Damn that must've been hard, kinda makes me wanna try it........Eye's closed by memory.
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CAMDEN, SC (WIS) - A Camden man recently completed a nearly two year mission to help a friend he had never met play the games he loves. The catch? His friend is blind.
Roy Williams will be the first to admit that playing a video game blindfolded seems "ultra nerdy."
Yes, it is unique, but he's the only guy in Camden with that level of dedication.
"When I was little I'd play this game for hours on end," said Williams, controller in-hand.
Over the years, he's become friends with other gamers from around North America. All of them fanatic about The Legend of Zelda -- a fantasy adventure game.
On YouTube, you'll find tons of fan videos. In some, players try to "speed run," or beat the game as fast as they can. But it was another feat that stood out to Roy and his friends.
"It was basically a call for help to people online," said Williams.
It was a video by Jordan Verner of Ontario, Canada. He was playing small parts of the game blind.
Through Skype, Jordan said he asked for help in completing the entire game -- help that he didn't seriously expect.
"I thought that's far from reality," said Jordan. "That's more fantasy than the game itself."
"When I was younger, a doctor told me I would go blind, which turned out not to be so, but it scared me and I was like I want to be able to get through his disability," said Williams.
So Williams and thee other diehard gamers each took different parts and copied down every single move.
"Every time we make a move, we roll, jump, do anything, we type down on the computer exactly what we're doing," said Williams.
Verner would then take the script and have his computer read it to him as he played.
An average gamer will take about a week to play through the entire thing, but this project took almost 2 years and more than 100,000 keystrokes. Finally, Jordan beat the entire thing.
"I felt great," said Jordan. "I felt strong. I felt like the sky's the limit."
"I'm glad everyone can see and learn from this that just because a person has a disability doesn't mean they can't do a normal thing, like play a video game," said Williams.
"Our school's motto -- and I live by it -- is the impossible is only the untried," said Jordan.
Roy Williams will be the first to admit that playing a video game blindfolded seems "ultra nerdy."
Yes, it is unique, but he's the only guy in Camden with that level of dedication.
"When I was little I'd play this game for hours on end," said Williams, controller in-hand.
Over the years, he's become friends with other gamers from around North America. All of them fanatic about The Legend of Zelda -- a fantasy adventure game.
On YouTube, you'll find tons of fan videos. In some, players try to "speed run," or beat the game as fast as they can. But it was another feat that stood out to Roy and his friends.
"It was basically a call for help to people online," said Williams.
It was a video by Jordan Verner of Ontario, Canada. He was playing small parts of the game blind.
Through Skype, Jordan said he asked for help in completing the entire game -- help that he didn't seriously expect.
"I thought that's far from reality," said Jordan. "That's more fantasy than the game itself."
"When I was younger, a doctor told me I would go blind, which turned out not to be so, but it scared me and I was like I want to be able to get through his disability," said Williams.
So Williams and thee other diehard gamers each took different parts and copied down every single move.
"Every time we make a move, we roll, jump, do anything, we type down on the computer exactly what we're doing," said Williams.
Verner would then take the script and have his computer read it to him as he played.
An average gamer will take about a week to play through the entire thing, but this project took almost 2 years and more than 100,000 keystrokes. Finally, Jordan beat the entire thing.
"I felt great," said Jordan. "I felt strong. I felt like the sky's the limit."
"I'm glad everyone can see and learn from this that just because a person has a disability doesn't mean they can't do a normal thing, like play a video game," said Williams.
"Our school's motto -- and I live by it -- is the impossible is only the untried," said Jordan.
