).
Note. The appendix lists some Internet resources on the topic of our book. The portal "Tiflokomp" occupies a leading place among them - it is one of the most complete and up-to-date collections of articles, reviews, news, as well as distributions of various programs for people with visual impairments.
Game "Cities"
"Cities" is a popular pastime that requires some knowledge of geography. Players take turns saying the names of cities, and the next city must begin with the letter on which the previous one ended. If the last letter in the name of a city is “ы” or “ь”, then the next city begins with the penultimate letter, etc.
In the game from Evgeny Bannikov (Fig. 6.10), your partner is the computer. The entered city names and computer responses are read out by the screen reader. The developer supplied the game with scripts designed to work with JAWS. In addition, all button labels and prompts are duplicated by voice.
Rice. 6.10.
You can play “Cities” almost endlessly. The one who names the last word wins, and the opponent will not be able to remember the city whose name begins with the desired letter.
Game "Master of Words"
The game “Master of Words” (developed by Yulia Shelmuk) reminds everyone of the well-known “Hangman”, and the television show “Field of Miracles”. The computer comes up with a word by showing one or more letters from it, and you need to guess the remaining letters (Fig. 6.11).
Rice. 6.11.
The game requires a screen reader to be installed. Click the Move button in the main game window and enter a letter in the text field that opens. After pressing the OK button (key
Game "Bulls and Cows"
The game “Bulls and Cows” (developed by Yuri Larin) exists in two versions: with words (Fig. 6.12) or with numbers. The point is to find a word or number that the computer has guessed in a few moves.
Rice. 6.12.
You type your guesses in the Enter a word field, and the computer provides hints in the Result field. In terms of the game, “Bull” is a letter or number that is in the hidden word or number, and in the word or number you entered it is in the same place as in the hidden word. “Cow” is a letter or number that is in the hidden word or number, but it is not in the right place.
The rules of the game are described in detail and with examples in the program help. In the menu you can choose three difficulty levels: from 4 to 6 letters. For voiceover you need a screen reader.
A few more logic and card games from the mentioned portal:
“A Million in Your Pocket” (developed by Ivan Denishev) is a computer version of the television quiz “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Each question has four answers. Points are awarded for each correct answer;
“Kartishki” (developer Ivan Sebekin): card games “Thousand” and “Czech Fool”. The program is “self-speaking”, but its operation requires SAPI 4 Russian speech synthesizers, for example, Digalo or L&H “Svetlana”;
“Point” (developed by Yuri Larin) is a computer version of the well-known card game;
"Dice Game" (developed by Yuri Larin) - a computer version of the classic dice game with six dice;
“Pop Corn” (developed by Yulia Shelmuk) - in this game you need to recognize melodies from short passages, like in the television shows “Guess the Melody” or “Two Pianos”.
Logic games for blind users are also being developed abroad, but for our compatriots they are not so interesting. In this case, the intuitive graphical interface is not used, and it is quite difficult to perceive everything by ear in English. Of course, One, Two, Three in Minesweeper can be easily remembered by even a person who is barely familiar with the English language, but in games with words, foreign “voice acting” becomes a serious obstacle for many users.
6.3.2. Arcades, racing and shooters
In logic games, only words are heard. In “active” games, the main load is borne by a variety of sounds: footsteps, shooting, knocking, creaking, engine noise, etc. There is no or very little speech here, the setting and plot are clear without words, so the English-language origin of such games does not create problems.
The player is guided by sound, imagining the spatial field of the game. To do this, you need two speakers, standing to the left and right of the listener, or stereo headphones. Thanks to the binaural effect, a person is able to quite accurately determine the location of the apparent sound source.
LWorks (www.l-works.net) has developed several sound games that have become very popular among blind people. There is no graphical interface as such; a completely empty window is displayed on the screen. The installation process is fully voiced (in English) - a blind user can install these games on the computer themselves.
Games from LWorks are “self-speaking” - menus and a few comments are spoken through the built-in Windows speech engine. To avoid problems with sound output, the screen reader should be turned off while playing!
Lockpick game
Lockpick is an arcade game, although it can also be called a logic puzzle. The task is to quickly open combination locks of safes.
The lock consists of three disks, each of which contains numbers from 1 to 7. To select the disk, use the keys<←>And<→>. Keys<↓>And<>“spinning” the selected disk - a voice in the headphones says what number is currently set on it. In this case, the numbers on the left disk are pronounced in the left earphone, on the middle one - in both headphones, and on the right - in the right.
Having established the first combination of numbers, press the key
It’s easy to guess that in essence this is the same “Bulls and Cows”, albeit in the form of an “active” game with a small detective plot. When you “enter the room with safes,” the alarm rings, shots ring out (the guards were shot), you hear your footsteps, etc.
Super Egg Hunt game
Super Egg Hunt is a sound variation on the theme of a game that is well known to the older generation. Once upon a time, there were Nintendo TV consoles. In one of the games they had to catch eggs falling from trays along the edges of the screen. If you didn't catch the egg, it broke, a chicken crawled out of the shell and ran away. The same thing is done in Super Egg Hunt, but here the player focuses on the sound of rolling eggs.
Game Duck Hunt
The game Duck Hunt is also based on the consoles. In this audio game you need to shoot ducks flying left and right across the screen. The duck naturally quacks - so shoot at the sound!
In addition to those mentioned, LWorks offers several more games, including free ones. All these games are available for download from the company’s official website, and free ones can also be downloaded from the game library of the Tiflocomp portal.
Game Dark Destroyer
In the game Dark Destroyer (www.pb-games.com) you become the pilot of a combat spaceship. The task is to protect the planet from alien attack. The game has 12 levels. At each subsequent stage, the aggressors have more and more equipment, and they act more and more assertively.
The original game was released in English. Translation files into Russian, as well as the Dark Destroyer distribution kit, are posted on the Tiflocomp portal.
Mortal maze game
Mortal maze (www.vipgameszone.com) is a sound labyrinth of 25 rooms where monsters roam. We need to find and shoot everyone. The trick of the game is that in the rooms different quantity doors: from one to three. Because of this, you can wander through the labyrinth in different routes, and opponents appear from any side.
Game "Technoshock"
“Technoshock” is a Russian sound “shooter”, a game with a developed plot, extensive maps and a variety of opponents. To complete the mission, you have to overcome all obstacles and get to the sixth floor of the captured building. There are hostages there who must be rescued and their evacuation organized.
As you move from floor to floor, you fight robotic opponents, collect weapons and ammunition - everything, just like in other first-person shooters. In the game you will meet four types of robots of varying degrees of danger, and the weapons you have are an axe, a carbine, a machine gun, a flamethrower, a blaster and hand grenades. To restore health, use first aid kits, a compass will help you find your way, and somewhere you can pick up an acoustic sight - when aimed at a target, it makes a pulsating sound.
As the action progresses, you need to open the doors. Some of them are under high voltage (it is turned off with the key<Пробел>), and some are locked with electronic keys. These keys (red, yellow and blue) must first be found. An elevator goes from floor to floor. There are traps in the corridors: fire, acid dripping from the ceiling and radiation. They cause damage not only to you, but also to robots that fall under their influence.
The instructions contain detailed description games and control keys. You can download the distribution and add-ons for the game from the Tiflocomp portal. There is a discussion of “Technoshock” on the portal forum (forum.tiflocomp.ru).
Top Speed Game
Among racing simulators, the leader is probably the self-talking game Top Speed (www.playinginthedark.net). It has been translated into many languages, including Russian. There have already been three versions of the game - the first was released back in 2004, and the current version is numbered 3.03.
In these races, everything happens exactly the same as in well-known “visual” analogues, for example, Need For Speed. You choose a car, a track and start a competition with the computer or real opponents. Top Speed also has a multiplayer mode - several people can participate in a race online.
An interesting feature of the game is that it is easy to create both cars and tracks for it yourself. Both are simple text files containing a set of parameters. A track is a file with the trk extension and a sound file of the same name with the wav extension (the name of the track recorded by voice for selecting it in the menu). The TRK file consists of lines describing sections of the track, and each line contains 4 numbers separated by spaces:
First number: direction (straight - 0, slightly left - 1, left - 2, sharp left - 3, etc.);
Second number: type of road surface (asphalt - 0, gravel - 1, water - 2, sand - 3, snow - 4);
Third number: ambient sound background (no sound - 0, crowd - 1, ocean noise - 2, etc.);
Fourth number: the length of this section in conventional units. We can assume that 1 unit is approximately equal to 1 cm, and the minimum length of the section is 5000 units - about 50 m.
The file ends with a line containing a file termination marker (–1) and two global parameters: weather and general sound environment. These parameters operate throughout the entire route and determine the set of background sounds.
The structure of the machine description file is approximately the same - a file with the vhc extension. In it in in a certain order lists the sounds made by the car when starting the engine, accelerating, moving, braking, leaving the road, etc. Next are variables with numerical values that determine “throttle response”, maximum speed, braking efficiency, steering sensitivity and its dependence on speed and etc. In total, the machine description file consists of 17 lines.
Despite the simplicity of the descriptions, the driving experience in Top Speed is as realistic as achievable in an audio simulator. The sound of the engine changes depending on the speed and bends of the road, and the surrounding noise superimposed on it creates a complete illusion of movement - a stereo effect works. Moreover, the game supports steering wheels with feedback - when leaving the road or driving on uneven surfaces, vibration is felt, and when making sharp turns, the steering wheel “kickback” is felt.
Games Ru Racing and Mach 1
Among other well-known car simulators, we can name Ru Racing (author Vladimir Dovydenkov) and Mach 1. The first game is rather not a “racing”, but rather a car driving simulator. Not only sports cars are offered as cars, but also Zhiguli, Zaporozhets, KamAZ. The tracks here are called “worlds”, and are also close to our reality: these are the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Mach 1 is a Russian version of the game written by blind American programmer Jim Kitchen. He is the author of dozens of free games that are posted on his website (kitchensinc.net). Unfortunately, only this one has been translated into Russian so far!
6.3.3. Sports simulators
Sports simulators include games that in one way or another simulate various sports or sports competitions. Some of them quite accurately reproduce the physics of the flight and bounce of the ball, etc. Others are closer in meaning to strategies: you need to form teams, train them, participate in championships, act as a coach or captain.
Games from Vipgameszone
Sports games developed by Vipgameszone (www.vipgameszone.com) are paid (about $20), but you can download free demo versions from the site. There are currently four such games:
Crazy Tennis is a tennis training simulator. You must hit the balls flying towards you. Keys<←>And<→>you move the racket so that the sound of the flying ball is in the center, and then strike with the key
Super Football is a football simulator. The team has 11 people: a goalkeeper and ten field players, standing in a 2-3-2-3 system. Keys<1>–<0>you switch between your fielders and the key
You need to switch to the player on your team who is about to get the ball. At the same time, you hear the sound of the flying ball and the voices of your teammates. When the ball is perfectly centered, it's time to hit it.
The strength and direction of the blow can be varied. You either shoot at goal or pass to another player. If everything went well, the ball hits your own player or flies into the goal. Otherwise, it is intercepted by the opponent.
There are offsides and outs in the game. If you break the rules (and they are the same as in real football), a penalty may be awarded to your goal. The game controls are quite complex, all the top row keys are involved,
Two more games from Vipgameszone: Beach Volleyball (beach volleyball) and Funny Bowling (bowling). All of these games feature a multiplayer mode where you find opponents online and compete against them.
WinPong game
WinPong (kitchensinc.net) - table tennis from Jim Kitchen. One of the unofficial “Russifications” of the game can be found at merkuriy17. narod.ru/games/myrus/.
The rules here are the real ones: the game is on up to 11 or 21 points. The racket is controlled by the keys<←>And<→>, feed is carried out by key< >. When the Press any key message sounds after winning a point, you can press:
Key
Key
And any other key to continue the game.
The game starts with your serve. After hitting the ball, you hear it move away from you, and at the opposite end of the table a computer player moves to return the serve. If he manages to do this, the ball will fly towards you. You must take a position that will allow you to hit the ball towards your opponent. Sometimes during the game you can hear the ball hitting the right or left walls.
As a rule, sports simulation games are played on the keyboard. However, in some games, such as tennis, you can also use a joystick (gamepad).
6.3.4. Strategy and multiplayer worlds (MUD)
Strategy and role-playing games can captivate like no other genre. This is largely due to the fact that any strategy game - the whole world with almost unpredictable plot development. Strategies are played day after day, for weeks and months, but the situations in them are almost never repeated.
SoundRTS game
SoundRTS (jlpo.free.fr) is a real-time strategy game based on Blizzard's masterpieces: Warcraft and Starcraft. However, this is a completely audio game, adapted for blind people. In it you will have to explore the surrounding area, mine gold and wood, hire peasants and warriors to resist enemies.
By default, the game is in map mode - north is at the top, and you can select any object without making any turns. However, you can also play in first-person mode, which is more convenient for exploring the territory and fighting.
The SoundRTS game is self-speaking. Screen readers should be disabled to prevent them from intercepting keystrokes. The original game is in English, but the Russian language pack for it is available on the official website. The user manual is also written in English, and its Russian translation is published on the Tiflocomp portal.
Game Lords of the Galaxy
Lords of the Galaxy is a space strategy from Vipgameszone (www.vipgameszone.com). You fly on a spaceship, trade, overcome meteor showers, defend yourself from monsters. You can play both with a computer and with other people via the Internet. The free demo version has a maximum of five participants.
In principle, many online strategies are available to blind users. At least those that run on constantly updated web pages in a browser window and do not use Flash animation. Since most elements of web pages have text "substitutes", the page is spoken by screen readers. How complete and understandable such a “non-visual” representation will be depends on the game developers. Let's name a few games that, according to reviews from blind users, are the most accessible for them.
Founders (founders.icedice.org) is a global online space strategy in which you need to colonize the planet. Founders contains all the attributes of similar games: searching and extracting resources, mastering technologies, building a space fleet, wars and alliances with other participants. In total, several thousand people participate in the game, so the world is truly huge and constantly evolving.
OGame (www.ogame.ru) is a game of the same plan. Almost everything that is displayed on the screen (Figure 6.13) is processed correctly by JAWS, COBRA or NVDA.
Fight Club (capitalcity.combats.com) - in a very peculiar world, a significant part of life: fights and duels. However, it is still a multiplayer strategy and role-playing game. For your hero to succeed, you need to develop him and “pump him up” in every possible way. There is trade, alliances, and even magic.
BiteFight (www.bitefight.ru) is a world in which there is a battle between vampires and werewolves. As in any role-playing game, participants unite into clans, and complex relationships develop between them.
Hattrick (www.hattrick.org) is an online soccer game in which you create and train your team, competing against opponents from all over the world. Matches take place twice a week. Each season lasts 16 weeks. Between matches you
www.tiflocomp.ru/games/archive/strategy/soundrts-ref.php.6
you can “buy” and “sell” football players on the transfer market, give instructions for training, or simply communicate with other users. If you win your league, you will have the opportunity to play in a higher league the following season.
Rice. 6.13.
Developers of multiplayer browser games try to follow "accessibility specifications." These standards require that any page be fully and correctly processed by screen readers so that blind person could navigate it freely. However, gaming sites have their own peculiarity - the widespread use of graphics and animation. This doesn't quite fit with accessibility requirements, but most users want the site to be beautiful.
Previously, we named several resources whose creators managed to find a decent compromise between visibility and accessibility. Of course, the list is not limited to these sites! If you wish, you can search the Internet for other multiplayer strategy games and evaluate how convenient they are to play using screen readers.
There is a type of online gaming that is ideal for blind people. These are the so-called MUDs - fully text-based multiplayer virtual worlds in real time. The term MUD itself is deciphered in different ways: Multiuser Dimension / Dungeon / Dialogue - multi-user space / dimension / world / catacombs / dialogue, and any of these interpretations accurately conveys the meaning of the game.
Actually, the entire history of strategy and role-playing games began with MUDs. At a time when computer graphics were still a novelty and the Internet did not exist at all, the games Colossal Cave Adventure (1975) and Dungeon (1978) were created. They were played through the ARPANET and university networks.
Subsequently, such games gained great popularity. Both free and commercial projects arose and multiplied. While strategy and role-playing games look very different today, classic text-based MUDs still have a strong following and the phenomenon is still very much alive.
What is the principle of MUD? The game engine runs on the server, which receives and processes commands and messages from game participants and transmits text messages to them. To access the server, the player needs a program called a MUD client, although you can use any Telnet client - a standard utility program for communicating using the Telnet protocol.
Where to start? First of all, install the MUD client on your computer. For example, free program JMC (jmc.mud.ru) or commercial client Cmud (www.zuggsoft.com).
Then decide which world you want to enter. A large current list of MUDs can be found, for example, at www.mudconnector.su/MudList. The list is checked regularly, and those servers that for some reason do not respond are marked in it as “temporarily unavailable.”
For each world, the address and port through which clients connect to it are indicated. In addition, for most worlds, the addresses (URL) of sites are given where you can get acquainted with the description and history of the world, read the rules, and chat on the forum. So choose a world you like and connect to it.
At the bottom of the JMC client window (Fig. 6.14) there is an input line. This is where you type commands and messages. To connect, enter: #connect<адрес> <порт>and press the key
The screen saver and server greeting will appear in the work area of the window. As a rule, you are immediately prompted to select an encoding (code page) - usually this is the Windows CP 1251 encoding.
Next you need to register. Enter the name under which you will enter the world and press the key
The gameplay itself consists of you entering commands and reading what other characters and the server tell you. To do this you need to know the commands. Commands - verbs in English or Russian in indefinite form. All words are meaningful and easy to remember. A full list of available commands is provided on the world's website, although commonly used commands are the same across all MUDs.
Rice. 6.14.
For example, you want to know where you are and what is happening around you. Enter the watch command. The server responds with:
<20hp 100m 100mv>look Northeast corner of the Arena You are in the Arena. You feel as if a higher power is watching you... Remember that if you suddenly want to get out of here, just go up. [Exits: south west top] A wild boar wants to attack you!
Have you looked around? There are two options: either fight the boar or run away. Let's say you chose the first one. Look at the boar: look at the boar. Answer:
<20hp 100m 100mv>watch the boar He turns his head towards you and grunts displeasedly. Look - his fangs are healthy! The boar is in excellent condition.
Have you changed your mind about attacking? Write: kill the boar and wait for the result. After a short time the following messages will appear:
<20hp 100m 98mv>kill the boar Your slash easily hits the boar. Your slash easily hits the boar. The boar is wounded.
<20hp 100m 100mv>Your slash scratches the boar. You parry the boar's attack. The boar is wounded.
<20hp 100m 100mv>Your slash hits the boar. Your slash hits the boar. Your slash scratches the boar. The boar is DEAD!! You get 165 experience!
You killed a boar and received 165 experience points. The text in angle brackets that appears before each message is information about your status. In this example, you have 20 units of life (hp), 100 units of energy (mana), 100 units of steps (moves).
MUD clients work well with screen readers. The MUD is text only, so everything input and output is fully voiced!
This is just the very first and general idea of what a MUD is. If you like the idea of multiplayer worlds, you can get to know such games better on the portals www.mudconnector.su, www.imud.info, mkm.org.ua, etc. or directly on the websites of various MUDs. The “For Beginners” and FAQ sections describe in detail everything related to game plots and setting up MUD clients.
In particular, scripts and keyboard shortcuts are widely used in clients, but they need to be configured for a specific game. Old-timers of MUD willingly share their experience on forums and help newcomers. Members of the MUD community are very friendly to each other and to those who are just planning to join it!
6.4. Conclusion
There are many good solutions regarding the accessibility of computer games. In many games, the controls are flexible, and people with motor skills are often able to choose the appropriate method: only with the keyboard, only with the mouse, or using a joystick. Game controllers (steering wheels, joysticks, special mice and keyboards) make game control more realistic.
In addition, for people with limited mobility or motor skills, gaming mice and keyboards can make it easier to work in various applications. Additional keys and buttons can easily be assigned any functions, so that, for example, you can enter keyboard shortcuts at the touch of a button.
For the blind and visually impaired, the main condition for the accessibility of the game is its interaction with screen access programs. Only a few popular games meet these requirements. Basically, they still rely on graphics, and text elements are required for screen access.
Therefore, the main solution is games specifically designed for blind users. There are many such games, and all genres are represented among them. Some games work through screen readers, others are "self-speaking".
A known problem is that most of these games are in English. However, for a number of games, enthusiasts create patches that add support for the Russian language. First of all, you should look for such additions on the Tiflocomp portal - Russian resource, entirely dedicated to supporting blind users.
Related articles
The best amulets against the evil eye and damage Amulet against the evil eye with hands for children
How to read the Psalter correctly
Delicious dishes with sausages
A glimpse of Bella. Romantic chronicle. A glimpse of genius. Messerer about Akhmadulina Boris Messerer glimpse of Bella romantic chronicle
I dreamed that I was sailing on a boat on the river
How to cook beef entrecote in a frying pan
About the company Foreign language courses at Moscow State University
Which city and why became the main one in Ancient Mesopotamia?
Why Bukhsoft Online is better than a regular accounting program!
Which year is a leap year and how to calculate it