Moss VR's Charming Lead Mouse Can Communicate With Sign Language
This endearing addition enhances the VR experience for deaf players.
Sony’s Moss was one of the most pleasant surprises at the most recent E3. The game was shown off during a VR montage that truly didn’t do the game’s charm justice, but it did introduce us to the game’s main character: Quill. Quill is a mouse that you guide in the world of Moss but she doesn’t speak. In the demo, she’d direct your attention with a few squeaks, some pointing, and even some huffs of frustration if you’re slow to get her moving. Now, designers for the game have given the exceptionally charming mouse the ability to communicate via sign language.
Polyarc Games is the dev team creating Moss and their animation director Richard Lico shared a tweet saying “Since she can only squeak, I figured I'd play around with ways she can communicate with the player” and this clip was attached:
Working with Quill in VR was already a really heartwarming experience and this new potential for communication is not only incredibly endearing, Lico also says it can be a “great perk for our deaf players.” The video has her introducing herself and, further into the conversation on twitter, Lico shares that she’s capable of simple gestures for puzzle hints, reactions, and emotional responses.
There are already a lot of people responding to Lico about the potential of sign language in the game. There are a few deaf people that were able to easily understand Quill’s ASL (American Sign Language) but Lico seems to be taking on the feedback as this is a learning process for him as well.
If you got your hands on a demo of Moss, you likely came away thinking Quill would be a wonderful mascot for PS VR. Virtual reality needs a bit of a kick in the pants to get more casual gamers interested and, despite this being Polyarc Games’ first game, it seems the team is on the right path.
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replyCharles Singletary posted a new article, Moss VR's Charming Lead Mouse Can Communicate With Sign Language
