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On BoingBoing today, I came across this article. Essentially, there is some guy that is suing Sony because their game isn’t blind-friendly. He’s partially blind and, I guess, he has trouble with those pesky games that are made for the sighted.

Let’s get this straight, he wants Sony to take something that is inherently visual and make it accessible for blind people. Moreover, he wants to take something that is a luxury item and force the courts to rule that it should be modified to meet his needs. This is, after all, a luxury, hence you have no RIGHT to it I’m aware of.

This is not like someone who is requesting that an apartment complex that is only accessible via stairs should be modified to allow wheelchair access. This is more akin to telling Hollywood that they need to make the musical score to their movies listenable by the deaf. There is something inherently problematic in making a product that is geared to once sense accessible by another. A product, by the bye, that is a luxury, not a necessity. This means that this guy, somehow thinks he has a RIGHT to play the game that Sony produced.

You know, I think he is right and I am starting a campaign here and now. I want a Leica M9. I have for a little while now, but I don’t have access to an extra $10K. I’m taking Leica to court and I am going to demand that they make this product more price accessible to someone with moderate financial means. That’s right, I have a fucking right to that camera.

How about this, I want a house. I can afford a small apartment, but I expect a house, with a big yard. Oh, and I want it on the beach. I want an amazing view of the forest too. I want it in San Diego. Oh, and I want it to be low-cost enough I can afford it with my current salary.

Let’s get real for a moment. The people in the United States have lost touch with what is a necessity and what is a luxury. If you can say “I want x” and you know that if you don’t have ‘x’ then you will still be able to live a full and productive life, ‘x’ is a luxury. If you can’t live without ‘x,’ and by that, I mean you will die (and I don’t mean you’ll kill yourself) if you don’t have it, then it is a necessity.

Let’s test this rule out, shall we? Okay pop quiz, print out this page and mark luxury or necessity next to each item:

1) $100K Mercedes ________________________
2) Food __________________________
3) Air ___________________________
4) Beachfront Property __________________________
5) Video Games _________________________

Key:

1) luxury
2) necessity
3) necessity
4) luxury
5) luxury

If you got 5 out of 5 then give yourself a pat on the back. You might actually have brains enough in your head that you will live to see another day. If you missed ANY of these then perhaps you should go and face that newly instituted (ha!) death panel. I’m not opposed to Euthanasia.

My point here is simple. Video games are a luxury. You don’t need them to live and I don’t see any reason that a vendor should be legally required to make them accessible to someone with limited faculties. To be fair, Sony might be wise to start work on games that are more accessible to the disabled because it could translate to higher profits, but there is nothing about a video game that is inherently a necessity to life.

Let’s all get a little more real with ourselves and stop this “I’m a victim” thing already, okay? McDonald’s didn’t make you fat, you did by feeding your face with 15 burgers a day. You don’t have lung cancer from smoking because the cigarette companies put a gun to your head, you made a choice to start and the addiction kept you rolling along. You don’t have to have a video game just because the kid down the block does. Look at me, I don’t even have a TV (no lie)!

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 4:27 pm and is filed under General Blogging, Web Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.