Full FeedOpinion: Visually impaired gamer’s suit against Sony may be a bit frivolous
A visually impaired gamer named Alexander Stern is suing Sony, Sony Online Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment America for not offering features that make their games accessible for people with visual disabilities.
According to Stern, by not including these options, Sony is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The law suit claims that Stern has written several emails and letters to Sony requesting these features for games - mainly on MMOs - and Sony hasn’t complied. The suit also mentions how other companies, including Blizzard, have allowed the use of mods or other third party programs to incorporate features including visual cues or voice overs for gamers with “disability impaired visual processing”.
The suit also states that Sony’s denial in including these features are costing Stern money. Sony runs an auction site where users can sell their in-game loot for real money and, since Stern can’t participate in the auctions, Stern claims that he is losing money.
I’m really sorry for this guy and I think that everybody should have the right to entertainment and, in this case, video games but I think he’s just trying to work the system for easy money.
Video games are a visual form of entertainment and I don’t think it’s realistic to suppose that a company is going to modify the code in their games to fulfill the needs of an individual or a comparatively small group. By this same logic all movie studios and book publishers should alter their products to offer versions for the visually impaired.
I think it’s great that some companies offer the possibility of including mods or other programs into the game but. in my opinion, demanding them is totally different. Hopefully, technology that allows visually impaired people to have a better enjoyment of games will come along soon but I don’t think suing is the best way to accomplish or accelerate this process.
Read [Destructoid] Also read [GameSpot]
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yes i agree with you, especially going as far as to say he is losing money by not being able to sell his in game goods? That’s crazy! He could get a friend to do it for him! And I’m sure Sony is going to be real sympathetic about the anyway.
Everyone is out to make an easy buck nowadays. He should just accept that he can’t play MMO’s and try out games he can play better, it sucks yes, but thems the breaks kid!
on November 8, 2009 at 02:05 PM - LINKThe degree of ignorance revealed in this “commentary” and the subsequent comment is almost astounding beyond belief. Obviously, neither of you has even the slightest bit of human compassion beneath your “all-about-me” gamer exterior. But more importantly, you seem to be woefully ignorant about the law and the need for businesses to extend to ALL, the same degree of access to products/services. This is clearly not happening. Do you not understand that when ONE is treated as different, we ALL suffer? Obviously not. But…whatever, dude…..so long as YOU get what YOU think you deserve, right? Are you aware that we are ALL a slip in the bathtub from being confined to a wheelchair? Do you know that YOU are one blow to the head away from blindness? Apparently not….and apparently, you weren’t afforded an education regarding the visually impaired. Neither were you gifted with human empathy. Them’s the breaks, kid…..how unfortunate for you and your limited, ugly existence.
on November 10, 2009 at 09:19 PM - LINKEverybody is entitled to an opinion but I think my view is completely realistic. As you pointed in your example, if I eventually was confined to a wheelchair it would be wrong for me to suddenly demand that Nike modify certain running shoe just because me and some others can’t run. It would be worse for me to sue them.
on November 10, 2009 at 11:16 PM - LINKThe post never expresses a negative view about the handicapped in any way. It just points out that it is wrong to demand that the world change around you and then sue when you don’t get what you want.
Video games are mainly a visual form of entertainment so that means that by their nature, unfortunately people with a visual handicap will not be able to enjoy them as much as people without that handicap. Sony and every other company creates games putting great emphasis in the visual aspects so even though it would be great if they included the capacity for modding and including programs that aided the visually impaired, it is not realistic to demand those mods and, again, it is wrong to sue just to make a buck.
What you are missing, Christian, is that in all probability this has NOTHING to do with “making a buck”. Your assertion that this is ALL the lawsuit is about is insulting and vulgar. In all probability, this lawsuit is about a gamer who wants to be able to experience as much as possible of a forum that poses some difficulty for him. Were he completely blind, he probably would not be making the claim. Again, my problem is with your ignorant assumption that it’s about money. Most disabled individuals are not running around looking for ways to make a buck from their disability…..they simply want to be treated like everyone else, and to have the same opportunities afforded to others. What is negative is your view of this disabled individual….again, you seem to have absolutely NO experience with someone like this, otherwise you wouldn’t say such ignorant things, and if you did, you’d have enough cognizance to understand that is it offensive.
on November 11, 2009 at 07:55 AM - LINKOk disgusted reader, insulting us is not going to get us to change our opinion, I hope you realize that.
If you really want to be convincing, you should at least be not insulting and maybe even give your name! Who is going to take you seriously when you can’t even own up to your argument?
That being said. Again, Stern hasn’t shown us in any way that he is not all about money. He even said himself he is losing money because he can’t do the online auctions. All we are saying is that he should just play the games that he can play and be grateful that he can.
Sony might have good reasons for not wanting to add these features, which we don’t know of course.
I don’t have the money to play online games, but I am not going to sue the company’s into forcing them to make the games free, i know that’s not the same as his situation, but see how I could be as simple as that? All we are saying is that he just play the games that he can play and be grateful that he can. I truly understand Stern’s disability, having had a friend who had limited ability and could only play certain game, but he accepted that and was happy there were some he could still play. That is our argument. It has nothing to do with being “ignorant” of anything,
on November 11, 2009 at 06:54 PM - LINKWhat you are missing, Jessica, is that your attitude is offensive. It is RUDE to assume that someone is just out for a buck. So he should have to announce to you that he’s not in order to make his claim credible? I find it interesting that you’re so quick to defend corporate Sony in this case. But, that aside, according to your logic, anybody who is limited in some way MUST be seeking a way to take advantage of “the system” in order to benefit financially. Again, saying such a things simply reveals how limited your experience has been, and how unfortunate you are to see the world through those eyes. Oh yea, thems the breaks…...right? Be insulted or not, I can’t say that I care. But it pains me to think that people with attitudes like yours vote and have the right to exist next to my children. Ewww.
on November 13, 2009 at 03:46 PM - LINKwow, i’m sorry i thought i could have a civilized argument with you. It’s especially fun talking with someone who does not READ your argument and only hears what they want to hear! Have a nice life, i’m done talking to you.
on November 13, 2009 at 05:09 PM - LINK