Wondering why Half Life 2: Episode 3 was taking such a long time? Well, let’s put it this way, how long would it take you to learn sign language?
In a week where certain figures in the gaming industry are cracking jokes about price hikes during a global recession, it’s nice to see that some industry figures are a little more sensitive.
In an effort to understand the needs of deaf gamers better, Gabe Newell invited a group of deaf gamers and asked them questions about what Valve could do to improve their games for them. He also speaks about adding deaf characters into their games, giving us an insight into story elements of the upcoming final episode of Half Life 2.
Newell’s idea is that Alyx had a crush on a hearing impaired person before she met Gordon, and taught Dog sign language so that she could practice; which sounds cool until he admits that he stole the idea from Four Weddings and a Funeral. What’s going to be interesting about that idea is how Dog will cope, as facial expressions play a big part in sign language, and as you may have spotted, Dog doesn’t actually have a face.
The wall of Youtube videos above are the entire session with Gabe Newell and were recorded and uploaded by Samuel Sandoval, one of the gamers in attendence. The session runs to a total of 25 minutes and makes for very interesting watching.
