[Rip]Gamer Lacks Eyeballs, Kicks Ass Anyways - Overclock.net

CrackClocker · 07-05-08

Quote:

Kids sometimes like to gloat and say they will pwn you with their eyes closed, but this kid means it. After having his eyes surgically removed, he relearned how to do everything without the use of his vision, relying instead on echolocation. His television must have some pretty awesome surround sound then, because he is somehow able to play videogames without ever seeing the screen.

Ben Underwood was diagnosed with cancer when he was just two years old. After a few unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy, he ended up losing both of his eyes. He now uses echolocation to get around his lack of sight. Basically, he makes clicking sounds and determines the direction, distance, and size of objects around him based on the echoes he hears back. He is essentially a real-life Daredevil that sees using sonar.

Of all the things I assumed you could do with this ability, I never thought you would be able to play videogames. I mean, logistically, you NEED to be able to see the screen to know what’s going on. How could you possibly relate distance and direction from this 2D area? Is the sound work in videogames really accurate to the point that it’s possible to play without vision? This video will answer those questions:

YouTube - Blind Kid Uses Echo Location!

source

onlycodered · 07-05-08

This isn't news. This is from 2006. Awesome story though.

Manyak · 07-05-08

Wow, that kid is amazing. And they got one thing right for sure, his mother did an amazing job bringing him up.

k1t · 07-05-08

he's good, and i bet he will never trip over the bed like i do in the middle of the night

LegendaryC · 07-05-08

There are so many things that go against this being possible, I refuse to believe it. I don't care if he was born without eyes yet still knows where things are, infact, that's part of the problem. The fact that he can identify anything is also impossible. If you where to give a blind man working eyes he still wouldn't (Or should I say, couldn't, as many people have recovered from not having vision nearly there whole lives.) be able to see.

On top of that, TV screens are flat/somewhat rounded. Echo location sends a sound towards an object, and then balances back if he where to do that while playing games, all he would get is a flat surface. That is, if humans could do echo location. Which they cannot. And no matter how much being blind would help his other senses it simply wouldn't be enough to be able to do so.

He's faking it. It's just that everyone is too stupid to realize it, or figure it out. Kind of like magicians.

Stormblade · 07-05-08

he didnt use echo location to play the video games, he simply listened to the sounds made by the games. watch the video again.

coltsrock · 07-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by LegendaryC

There are so many things that go against this being possible, I refuse to believe it. I don't care if he was born without eyes yet still knows where things are, infact, that's part of the problem. The fact that he can identify anything is also impossible. If you where to give a blind man working eyes he still wouldn't (Or should I say, couldn't, as many people have recovered from not having vision nearly there whole lives.) be able to see.

On top of that, TV screens are flat/somewhat rounded. Echo location sends a sound towards an object, and then balances back if he where to do that while playing games, all he would get is a flat surface. That is, if humans could do echo location. Which they cannot. And no matter how much being blind would help his other senses it simply wouldn't be enough to be able to do so.

He's faking it. It's just that everyone is too stupid to realize it, or figure it out. Kind of like magicians.

didnt think so

LegendaryC · 07-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormblade

he didnt use echo location to play the video games, he simply listened to the sounds made by the games. watch the video again.

In other words: He button mashes?

There is something you don't know though. This kid was on Ellen sometime before the Nintendo Wii was released. And on the show he was given a Wii along with Twilight Princess. Mind explaining how he would play that?

Stormblade · 07-05-08

lol, the optometrist could probably prove it with an eye exam, aka doesn't he not have eyes because they were surgically removed?

Stormblade · 07-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by LegendaryC

In other words: He button mashes?

There is something you don't know though. This kid was on Ellen sometime before the Nintendo Wii was released. And on the show he was given a Wii along with Twilight Princess. Mind explaining how he would play that?

not sure, I'm not blind. Ask him.

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[Rip]Gamer Lacks Eyeballs, Kicks Ass Anyways

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