Steam for Blind People (That could be great.)

[FreeMediaKids!]

Ehh...surely. Why not?

I know that it is a bit awkward because Steam is all about gaming and things which were meant for people with actual eyes, but what if Steam were friendly for blind people as well? In that way, blind people could still communicate and hear some contents (such as game ratings) in the store, which all require for some built-in software (such as VoiceOver for the iOS) to aid a blind user's "reading". All of this is to make Steam more user-friendly by communication and navigation but not by gaming, for that is too hard.

[supertrooper225]

Not trying to be rude here at all. I can't imagine being blind. But Steam is a platform for video games. 'Video' is the key term here. As in, it requires those who can interpret visual information. It just seems like changing the site for those who have no real reason to actually use it.

A phone is very useful for a blind person...they can still make calls or play music. But video games require sight.

[FreeMediaKids!]

As I said, this was made originally for people "with actual eyes", and people can still join discussions while being independent from needing help from a non-blind man. The main idea is just to be user-friendly and nice, and I thank thee for being civil.

[supertrooper225]

I get that. But you are catering to people who cannot even take part in the products available here. It is like giving a treadmill to a fellow who has no use of their legs. It can actually be interpreted as an insult if viewed a certain way. I just find it an odd suggestion.

[FreeMediaKids!]

An "insult"? Look. I ain't trying to be incivil idiotically, and, if my suggestion were incivil, I would not do it at all. An "insult"... good grief, and I am trying to give that person legs which actually work, not make that man even more lame.

I am not trying to waste my own time; I am just trying to make Steam at least more friendly.

[supertrooper225]

Originally posted by gamingforfun365:

An "insult"? Look. I ain't trying to be incivil idiotically, and, if my suggestion were incivil, I would not do it at all. An "insult"... good grief, and I am trying to give that person legs which actually work.

But is making the interface on Steam giving them a way to enjoy video games? Not really. You aren't giving blind people sight. You are making it easier to turn on a game they can't play. That is what I mean. By acting like you are catering to them without actually enabling them to enjoy the products here, it comes off as an empty attempt at caring for their position for additional revenue and publicity. When, in reality, you have nothing for them.

But, interesting topic I suppose.

[FreeMediaKids!]

My topic is not about gaming but about making communication and navigation easier, and I am not God. Was I seeming as if I were doing that? If so, I would be sorry, and I am sorry for even bringing up that topic. This was always about navigation and communication, and I still like your civility.

[FreeMediaKids!]

I just hoped that I could at least, at least help them by a little, and that is all.

[JWellingtonWells]

There are some games on Steam that are somewhat accessible to a blind person with a screenreader. A good example would be Choice of the Deathless, which is entirely presented with text and choices.

Judging from this post:

http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?id=15271

...most of the work of "Choice of Games" is screen-reader accessible. On top of that, many visual novels don't rely too much on visuals (in spite of the name), and would be totally playable for a blind person with accessibility tools.

I don't know how accessible the steam client is to the blind, but at least one thread I found suggests it's possible to run it with a screenreader, though frustrating at times.

[Black Blade]

Well over al Steam is a web browser, and most of Steam it self is based on Text, not images
With that in hand, most blind people can likely use Steam all ready using a Screen-reader

Over all i think if these is to be a thing, maybe more blind foucesd games need to be out there for them to play, before really changing the platform to fit them

What i think may need to be asked, is first, are there any interested blind people at all? and if so what will they really need beyond what we have now
The main parts i can see is putting some ingratiated parts for screenreaders, even that over all i think most of the client if not all of it can work on that all ready so it may just be there all ready, not as a perfect site for them, but they may be able to get by using it if they so wish

[Mr. Shaggnificent]

Suggestion is moot.

Originally posted by Black Blade:

[...]blind people can likely use Steam all ready using a Screen-reader[...]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_reader

[Karna5]

This idea of voice guidance for some categories of steam is sensible. Steam is not just for games. It's also got a section for music (certainly my Steam music library has grown quite large). There's nothing wrong with adding features for the visually impaired. It works for ATMs, why not for markets like this. Is it necessary? No, but maybe Steam could link this feature to their workshop and allow players to work on it. Think of all the great player-made things created for Skyrim, and imagine what these players could do for other features.

[supertrooper225]

If anything, we now know that there is kind of a space for interactive audio games for the visually impaired. So if any of you feel like getting rich...there is a hole in the market to fill.

[JWellingtonWells]

This idea of voice guidance for some categories of steam is sensible. Steam is not just for games. It's also got a section for music (certainly my Steam music library has grown quite large). There's nothing wrong with adding features for the visually impaired. It works for ATMs, why not for markets like this. Is it necessary? No, but maybe Steam could link this feature to their workshop and allow players to work on it. Think of all the great player-made things created for Skyrim, and imagine what these players could do for other features.

+1 on this. The more general Steam becomes as a platform, the more sense it will make to maximize accessibility.

[Black Blade]

Originally posted by glande5:

This idea of voice guidance for some categories of steam is sensible. Steam is not just for games. It's also got a section for music (certainly my Steam music library has grown quite large). There's nothing wrong with adding features for the visually impaired. It works for ATMs, why not for markets like this. Is it necessary? No, but maybe Steam could link this feature to their workshop and allow players to work on it. Think of all the great player-made things created for Skyrim, and imagine what these players could do for other features.

As some what pointed before, Steam is on a browser, so over all blind can all ready use it using a Screen Reader
Cant see too much that will really block them form doing so if they wanted
Also the music is sold as part of the game no?