Breaking the Silence: Thoughts on Communication Features in Online, Multiplayer Videogames
Task Scenario #1: Communicate with your teammates that you need help in combat. Do you think you can complete this task in a game like Overwatch using the voice chat? text chat? maybe the communication wheel? How would you complete the task scenario if you were deaf/hard of hearing (hoh)? Communication Wheel in Overwatch Communication in videogames is often a realistic problem for many deaf/hoh gamers. Good communication can mean the difference between life and death, literally, so effective and accessible communication features in videogames are crucial for deaf/hoh gamers. Referred to commonly as "comms" in the gaming community, many videogames require succinct callouts in voice chat for optimal team performance. For example, a player may use the term "push" to quickly indicate the right time to pressure the enemy team, especially when the enemy team is vulnerable. For typical gamers, providing callouts to the team is as simple as pressing a button (push-...