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Full History - 2018 - 08 - 19 - ID#98o394
12
The Witcher III - Audio-described gameplay (self.Blind)
submitted by VantaBirb
Hey y’all! I just posted another audio-described gaming vid—this one featuring a side-quest from The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. As always, I’d love to hear everyone’s feedback!
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flameborn 7 points 4y ago
Huge, huge thanks for this. I've been looking for described Witcher for ages.

I really like your style, something I've been meaning to tell you, ever since your very first video.
VantaBirb [OP] 4 points 4y ago
Huge thanks to you for watching! I’m super glad to hear you enjoyed it. :D

If I may ask, what is it about my style that you like? Admittedly, I have little experience in watching described video, so I didn’t really have much of an example to emulate; I just kind of went with what felt like a good balance of straight-up description and flavor. I’d love to know what I’m doing well/correctly, so I can keep that up in future videos.
flameborn 3 points 4y ago
A lot of professional describers refer to time, such as _Now, a man walks into a room_, or mention things that break the fourth wall, so to speak. For example: _Our view changes, now showing a bald man, carrying a suitcase._
This is not present in your descriptions, which allows you to stay in character, without reminding the viewer that they are actually watching a video.

You try to add as much detail as possible, which is expected, if you describe something, however, it really shows that you have an intimate knowledge of what you are actually describing, which really helps. I'm not sure what it was, but I remember you explained a concept I wasn't familiar with at the right time. This is incredibly hard to do, because you wouldn't want to make it too detailed for people already familiar with the game you are describing, yet it should be easy to pick up for someone absolutely new to it. You really managed to find the right balance so far.

I was particularly pleased when you were talking about the landscape in your Witcher 3 video. People think that the interesting thing is what your character is doing, which is true 90 per cent of the time, but the scenery is just as important, especially on horseback.

You also focus on what can be seen in the distance, rather than just staying with the character, where it is relevant. This is great, for the same reasons as above.

Just to mention one tiny negative thing, it would be nice if what you were describing and the action itself would be a bit closer to each other. In one of your Fortnite videos, you inform the viewers that a shot rings out in the distance, but the actual shot happens 3 seconds or so later. As you are doing this realtime, I understand that this is not easy to sync up, but it might be something that can interrupt the flow of the video, since you already know what is going to happen in the future. To illustrate this better, imagine a scene from a horror movie, where the describer narrates: "Suddenly, a zombie jumps through a window and lands on a woman." A few seconds later, you hear the sounds for this, e.g. zombie moans, the woman screaming, glass breaking, etc. This is not going to be as scary anymore, its effect is lost because of the narration.

Having said that, I am really impressed, and I do think that these described videos are one of a kind. Thank you!
VantaBirb [OP] 2 points 4y ago
I really appreciate that feedback! I’m gonna work on tightening up the timing of my descriptions so things are closer together, have fewer delays, etc.
flameborn 2 points 4y ago
I'm glad I could help, and you are certainly most welcome.

Improvements are always appreciated, but even if it stays this way, your videos are awesome. Keep up the amazing work!
snow671 2 points 4y ago
This is so cool, thank you for this!
-shacklebolt- 2 points 4y ago
Have you thought about doing something like a Patreon? I think a few of us here would be interested.
bradley22 2 points 4y ago
Your described videos are awesome!
VantaBirb [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Hey y’all. A lot of you have been asking about ways you can help support my YouTube channel. Patreon still might happen in the future, but for now, I’ve set up a page on Ko-fi where you can make individual donations, if you like! $1
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