Carlos Vasquez, also known as Rattlehead, is a professional gamer who is blind but can still play and win video games using only sound. He started playing games when he was young but lost his vision because of an eye condition called glaucoma. Back then, most games didn't have features for blind players. But Carlos found that he could still play Mortal Kombat by listening to the different sounds the characters made.

Nowadays, game developers are starting to focus more on making games accessible for people with disabilities. Games like Forza Motorsport, Diablo 4, The Last of Us, Hearthstone, Street Fighter 6, and Mortal Kombat have features to help players with impaired vision. For example, Forza Motorsport has a thing called Blind Driving Assists that tells blind players about upcoming turns on the track. In Mortal Kombat, there are extra sounds to help players know how far away their opponents are and if they're ducking.

One cool new thing in accessible gaming is spatial audio. This means that the sound in the game can help blind players know where things are on the screen. Professor Brian Smith, who knows a lot about this stuff, says that our brains can figure out where sounds come from by listening to the timing and volume differences. Games like Forza Motorsport use this technology to make the game easier to play for blind players, while still keeping it challenging.

Sometimes, it's the smaller game developers who are leading the way in accessibility. The AbleGamers Charity asked Rockstar Games how much it would cost to make Grand Theft Auto V accessible, but it was too expensive. So an independent developer named Liam Erven made a mod called Grand Theft Accessibility to help blind players enjoy the game. Carlos Vasquez now works as an accessibility consultant for NetherRealm Studios, the company that makes Mortal Kombat. He thinks that game developers should talk to people with disabilities to understand what they need and make games more accessible.

Original news source: The pro gamer who has to rely upon sound alone (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article individually and then summarize the main points in a brief news summary. They can then share their summaries with a partner or small group and discuss any differences or similarities they found.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have each group come up with a list of questions related to accessibility in video games, based on the information in the article. Each group can then take turns asking their questions and recording the responses of the other groups. Afterward, discuss the different opinions and perspectives that were shared.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Choose a selection of vocabulary words from the article and write each word on a separate slip of paper. Divide the class into teams and have one member from each team come to the front of the class. Show the student a vocabulary word and they must draw a quick sketch to represent the word, while their team tries to guess the word. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Assign one team the task of listing the pros of making video games more accessible for people with disabilities, and assign the other team the task of listing the cons. Give the teams a few minutes to brainstorm and then have them share their lists with the class. Facilitate a discussion about the different perspectives and try to find common ground.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students work individually to write a short paragraph predicting how they think video games will continue to evolve in terms of accessibility. They can incorporate ideas from the article or come up with their own. After writing, have students share their predictions with a partner or small group and discuss their reasoning.

? Vasquez, also known as Rattlehead, is a professional gamer who is blind but can still play and win video games using only sound. He ? playing games when he was young but lost his ? because of an eye condition called glaucoma. Back then, most games didn't have features for blind players. But Carlos found that he could still play Mortal Kombat by listening to the different sounds the characters made. Nowadays, game developers are starting to ? more on making games accessible for people with disabilities. Games like Forza Motorsport, Diablo 4, The Last of Us, Hearthstone, Street ? 6, and Mortal Kombat have features to help players with impaired vision. For example, Forza Motorsport has a thing called Blind Driving Assists that tells blind players about upcoming turns on the track. In Mortal Kombat, there are ? sounds to help players know how far away their ? are and if they're ?. One cool new thing in accessible gaming is spatial audio. This means that the sound in the game can help ? ? know where things are on the screen. Professor Brian Smith, who knows a lot about this stuff, says that our brains can figure out where sounds come from by ? to the timing and volume differences. Games like Forza Motorsport use this technology to make the game easier to play for blind players, while still keeping it ?. Sometimes, it's the smaller game developers who are leading the way in accessibility. The AbleGamers Charity ? Rockstar Games how much it would cost to make Grand Theft Auto V accessible, but it was too expensive. So an independent developer named Liam Erven made a mod ? Grand Theft Accessibility to help blind players enjoy the game. Carlos Vasquez now works as an ? consultant for NetherRealm ?, the company that makes Mortal Kombat. He thinks that game developers should talk to people with disabilities to understand what they need and make games more accessible.

1. What is glaucoma and how can it affect a person's vision?
2. How do you think Carlos Vasquez feels when he plays video games using only sound?
3. Do you like playing video games? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you couldn't see but still wanted to play video games?
5. What do you think about game developers making games more accessible for people with disabilities?
6. Do you think it's important for game developers to talk to people with disabilities when creating games? Why or why not?
7. How do you think spatial audio can help blind players in video games?
8. Have you ever heard of any other games that have features to help players with impaired vision? Which ones?
9. What other types of disabilities do you think game developers should consider when making games accessible?
10. How do you think accessible gaming can make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities?
11. Would you be interested in trying out a game with spatial audio? Why or why not?
12. How do you think Liam Erven's mod, Grand Theft Accessibility, helps blind players enjoy Grand Theft Auto V?
13. What do you think about the AbleGamers Charity asking Rockstar Games to make Grand Theft Auto V accessible?
14. How do you think Carlos Vasquez's experience as a blind gamer has influenced his work as an accessibility consultant?
15. Do you think it's important for everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy playing video games? Why or why not?

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