As time passes, video games have been made to be more accessible to people. We’re seeing games adding various features to satisfy any player’s taste. As it seems, Beat Saber is going to be the next game that will include some innovative features. This includes attracting more players, especially the hearing impaired ones.
Beat Saber is a virtual reality rhythm game developed by Beat Games. The game takes place in a neon environment where players have to slice blocks that represent musical beats. It has become one of the best VR games available today. Now, this popular game will reach more people. Together with SUBPAC, a creator of wearable audio tech, Beat Saber VR rhythm game is going to be available to people with hearing disabilities.
Feeling the beat
The idea of making Beat Saber available to the deaf community came from the game’s co-developer, Jaroslav Beck. He posted a video explaining his idea and revealing the partnership. He explained how music can be appreciated universally, and how as a musician he can reach out to people who had hearing impairments as well. His experience of writing music with a SUBPAC, an audio tech that transmits the physical sensation of music, gave him the idea that would do just that.
With that in mind, he decided to make Beat Saber more beneficial to the community. He contacted SUBPAC to create a way to allow hearing-impaired players to feel the beat of the music when they play. From there, Beck contacted the president and co-founder of SUBPAC, John Alexiou, and they came to an agreement.
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Alexiou was happy with the idea and he said that SUBPAC has been working on extending the music experience to the hearing impaired people for some time. As Alexiou mentioned, “Music and gaming are unifying cultures that can bring people from around the world together”.
Listening with your body
Rhythm video games have acted as digital therapy for many people for more than 10 years. When the most popular game Guitar Hero was launched, stroke patients started playing it in order to exercise motor skills. Therefore, it’s expected that Beat Saber will be a huge thing for people with hearing loss.
Chris Fonseca, a deaf dancer and choreographer, was able to play the game with the SUBPAC and was very pleased with the experience. He explained that music is a special experience for the deaf community. He added that he cannot go a day without listening to music, and explained how he feels the sound and the beat through his body.
Beck claimed that the songs from Beat Saber’s library that generated strong pulses through the SUBPAC will change the way people create music. What’s more, he and his colleagues at Beat Saber are thinking about running a tournament that will include hearing, deaf, and hearing-impaired competitors.
YouTube: Beat Saber with SUBPAC!
Photo credit: The images used are owned by Facebook and have been provided for press usage.
Source: Facebook press release
