Greetings all you fine audio gamers out there,
Many of you already know who I am and what I do, but it was suggested to me that I should post here, as those who don't know may be interested. I have been on this forum before, but my focus has shifted dramatically since that time. Allow me to explain.
For the past several years, I have been working to establish myself as an advocate for the accessibility of video games for blind people. I have spoken at the Game Developers Conference, the Game Accessibility Conference in 2017, Sony Headquarters during their accessibility day celebration, and Microsoft headquarters on their Games for Everyone, Accessibility Bootcamp day. I have spoken directly to game developers large and small, and have made many appearances in media of all sorts. Lastly, I've begun working in an official capacity as a blind accessibility consultant, currently for the mobile game developer Blind Sparrow interactive. I continue to further the message of blind accessibility for video games, and I believe I am a positive force in that community. In fact, I intend to make a career out of this work, even knowing it will be a difficult thing to achieve. My foot is wedged firmly in the door, however, and I am confident that I can be successful at this.
I am here now because I want all of you to share in this journey with me. I'm always open to discussion, and I strive to entertain even as I educate and/or talk about accessibility. So if all this interests you in any way, even if you're just looking for a few laughs, please consider checking me out in one of the following ways.
1: You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/superblindman where I post all my updates, as well as my thoughts on accessibility, and share media from game industry folks who promote it.
2: You can join me live on my daily Twitch streams Monday through Saturday at www.twitch.tv/superblindman where I play Mainstream games with plenty of audience interaction. My viewership is both blind and sighted, and I won't hesitate to teach newcomers about how we do all this awesome stuff. Plus, I love playing games with my viewers, and we have a weekly Jackbox Party Pack day every Friday to do just that. There are special events, like a Choice of Games event we do on occasion, and cherity streams during which I stream in support of the Extra Life organization. I would welcome your presence there.
3: You can watch all of the videos from the aforementioned Twitch stream on demand by going to www.youtube.com/superblindman, including my current ongoing playthrough of Final Fantasy X. Videos are exported weekly, but there are already hundreds of hours to check out if you're interested.
4: You can check out my web site at www.brandoncole.net where you can find my blog, which contains tons of posts on accessibility from my perspective as a blind gamer. Some of them are funny, some of them are ranty, but all are informative in some way. Furthermore, the site contains my media page, which gives you links to all of the things I've mentioned above, (speaking engagements and articles and so on), in one easy spot. Check it out, comment on things, have a blast!
5: As I've said, I'm attempting to begin making a living at this work. All of this helps me network, and my consulting work is paid, but I do still seek support as consulting is not consistent work. If you like what you've heard, or if you are unsure as of yet but like it after checking out all the other links here, then please consider becoming a patron of mine at www.patreon.com/superblindman. There are plenty of perks, and I love giving back to my contributors. Even if you don't choose to become a Patron, I do recommend you look at the different tiers available. Perks aside, i am proud of the tier descriptions, as I find them to be among my more entertaining work. Become a Patron, though, and you'll automatically get the perk of a weekly video game-themed poem, as well as whatever perks you signed up for.
Please understand that all of this is optional. You will not see me exploding on this forum if nobody jumps on board. Still, I also want to express that it's genuine. My mission here is pure in its intent. I genuinely like people, and want you all to join me in whatever way works for you. I'm working for us as a blind gaming community, not just for myself. We are gamers, and we deserve to have the option of playing whatever game we wish. It's a big, lofty dream, but things have begun to turn around when it comes to game accessibility, and I'm going to keep pushing as hard as I have to, and for as long as it takes. No matter what, thanks for reading this post, guys, and please continue to be awesome!