Stem Pumper: an iOS game for the blind
Remember Papa Sangre? Stem Pumper is another audio based iOS game, but instead of playing with holophonic audio it instead focuses on making a game that can be played by the blind. I gave the game a try, and basically it’s all about guiding a plant to hidden fertilizer (through increasingly difficult obstacles) by moving your finger across a field of tiles, with audio indicating if anything is hidden underneath the tile (fertilizer, bombs, power ups). The concept is sound and can indeed be played by the blind, both due to the game itself and Voiceover integration (Apple’s built-in screen reader software). The iPhone and iPad has been praised on many occasions by the blind as being the best smartphone out there for blind people, due to the built in accessibility features. Having games that target these users is great, and shows how huge the app selection on iOS is becoming. The app is $1.99, and there’s also a Lite version if you want to try before you buy (both are iPhone apps, which will run in 4x mode on the iPad).
