Sony Sued For Discrimination Against the Blind
- Thread starter Tom Goldman
- Start date
It is not right to sue anyone for a reason such as this. Maybe his ways of making himself heard are limited, but this is just juvenile. Sony shouldn't have to be FORCED to do this, it would be better if this was a boycott of some sort (although that almost always seems to fail for some reason) but a lawsuit? I don't care if he's blind, deaf or doesn't have any arms, suing people because they don't make things that satisfy your needs is wrong!
'Blind' is used to cover all sorts of sight impairments, lots of people can be registered as blind but can still see to some degree, just not as well as the majority of people. I imagine that the person who is fighting against Sony will have some vision, obviously enough to see the characters on the screen just not all of the text or finer details of the graphics.beldaron said:
It sounds like a stupid idea but I think it would be looked at differently if it was 'Sony sued for discrimination against the partially sighted'. It is reasonable to put large text in games, but I wouldn't say that it's going to be taken all that seriously in court.
You are right. But it would seem far too many people (as shown by the first half of this thread) are too damn ignorant to use their heads.beldaron said:
Visually impaired does not automatically mean blind.
Except its been done before...so this isn't groudbreaking stuff.Iron Mal said:
No effort is necessary on Sony's part. They don't have to go out of their way like Valve has decided to do on their own. There are plenty of third-party modifications that can be added if Sony allowed its MMO's to do so.Iron Mal said:
Well another reason to lose faith in humanity.
Self-entitlement much?
Suddenly a privilege becomes a right to these people <.<
also WTH does a third party Application have to do with the Publisher/Developer?
Self-entitlement much?
Suddenly a privilege becomes a right to these people <.<
also WTH does a third party Application have to do with the Publisher/Developer?
Should have just filed a class action lawsuit on the Gaming industry as a whole for not being Blind Friendly to begin with <.<
Dictation.SpiritMacardi said:
EDIT:
And while I can see (no pun intended) the point behind this lawsuit, and while I do know that being "visually impaired" does not automatically mean complete blindness, I just don't know if I would see any point in playing games in those circumstances. I don't consider graphics to be a core part of the experience, but they do tend to help out a lot. Of course, this does remind me of a similar issue I saw on a Ubisoft forum. One guy was complaining about the lack of subtitles in the game because he was deaf, and thus would not be able to enjoy the game otherwise... sorry to go off topic for a second, but it seemed like a similar case to me...
Discrimination would be the act of specifically forcing blind people out of the game. Catering to blind people is adding aids to blind people.
Sony DOES NOT have to cater to blind people, and that is not discrimination not to do so.
It's like when that dating site was sued by gays because their system didn't match gay couples. Not providing a service is not the same thing as actively discriminating and disallowing specific groups from using it.
He can still play the game, but just because it isn't tailored to his specific needs DOESN'T MEAN IT IS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST HIM.
Sony DOES NOT have to cater to blind people, and that is not discrimination not to do so.
It's like when that dating site was sued by gays because their system didn't match gay couples. Not providing a service is not the same thing as actively discriminating and disallowing specific groups from using it.
He can still play the game, but just because it isn't tailored to his specific needs DOESN'T MEAN IT IS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST HIM.
Yup it includes those. Title says blind but the text says visually impaired so im wondering if hes blind or visually impaired. To be honest if you CANT play a game then don't play it, dont end up suing developers.beldaron said:
Personally i have extreme colorblindness. I have problems differentiating colors when they are together. I had a little whine when i couldn't play bejeweled but i wouldn't SUE them because i couldn't play a game based on matching colored gems. However a few months down the line the released a new and improved version that sorted it all out. Also had similar problems with Left 4 Dead health bars until i found the colorblind option. Even color matching games are now adding colorblind options such as Puzzle Quest. However apart from that i was fine.
Games are getting better with disability's but to be honest if you have problems consolation is better than complaining. Its not like im going to sue a book publisher because their books are not dyslexia friendly and printed on yellow paper.....
Just blind people who keep getting sold the same game over and over.timax said:
I dunno suing seems to be taking it too far. I fully support a letter writing e mail campaign and I could see the usefulness of a petition in this matter but to sue? That is a wee bit extreme and could potentially open a huge can of worms that the industry is not prepared for. If he sues and wins then they might as well close thier doors and move on to books or something. Games will have to be absolutely perfect and be made accessible and appeal to all. One flaw, a graphic stutter, could cause a lawsuit.
Another one good god *holds head* When will this stop? The suing of sony because someone didnt get their way and the knowingly violated a rule specifically outlined in the ToS. I mean while "blind" is different from "visually impaired" it still means this guy or anyone else with the type of condition would still have a good amount of trouble seeing the game anyways. If this trends of suing Sony keeps up whats to say Sony wont just quit making games and gaming consoles for fear of being sued by some whiny little 10 year old who got beat in a online game match and then got cussed at and now he wants 'pain and suffering' money.
When I was like 10 I knew a blind kid who would play Super Mario Bros. And I don't mean "visually impaired", but like his eyes never opened and he didn't see anything. I can't imagine the level of frustration and memorization required to get through even a level of that game without being able to see.Barky13 said:
Also, I don't think this is a completely frivolous lawsuit. Many computer programs (or at least mainstream releases) allow for enhancements for the handicapped whether it be via allowing speech, enhanced graphical schemes, etc. A lot of disabled people seem to use MMOs as not only a gaming tool but also a social one. Obviously some games are so fast paced and visual that sight is a requirement (L4D, Trine, etc), but an MMO is pretty slow paced and has a lot of socializing, so allowing for people with disabilities doesn't seem to be that bold of a request. It appears though that he's mainly pissed at the auction section, and I have a feeling this lawsuit is more of a cry out of frustration for a lack of response to his cries for help as opposed to him just being out for money. Nothing gets a company's attention like a good old lawsuit..
So sue american idol for discriminating the deaf and books for dyslexia and driving for blindness? sorry but it's just one of those things, some games are better than others and i don't know the severity of this man's visual impairment but even so, just accept it and find games that can help or don't play. don't blame sony!... i can play guitar hero and i'm colour blind... learn or stop.
