Could you turn the subtitles on, please?

[Zyquux]

Yup, subtitles for everything for me too. My hearing isn't bad (I don't think) but sometimes there's background noise where I am or the character is in the middle of a really long speech or something that is easier to read and then click past instead of listening to them. Subtitles are even more useful in games where characters have a heavy accent that makes it hard to understand them. It's especially useful if the dialog cuts out for some reason, something that's happened to me in a game recently (Dragon Age: Origins, I think?).

 

[communist dwarf]

I keep my subtitles on when playing a game for the first time. That way I don't worry about missing some small detail. Second play through it depends on the game. RPGs and anything with a complex story get subtitles but if I'm replaying Call of Duty then they stay off.

 

[Pingrash]

I like to have the subtitles on. It's amazing how much dialogue I miss with out them particularly during actual gameplay. I find the dialogue gets drowned out by everything else that's going on.
I also tend to go into the game settings and boost the dialogue volume a bit to try to stop it getting drowned out.

 

[Xaio30]

I have a bit of a conundrum, since I am a not native English speaker and is heavily distracted by subtitles.

I usually play with subtitles the first time to make sure that I get to know everything said, but then switching them off in the second run for immersion.

 

[Zetatrain]

Well I can't really say why you do it but I can tell you why I do. I usually keep subtitles on for any game I play because there are a lot of times when I get distracted by the gameplay and miss what was just said so its nice to be able to look down and see what they just said (assuming I'm quick enough).

Another thing is that the background noise tends to drown out the dialogue from time to time, and sometimes you can't hear what a person is saying clearly, because you're too far away (Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age. etc.). Some subtitles also tell you the name of the character speaking, so its helpful when more than one person is speaking and you can't tell whose voice belongs to who.

It's basically a bit of precaution I take, because if you do miss out on what is being said then you don't have the luxury of rewinding a few seconds.

 

[GundamSentinel]

I generally turn them on, yes. Even though I'm not a native speaker, I consider my English good enough to understand everything said, but in some games dialogue can be obscured by background noise (in game or RL), or (often in case of sci-fi and fantasy games) contain names or non-English terms that are easier to memorize when read. It can also give the option to click past dialogue faster.

 

[Gabanuka]

Yeh I always use subtitles and it pisses me off when not everything has a subtitle. I wanna read NPC chatter god damnit!

 

[Sexy Devil]

Yeah it's always best to have subtitles on. Most of the time they're not necessary but it's good to have them for the odd incomprehensible speeches like Shirley at 0:20ish of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4WTkG4s0tU or Big Mike at 1:22ish of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeohJKqjH7Y

Once you get used to them they're not even distracting.

 

[Hjalmar Fryklund]

I do this too. Subtitles on in every game that has them.
And there's nothing wrong with my hearing (mostly).

I guess I use them so I don't miss even a single detail. For example, if there's suddenly some background noise where I am, or if the VA in the game is mumbling a bit.

I don't find them distracting, and by reading the text at the same time as hearing it, it helps cement in my mind exactly what's being said and what's going on.

This is my exact stance as well.

 

[Crazy Zaul]

I do. Used to be cos you never know when there is gonna be a noise so you can;t hear what they're sayin then it just stuck.

 

[Vrach]

Yeah, I always turn on the subtitles, especially in games that are fast paced. If I'm playing dialogue games like ME/DA and such, it's not a big deal (I played TOR without subtitles to make sure I enjoy the dialogue rather than skip it when I read it), but in fast paced games, I often need it cause I'm focusing on something else while they're talking and I like to be able to read it if I don't hear it with all the explosions, bullets flying and me concentrating on something else.

 

[Girl With One Eye]

I always keep them off.

I can read many times faster than an actor can deliver their lines, so if subtitles are on I just end up reading ahead then impatiently waiting for the voice actors to catch up.

Haha I do this too, and it's especially annoying if you can't skip it.

 

[Flames66]

I don't turn on subtitles because I spend the entire game/film/whatever reading them and miss all the action. I also hate the current practice in films of all or nothing subtitles. I Only Want Subtitles When the Dialogue in in a Language I Don't Understand!!!!!! It leave me feeling very "Ticked Off" (captcha).

 

[krazykidd]

I always do, and what pisses me off is when the subtitles and the words characters say don't match up.

Just got through another run of Human Revolution and there's mistakes in EVERY conversation.

This . Happens SO freaking offen in games . It damn annoying . I'm playing two worlds two , and it's the same thing . Does no one proof read?

So yeah , i always put them on and get annoyed when that isn't possible . Even if i have no problem with hearing .

 

[x EvilErmine x]

I always keep them off.

I can read many times faster than an actor can deliver their lines, so if subtitles are on I just end up reading ahead then impatiently waiting for the voice actors to catch up.

Haha I do this too, and it's especially annoying if you can't skip it.

So much this, and it's not like I'm an inpatient man at all...but the amount of times when replaying a game with unskippable dialogue I've sat there screaming at the game to hurry the hell up and hammering on the controller is getting a bit extreme now.

Saying that though i still turn the subtitles on in most games /

P.S. @ Girl With One Eye
Hey how was your holiday? Good I hope.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I turn them on too. Movies, TV shows, video games. If it has subtitles, I like them on.

Same here, mostly because English is not my first language and it can sometimes be hard for me to understand someone in chaotic, noisy situations.

Unless it's comedy. Never with subtitles if it's in a language I understand. IMO nothing can ruin good comedy like subtitles giving away the punchlines too soon and undoing all comedic timing.

 

[Zeren]

I started to do that after GTA 4. I couldn't understand Little Jacob so I wanted to make sure that never happened again.

 

[DanielBrown]

Yeah, I always have subtitles on, even if I'm watching something in my native tongue.
I understand English when spoken perfectly fine, but I still like to have the subtitles - especially if someone's mumbling.

 

[Girl With One Eye]

P.S. @ Girl With One Eye
Hey how was your holiday? Good I hope.

It was AMAZING XD thanks for asking !

 

[mexicola]

I always turn them on. It pisses me off to no end if I mishear some things being said and not knowing whether it was important to the plot or not. It could be because of the characters voice, accent, loud background noise (both in game and in my room) or any other reason.

There is also the fact that I'm not a native english speaker. And by that I don't mean to say I can't follow a conversation, but simply put: growing up, every foreign movie I watched was subtitled so I'm used to having them on for double checking even now when I don't need them. It's a force of habit. And also all of the things from the first paragraph.