This is a narrative video experience (not a game) with a companion workshop available from https://www.talkingmimes.com/#AppAndWorkshops
Talking Mimes is a touching, funny, infuriating, harrowing and ultimately hopeful experience. A virtual reality narrative drawn from true stories of people with profound physical disabilities. An emotional education piece developed for everyone - whether you're a caregiver, teacher, support worker, health professional, family member, friend, lover, hater, or total stranger to disability.
Almost all of us will have an access need at some point in our lives, and we will be at the mercy of others. Talking Mimes aims to better inform our behaviour towards those of us that have these needs now. To start a practical conversation around safety and respect. To actively reject the soft bigotry of low expectations. To peel back the layers of alienation and teach us how to be less accidentally condescending arseholes, and more on purpose good humans.
Closed Captions and Audio Description available in English.
Impactful and Important. Talking Mimes is one of the most impactful pieces of virtual reality that I have seen in a while. It tackles one of the most difficult subjects when it comes to disability and healthcare. The experiences of people who do not communicate conventionally as they navigate daily boredom and truly life-threatening situations. The power of this interactive experience comes from your ability to become connected with this person’s frustrations and fatigue. Everything from the well meaning but slightly clueless caregiver to the indignity of junior doctors not understanding the impact of basic communication.
What could be a truly heart-breaking scenario is given a thread of hope by the idea that communication is possible given the right set of circumstances. This is ably demonstrated in the ongoing metaphor of the mime, starting with his appearance on television and then the point of view character being put into a mime outfit at the end. We are given a unique sense of both the restriction and possibility for communication in all its forms across multiple interaction plans, from children to long-term caregivers.
The technical care that was put into every detail into Talking Mimes is excellent. I hope that the developers have the opportunity to take this concept further. Either as the complete product that it is or expanding it into further scenarios. It would be awesome to see this become part of a wider education setting for either kids or healthcare professionals. Thank you for the opportunity to have such talk-provoking connections.
Great experience and resource! This is a clear critique of the medical model of disability, as the central character’s real problem is the treatment they receive from others, not their disability. From small frustrations of agency, to life threatening gaps in carer education, this experience packs a lot of important information and emotion into the short narrative. After experiencing Talking Mimes my first thoughts were around its usefulness in educating everyone working with disabled people, but it is also a film that should just be experienced by everyone as it does such a good job of raising awareness of a spectrum of human experience that is not often represented. The VR aspect of the work increasing its impact significantly. Long story short this is a powerful piece of art and a powerful tool for creating/enhancing empathy, and consciousness raising.
Thank You. This experience combined with the workshop has changed my perspective and given me deeper insight into the treatment and experiences of disability I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Knowing it was based on real experiences made it tough in places, but I still enjoyed it and I’m grateful for the broadening of my understanding.
Waste of time. The thumbnail/poster for it looks amateur and lazy. Terrible acting. It's just a video. It could have been on YouTube, but no. You have to go through this whole process to be disappointed.
Eye Opening. This small glimpse into another person’s day to day experience has opened my eyes to how little I know of the challenges faced by people with disabilities, and how important education is around accessibility, fair treatment, and assumptions people (including myself) make about disability. The VR video is so beautifully put together, incredibly confronting, and I am thankful to have experienced it.
Quest
Rift
14人
