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Blind teen amazes with video game ability

BrokenVisage

BrokenVisage

Lifer
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LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- Brice Mellen is a whiz at video games such as "Mortal Kombat."

In that regard, the 17-year-old isn't much different from so many others his age.

Except for one thing: He's blind.

And as he easily dispatched foes who took him on recently at a Lincoln gaming center, the affable and smiling Mellen remained humble.

"I can't say that I'm a superpro," he said, working the controller like an extension of his body. "I can be beat."

Those bold enough to challenge him weren't so lucky. One by one, while playing "Soul Caliber 2," their video characters were decapitated, eviscerated and gutted without mercy by Mellen's on-screen alter ego.

"I'm getting bored," Mellen said in jest as he won game after game.

Blind since birth when his optic nerve didn't connect because of Leber's disease, Mellen honed his video game skills over the years through patient and not-so-patient playing, memorizing key joystick operations and moves in certain games, asking lots of questions and paying particular attention to audio cues. He worked his way up from games such as "Space Invaders" and "Asteroid," onto the modern combat games.

"I guess I don't know how I do it, really," Mellen said, as he continued playing while facing away from the screen. "It's beyond me."

Mellen knows this much: He started playing at home when he was about 7.

"He enjoyed trying to play, but he wasn't very good at first," said his father, Larry Mellen. "But he just kept on trying. ... He's broken a lot of controllers."

When the question of broken controllers comes up, Mellen flashes a smile and just shrugs.

"I used to have quite a temper," he said. "Me and controllers didn't get along very well."

Now they get along just fine.

While playing "Soul Caliber 2," Mellen worked his way through the introductory screens with ease, knowing exactly what to click to start the game he wanted.

He rarely asked for help. Once the game started he didn't need any help.
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Interesting, now I've seen it all.. too bad blindy can't see! 😛
 
Originally posted by: Inappropriate4AT
I call shens.
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You would be wrong sir. My local news just finished up and this was the last story. They had a small video clip of him playing.
 
How is it possible to be good at video games when you can't see where you're going and what you're shooting at? 😕
 
Originally posted by: pinkeywear
How is it possible to be good at video games when you can't see where you're going and what you're shooting at? 😕
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He doesn't play FPS's. That's how. Give him tetris - it will pwn him.
 
How can he tell where the other player is when there's no audio cues to players location? Maybe he has someone telling him where his character is relative to the other guy?
 
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Originally posted by: pinkeywear
How is it possible to be good at video games when you can't see where you're going and what you're shooting at? 😕
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He doesn't play FPS's. That's how. Give him tetris - it will pwn him.
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:laugh::laugh:
 
He can play 2D games well, but what about those 3D ones such as CS? You definitely need to see where you are aiming.
 
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