Closed Captioning in Games
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Reid Kimball
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[email protected]
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Games[CC]
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http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com
Personal Introduction
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Currently a Designer at LucasArts
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Playing videogames since 1990
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Hearing impaired due to Spinal Meningitis at
16months old
Began wearing hearing aids at age of 3
Because of my unique position I have become
an expert in closed captioning for games
Started Games[CC] group to research and
develop CC for games
Today's Topics
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What is Closed Captioning?
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History of Closed Captioning in Games
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Examples of CC in games
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Doom3 and Doom3[CC] comparison
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How Dynamic Closed Captioning system works
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Future of Closed Captioning in games
What is Closed Captioning?
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Closed Captions were transmitted by (PBS),
(NBC) and (ABC) in 1980 for emergency
broadcasts
Line 21 of the TV signal

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Contains text data
Open vs. Closed Captioning

Open: The text data is baked into the video signal
and cannot be turned off

Closed: The user has the option of turning on or off
the captions
Covers both dialog and sound effects
TV Closed Captioning
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/tv_cc.avi
Size: 1.38 MB
Time: 9 seconds
Early Days of Gaming
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Text based
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Limited graphics
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No or limited sound
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After the CD-Rom, use of text was reduced
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CD-Rom introduced in early 1990's

More graphics, no need to textually describe when
players can see what is happening

More sounds, no need for text of dialog if it is audio
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King's Quest V: Released in 1990 (CD-ROM)
Myst: Released in Sept. 24, 1993
Zork: Grand Inquisitor
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Released October, 1997
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First game to feature Closed Captioning
Half-Life 2
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Released November 16, 2004
Second game to feature closed captioning (7yrs
after Zork Grand Inquisitor!)
Doom3[CC]
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Released December 12th, 2004
Third game (via modification) to feature closed
captioning
Examples of CC in games
(or lack thereof)
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Burnout3
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SiN
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Unreal 2
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Psychonauts
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POP: SoT
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Star Wars: Episode 3
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Star Trek:
Elite Force 2
Grand Theft Auto:
Vice City
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Half-Life &
Half-Life 2
Doom3 &
Doom3[CC]
Burnout 3 – No CC Options
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/burnout3_nocc_setup.avi
Size: 2.10 MB
Time: 19 seconds
Burnout 3 – No CC in game
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/burnout3_nocc_game.avi
Size: 5.76 MB
Time: 29 seconds
Unreal 2 – CC Options
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/U2_cc_options.avi
Size: 2.49 MB
Time: 11 seconds
Unreal 2 – CC in cinematic
(640x480)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/U2_cc_cinematic_640x480.avi
Size: 4.92 MB
Time: 19 seconds
Unreal 2 – CC in cinematic
(800x600)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/U2_cc_cinematic_800x600.avi
Size: 4.61 MB
Time: 18 seconds
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time –
No CC Options
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/ppsot_nocc_options.avi
Size: 4.03 MB
Time: 38 seconds
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time –
No CC in game
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/ppsot_nocc_game.avi
Size: 2.48 MB
Time: 22 seconds
Star Trek: Elite Force 2
Not clear where captioning options are (Audio or game?)
Not clear what the options mean (off, normal, always?)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/EF2_cc_options.avi
Size: 5.34 MB
Time: 20 seconds
Star Trek: Elite Force 2
(CC in cinematic as normal)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/EF2_cc_normal_cinematic.avi
Size: 3.52 MB
Time: 13 seconds
Star Trek: Elite Force 2
(CC in cinematic as always)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/EF2_cc_always_cinematic.avi
Size: 4.31 MB
Time: 16 seconds
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
(CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/gtavc_cc_options.avi
Size: 1.70 MB
Time: 16 seconds
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
(CC in cinematic)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/gtavc_cc_cinematic.avi
Size: 1.23 MB
Time: 11 seconds
SiN
(CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sin_cc_options.avi
Size: 6.20 MB
Time: 25 seconds
SiN
(CC in cinematic)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sin_cc_cinematic.avi
Size: 3.46 MB
Time: 15 seconds
Psychonauts
(No CC in opening cinematic)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/psychonauts_nocc_cinematic.avi
Size: 2.38 MB
Time: 22 seconds
Psychonauts
(CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/psychonauts_cc_setup.avi
Size: 2.77 MB
Time: 26 seconds
Psychonauts
(CC in game)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/psychonauts_cc_game.avi
Size: 2.57 MB
Time: 24 seconds
Star Wars: Episode III
(CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sw_ep3_cc_options.avi
Size: 1.57 MB
Time: 13 seconds
Star Wars: Episode III
(CC in cinematic)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sw_ep3_cc_cinematic.avi
Size: 1.25 MB
Time: 10 seconds
Star Wars: Episode III
(CC in game)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sw_ep3_cc_game.avi
Size: 1.69 MB
Time: 12 seconds
Half-Life
(No CC in game)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/HL_nocc_game.avi
Size: 2.29 MB
Time: 8 seconds
Half-Life 2
(CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/HL2_cc_options.avi
Size: 2.27 MB
Time: 10 seconds
Half-Life 2
(CC in game)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/HL2_cc_game.avi
Size: 6.91 MB
Time: 26 seconds
Doom3
(No CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3_nocc_options.avi
Size: 8.34 MB
Time: 31 seconds
Doom3
(No CC in cinematic)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3_nocc_cinematic.avi
Size: 3.70 MB
Time: 14 seconds
Doom3[CC]
(CC options)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3CC_options.avi
Size: 4.13 MB
Time: 17 seconds
Doom3[CC]
(CC in cinematic)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3CC_cinematics.avi
Size: 3.72 MB
Time: 15 seconds
Doom3[CC]
(CC in game)
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3CC_game_v2.0.avi
Size: 6.7 MB
Time: 26 seconds
Dynamic Closed Captioning System
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Many components help it tick

File System

Sound Interpreter
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Priority System
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Print to Screen
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Visual Radar

CCEdit
DCC – File System
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Level loads -> find the .DCC file with the same
name
Sound Interpreter
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When a sound is played we find it in our list
of captions
Priority of Sounds and Captions
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Dialog always gets priority, and so does a
caption that's already scrolling.
If the new sound has higher priority, it gets
put in that slot.
Otherwise we do a complex calculation
involving priority AND distance from player.
Printing to Screen
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We send all the relevant data to the GUI and
it gets rendered to the screen.
 Font type, text size, scrolling or not, which
caption bar to use
Visual Radar
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Designed to give vague info on distance and
direction of a sound so not to give players and
advantage
Hopefully also emulates natural hearing
CCEdit
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Developed to help speed up the CC process
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Reduce errors in creating the .dcc files

Missing/misplace brackets, missing priority
assignments, etc
CCEdit Mockup
Future of CC in games?
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More games featuring CC I hope!
Additional customizations for users (font, size,
opacity, placement, visual radar)
Built into console hardware as a system setting

All games will use the consoles' system settings
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Play the game and CC is already on, won't spoil the autoplay cinematics
What's Next for Games[CC]?
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Games[CC] continues its effort to CC games
and educate developers about the benefits of
CC
Current projects
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Doom3: Resurrection of Evil
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Quake4
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CCEdit
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Open source software
Doom3[CC] nominated Best Doom3 Mod of the
Year for IGDA Choice Awards 2006
Thank You
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Thank you for your interest in CC for games
Please contact me for any questions, ideas,
comments, etc regarding CC for games or
Games[CC] group
E-Mail: [email protected]
Games[CC] website:
http://gamescc.rbkdesign.com