The Esoteric Beat: Audio Games, Virtusphere, Mindplay

Gamasutra's headlines caught my eye today. I haven't tried an audio only game before. I don't think "Name that Tune" is in the same category : ) Here is an excerpt, visit the site for a live link to the audio only games.

This week's column looks at audio games, hamster-ball interfaces and digital relationships.

- First off this week we take a quick look at acoustic games. These audio-only titles have been around for a while, and make up the eclectic mix of adventure games like those found over on Audiogames.net. These games rely purely on sound output to deliver information to players, making them ideal for people with sight problems to experience the immediacy of interacting with digital entertainment. For something free and action based, why not check out German art-game collective a.Game's Sonic Invaders, which is an attempt to make a shoot 'em up based purely on sound input. If nothing else, these games should provide food for thought for those people interested in the use of sound in mainstream Western games. There's a lot that can be done with the senses other than sight, but are we doing it?

The Esoteric Beat: Audio Games, Virtusphere, Mindplay