Contact:
Paul G.
Silva,
Cofounder
and President
ZForm LLC
psilva@ZForm.com
(413)-587-2163
Revolutionary
Accessible Online Game Now In Beta
ZForm launches beta version of its revolutionary online game that allows
blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted to play and interact as equals
Amherst, MA - March 26, 2002 – ZForm LLC, a company
creating online games that allow the visually impaired and their sighted
friends to play together as equals, recently launched the beta version of its
first game, ZForm Poker.
ZForm Poker, our first game, is a multiplayer, online
version of five-card draw poker that you can play on your PC. It uses sound cues and intuitive keyboard
commands for game play, making it easy to learn, fun to play, and accessible to
blind and visually impaired players. The game also includes a slick graphical
interface that is accessible for those with low vision and attractive to sighted
friends and family.
“We were pleasantly surprised at how many people signed up
so quickly to play the Beta,” said Paul Silva, ZForm cofounder and
President. By the end of the first week
of beta testing, over 150 people were playing ZForm Poker online and
participating in the game’s community.
“After months of developing the game, and years laying the foundations
of the company, it is exhilarating to see the tremendous positive response from
the players,” said Silva.
About ZForm Poker
ZForm Poker will be completed and available for purchase in
April 2002.
Those interested in learning more about the beta can do so
at http://ZForm.com/beta/.
About ZForm
ZForm is a young company with an innovative mission, to
create online games that enable the visually impaired and their sighted friends
to play and interact together as equals. Their games help break down the
barriers between the visually impaired and the fully sighted by providing an
environment where visual impairment is invisible and the playing field is
level.
# # #
Quotes from people playing ZForm Poker:
- "I've
been waiting for something like ZForm Poker for a long time. It will
provide lots of entertainment and be a pleasant way to play with peers both
sighted and blind."
- "One
thing I can say about ZForm poker is that it is one of the very few
accessible games that I can keep playing over and over."
- “If
you like poker and want to PLAY poker rather than spend a long time
learning a new computer interface this is your game. Intuitive controls
and an easy to interpret screen means you'll be playing poker in a few
minutes just as if your buddy dealt the cards."
- “Out
of curiosity, last night as I was playing, I tried to figure out who had
some sight by the way they were playing and was not able to.”
- “From
a partially sighted point of view, the graphics are very cool as
well. I still use the self-speech
and the keyboard but I like having something there for my eyes to do at
the same time.”
- “When
I was a Young Hippy I use to go to a friends home on Friday evenings and
we'd drink beer and play Poker. I remember loosing lots of money but what
fun we had. All my friends were sighted except me so we'd use a Braille
deck of cards. This way of playing brings back so many wonderful memories
for me. I'm pushing 50 here now <grin>”
- “I can
confirm that this game does appeal to sighted people as well; [my son]
really liked the game. Well that is ... until I started trying!!!”
- “ZForm
poker is unique in the realm of games for the blind, since it’s the first
game to try to accommodate the needs of blind and sighted players alike.”
- “The
ZForm Poker game is an excellent step foreword in showing that products
for the Internet can be made accessible for everyone. Instead of making a product that is only
for the majority of the market, ZForm is trying to make an Internet game
that is playable by anyone. This
will introduce a complete new level of social interaction between individuals
who have a disability and those who do not. I hope this is one of many that they
will produce in the future.”
- “If it
is a complement, I've been asked if I was sighted a couple times. I'm not.
I just know what I want to do with my hand before it's my turn and am
ready to do it when it comes my way.”
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