Expert: L.A. Noire Could Help People with Asperger's

[John Funk]

Expert: L.A. Noire Could Help People with Asperger's

L.A. Noire's reliance on facial recognition could be a useful tool for those who have trouble reading other people.

Part of the appeal of Team Bondi & Rockstar's L.A. Noire is its incredible facial animation that lets players deduce whether or not a suspect is lying to them in an investigation. However, that's more difficult for people who suffer from things like Asperger's Syndrome, a disorder similar to autism which (among other things) makes it difficult for people to divine what others are thinking and feeling.

Indeed, those with Asperger's might have trouble with the game, Professor told Joystiq [http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/index.php]. "Certainly, those with Asperger's syndrome have great difficulty in identifying such characteristics [as lying and deceit] as they tend to take people and assume others may be as honest as they are," he said.

However, the thinks that the game could also be used as a teaching tool to help those with Asperger's learn how to read people - and that the difficulty might actually appeal to them:

[blockquote]I think those with Asperger's syndrome would actually find the game quite fascinating as although the player is expected to make a decision on whether someone may be lying, there is the possibility of reviewing and replaying the scene to confirm whether the response was correct or identify the characteristics should a mistake have been made.[/blockquote]

Attwood suggested those with Asperger's play the game with a friend or relative who could "give feedback and guidance on the characteristics to look for to determine whether someone is lying or not."

(Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/24/aspergers-expert-recommends-l-a-noire-as-teaching-tool/])

Permalink

 

[CommanderKirov]

That is actually quite an interesting thing I never considered. Although is it not just basic psychology that Asperger's people can simply read about the same?

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Man. I never looked at it that way. Seems like games are more than fuel for 15 year olds with high-caliber weapons aye FOX?

 

[TerribleAssassin]

EDIT: Repost, ignore

 

[Woodsey]

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

 

[fozzy360]

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

They could be a bit confusing, but once you discover a person's "tell," and you have enough evidence, the game becomes much easier. But that just how I found it.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

This makes me feel both good and bad. I bought LA Noire yesterday and I am having problems with the interrogations.

Why? Because I can't tell when people are lying. And yes I have autism, that was really diagnosed by a real doctor and not by myself.

However, I maintain that it's because the facial recognition software is nowhere near as brilliant as they're making out. I've spent years learning real facial recognition because of my condition, and so I've learned to disregard certain things the game seems to be relying on as 'tells'. Sometimes when a person looks away they are really just looking away dammit!

But then I read something like this and wonder if maybe the reason I'm finding it so hard is because I haven't learned how to read faces as well as I thought I had.

But I'm also an obsessive finisher, so by God I will finish this game.

 

[Sparrow]

This actually effects people with autism as well. Baron-Cohen (Sasha Baron-Cohen's brother, I shit you not) found that people with high-functioning autism scored significantly lower than normal adults in an eyes task.

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

That's more of an opinion than a fact.

 

[thenamelessloser]

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

Is it possible some of those people complaining may have autism or aspergers? (I never actually played the game so I don't know what it is like at all. I have a problem reading faces and other problems sometimes in real life conversations. I wonder if the game could help me. My sentence was NOT meant as an insult.)

 

[Jamash]

This could be OK, as long as they only learn how to read people's faces from L.A. Noire, and not how to hold conversations.

It would be a shame for those people with Aspergers to learn how to read faces, but to also pick up Phelps' Bi-Polar, passive aggressive, quiet then LOUD, "what's an indoors voice?" manner of dealing with people...

Actually, Cole Phelps could probably learn more from people with Aspergers than they could from him.

 

[Cousin_IT]

Interesting idea. Shame facial cues have little to do with how to correctly respond in the game, though.

 

[Woodsey]

This actually effects people with autism as well. Baron-Cohen (Sasha Baron-Cohen's brother, I shit you not) found that people with high-functioning autism scored significantly lower than normal adults in an eyes task.

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

That's more of an opinion than a fact.

Congratulations, you've written the most impotent statement of the week. Of course its fucking opinion. If regular people are struggling because they feel its poorly put together, then it is less likely that its going to help people who are autistic because its not presenting situations effectively.

What is it with you people and insisting on asserting every bloody word written or spoken as opinion?

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

Is it possible some of those people complaining may have autism or aspergers?

Haha, maybe so, although I have seen it pop up on here in people's posts, and a few other places too.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

I may have aspergers but I'm not blind, I'm capable of reading facial expressions and even then I'm sure most of it will come down to your analysis/interperatation of the character, the evidence you've collected and whether they fit the profile. From what I've heard choosing the 'lie' option tends to screw you over a bit so I think I'll be hitting 'doubt' a lot when I do get the game.

 

[Mr.Amakir]

Hey Rockstar, can't you send me a free copy so i can see if it really works?

I may have aspergers but I'm not blind, I'm capable of reading facial expressions and even then I'm sure most of it will come down to your analysis/interperatation of the character, the evidence you've collected and whether they fit the profile. From what I've heard choosing the 'lie' option tends to screw you over a bit so I think I'll be hitting 'doubt' a lot when I do get the game.

It depends from person to person, i have meet many people with Aspergers and some are perfectly "normal" people wile others have a hard time fitting in.

 

[Quellist]

It's a sad thing for me, i register somewhere on the autistic spectrum and while i have no trouble with interpersonal relationships or expressing myself, i find peoples faces a mystery. Visual cues are nothing to me and for that reason i wont be buying this game

 

[DEAD34345]

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

I found them great, certainly the best I've seen in gaming so far. Almost the only times I got something wrong in the interrogations was choosing doubt instead of lie (or vice versa), but both of those mean the person is lying (or withholding information), it's just whether or not you have evidence to prove it, so the facial animation isn't the problem.

The only problem with them I've experienced is that I think the eyes and mouths are very slightly off, so when I looked closely sometimes I experienced the "Uncanny Valley" pretty badly.

 

[Baneat]

I may have aspergers but I'm not blind, I'm capable of reading facial expressions and even then I'm sure most of it will come down to your analysis/interperatation of the character, the evidence you've collected and whether they fit the profile. From what I've heard choosing the 'lie' option tends to screw you over a bit so I think I'll be hitting 'doubt' a lot when I do get the game.

I know someone with asperger's, and, he truly cannot read faces beyond even the basic level (Big smile, big frown, anger). And the book I read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" - the protagonist also had severe issues understanding what people were feeling, to the point that he carried expression cards.

 

[Woodsey]

A lot of people seem to be reporting that the interrogation responses often feel rather hacked together and are confusing, so maybe not?

I found them great, certainly the best I've seen in gaming so far. Almost the only times I got something wrong in the interrogations was choosing doubt instead of lie (or vice versa), but both of those mean the person is lying (or withholding information), it's just whether or not you have evidence to prove it, so the facial animation isn't the problem.

The only problem with them I've experienced is that I think the eyes and mouths are very slightly off, so when I looked closely sometimes I experienced the "Uncanny Valley" pretty badly.

Ah, I meant in terms of both what Cole can end up saying to someone when you pick an option, and the general flow of conversations. And I'll be honest, in every video I've seen all the characters seem to pull the exact same face xD Mouth moves a bit, eyes shift side-to-side.

I'm pretty sure they aren't real tells anyway, so having it apply to real life is even harder.