From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

We could have done so just to black screen, but I think it would be more enjoyable for those who even do have a limited amount of vision to perhaps see. And the cutscenes are audio described, but even the cut scenes have glows around the characters as well to just kind of make out what they are. But it is just a nice touch to say like, hey, you know, it's not just a black screen. There is stuff there. If you can see it. It was just a bit more catering to be a little bit more light hearted.

We could have done so just to black screen, but I think it would be more enjoyable for those who even do have a limited amount of vision to perhaps see. And the cutscenes are audio described, but even the cut scenes have glows around the characters as well to just kind of make out what they are. But it is just a nice touch to say like, hey, you know, it's not just a black screen. There is stuff there. If you can see it. It was just a bit more catering to be a little bit more light hearted.

And yeah, welcome to the program. It's me again, Sam. I'm back from the band. Flew all better except for the Voice. So you're going to have to bear with me for a week or so. Now we've got a pretty exciting show for you in store this week. There's an interview I've been meaning to play for quite a while with Dominic Parker, who is one of the creators of Honeycomb Festival, a game designed for players who are blind or have low vision, which is available to download on PC. Whilst I have a pretty illuminating chat about accessibility in gaming more broadly and that conversation is coming up right around the corner, so stay tuned. And then later on, after my chat with Dominic, I catch up with Leanne from the library who tells us all about some big events on the calendar at the Vision Australia Library coming up over the next couple of months, as well as some new additions to the catalog that people can look forward to. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Honeycomb Festival is an accessible game available on PC aimed at players who are blind or have low vision. And today it's my great pleasure to be joined by one of the creators of Honeycomb Festival, Dominic Parker. Dominic, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time today.

And yeah, welcome to the program. It's me again, Sam. I'm back from the band. Flew all better except for the Voice. So you're going to have to bear with me for a week or so. Now we've got a pretty exciting show for you in store this week. There's an interview I've been meaning to play for quite a while with Dominic Parker, who is one of the creators of Honeycomb Festival, a game designed for players who are blind or have low vision, which is available to download on PC. Whilst I have a pretty illuminating chat about accessibility in gaming more broadly and that conversation is coming up right around the corner, so stay tuned. And then later on, after my chat with Dominic, I catch up with Leanne from the library who tells us all about some big events on the calendar at the Vision Australia Library coming up over the next couple of months, as well as some new additions to the catalog that people can look forward to. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Honeycomb Festival is an accessible game available on PC aimed at players who are blind or have low vision. And today it's my great pleasure to be joined by one of the creators of Honeycomb Festival, Dominic Parker. Dominic, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time today.

Let's thank you for having me. Sam. It's a honor and privilege.

Let's thank you for having me. Sam. It's a honor and privilege.

Let's go into Honeycomb Festival itself. Could you tell us a bit about the game?

Let's go into Honeycomb Festival itself. Could you tell us a bit about the game?

Yes. So Honeycomb, first of all, was produced for the games to blind gamers to Game Jam, which is such a mouthful to say it was a jam on HBO that ran for the month of April and myself and a team of developers were tasked with the slightly daunting task of making a game for the blind and vision impaired. We kind of stuck with a simple game. So the premise of the game is very simple. You're a fairy. You have to collect honey. That's the game in a nutshell. The only tricky thing is obviously the fair is blind and if you are blind, you can't really see exactly where everything is. So you have to rely on audio and certain mechanics to get through and find everything. The game itself, as I said, it was produced in a month, so we had the prototype up and working right now and that was just for all we did in the month.

Yes. So Honeycomb, first of all, was produced for the games to blind gamers to Game Jam, which is such a mouthful to say it was a jam on HBO that ran for the month of April and myself and a team of developers were tasked with the slightly daunting task of making a game for the blind and vision impaired. We kind of stuck with a simple game. So the premise of the game is very simple. You're a fairy. You have to collect honey. That's the game in a nutshell. The only tricky thing is obviously the fair is blind and if you are blind, you can't really see exactly where everything is. So you have to rely on audio and certain mechanics to get through and find everything. The game itself, as I said, it was produced in a month, so we had the prototype up and working right now and that was just for all we did in the month.

And what was your role in the creation of Honeycomb Festival? There's a whole team of you there and a lot of credits do go out to a lot of people, but what was your main sort of contribution?

And what was your role in the creation of Honeycomb Festival? There's a whole team of you there and a lot of credits do go out to a lot of people, but what was your main sort of contribution?

So my main role was to basically be half project lead, half composer, half to sound designer, half audio programmer. I That's a lot of.

So my main role was to basically be half project lead, half composer, half to sound designer, half audio programmer. I That's a lot of.

POVs.

POVs.

Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of jobs. I didn't go to school for maths, but I took care of all the audio, which in hindsight I should have gotten someone else to help me because you know, we had two designers, two programmers, two artists. So in hindsight it would've been better if I had another audio person with me. But yeah, I did all the audio for the game, so everything was composed by me. All the sounds were created by me as well, and all the voice dialogues were edited and mixed by me.

Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of jobs. I didn't go to school for maths, but I took care of all the audio, which in hindsight I should have gotten someone else to help me because you know, we had two designers, two programmers, two artists. So in hindsight it would've been better if I had another audio person with me. But yeah, I did all the audio for the game, so everything was composed by me. All the sounds were created by me as well, and all the voice dialogues were edited and mixed by me.

Let's talk a bit more about that audio. You've included quite a few audio features such as binaural audio and 3D specialisation, but you know, people out there might be thinking, What the hell is binaural audio? What is 3D specialisation? Could you go into a bit of detail?

Let's talk a bit more about that audio. You've included quite a few audio features such as binaural audio and 3D specialisation, but you know, people out there might be thinking, What the hell is binaural audio? What is 3D specialisation? Could you go into a bit of detail?

Yeah, for sure. So binaural audio is stereo audio that is recorded through a dual microphone setup and the goal of it is to create a 3D audio effect that simulates sound as if it was being heard live. So it's the way humans hear. So binaural literally means having two ears. So binaural audio it simulates how we would hear things. So in terms of distance, direction is in front of us, is it behind us? So I used a plug in as a sound designer. I used middleware, so I used a middleware called Old Studio, which basically holds all my audio and talks to the gaming engine. In this case, it was unity and it meant I had a little bit more control over what I was able to make and how I wanted things to work. So we used the Google Resonance audio plugin in Mod Studio. And what that meant was we were able to apply a more realistic and more spatial audio design for the game.

Yeah, for sure. So binaural audio is stereo audio that is recorded through a dual microphone setup and the goal of it is to create a 3D audio effect that simulates sound as if it was being heard live. So it's the way humans hear. So binaural literally means having two ears. So binaural audio it simulates how we would hear things. So in terms of distance, direction is in front of us, is it behind us? So I used a plug in as a sound designer. I used middleware, so I used a middleware called Old Studio, which basically holds all my audio and talks to the gaming engine. In this case, it was unity and it meant I had a little bit more control over what I was able to make and how I wanted things to work. So we used the Google Resonance audio plugin in Mod Studio. And what that meant was we were able to apply a more realistic and more spatial audio design for the game.

What about the 3D specialisation?

What about the 3D specialisation?

So that that comes into play with the binaural audio side effects? Okay. So they kind of work together. So our case we would use the spread. So within the plugin you have a spread dial which kind of gives the approximate width of the given source. So the higher values correspond to wider, less pointed sources. So if you're standing, let's say you're standing where you are and about, you know, like five meters ahead of you, there's a piece of honeycomb if you start walking towards it, but you turn left, you'll be able to hear the sound off axis slightly.

So that that comes into play with the binaural audio side effects? Okay. So they kind of work together. So our case we would use the spread. So within the plugin you have a spread dial which kind of gives the approximate width of the given source. So the higher values correspond to wider, less pointed sources. So if you're standing, let's say you're standing where you are and about, you know, like five meters ahead of you, there's a piece of honeycomb if you start walking towards it, but you turn left, you'll be able to hear the sound off axis slightly.

All right. Okay. And that's not only the two features of the game. There's quite a few others that have gone into the accessibility side of things, such as the availability of a high contrast colour scheme. But what other sort of features of Honeycomb Festival did the team really work on and, you know, make the game as accessible as possible?

All right. Okay. And that's not only the two features of the game. There's quite a few others that have gone into the accessibility side of things, such as the availability of a high contrast colour scheme. But what other sort of features of Honeycomb Festival did the team really work on and, you know, make the game as accessible as possible?

The first thing we wanted to do was kind of combined accessibility with enjoyment. I know a lot of people who are blind or vision impaired use Jaws or screen readers. We didn't really want to make a game that relies on screen readers. We'd rather have something a bit more personal. So we actually got in my friend and voice actor Abigail Schreiber to voice everything. So everything is a human voice rather than a the robotic voice of Jaws or other screen readers, just to make it a bit more personal and engaging. And she recorded all the lines and then I mix them all. And even those lines as well are binary or so on Teddy, your little bright green bear, which kind of acts as a guide dog through. At the game. All of his audio is binaural, so you'll be able to hear where he is by flying around so you can be able to tell if he's behind you, If he's off to the left of up to the right, you can actually press spacebar and call him to find Honeycomb and he will go off and find it and start waving his arms and saying, Hey, there's some over here and you can follow his voice to collect it.

The first thing we wanted to do was kind of combined accessibility with enjoyment. I know a lot of people who are blind or vision impaired use Jaws or screen readers. We didn't really want to make a game that relies on screen readers. We'd rather have something a bit more personal. So we actually got in my friend and voice actor Abigail Schreiber to voice everything. So everything is a human voice rather than a the robotic voice of Jaws or other screen readers, just to make it a bit more personal and engaging. And she recorded all the lines and then I mix them all. And even those lines as well are binary or so on Teddy, your little bright green bear, which kind of acts as a guide dog through. At the game. All of his audio is binaural, so you'll be able to hear where he is by flying around so you can be able to tell if he's behind you, If he's off to the left of up to the right, you can actually press spacebar and call him to find Honeycomb and he will go off and find it and start waving his arms and saying, Hey, there's some over here and you can follow his voice to collect it.

What's the name of the ferry again? The name escapes me. Just Oh.

What's the name of the ferry again? The name escapes me. Just Oh.

Her name is Lynette.

Her name is Lynette.

Yes. So when I was playing the game, I noticed. So Lynette had a cane and you could swipe the cane to find your way around the map. I thought that was a nice little added touch there. That was really cool.

Yes. So when I was playing the game, I noticed. So Lynette had a cane and you could swipe the cane to find your way around the map. I thought that was a nice little added touch there. That was really cool.

That was kind of a big debate. Is I. Do we keep the cane or do we not? I think in future development, not a lot of people really used the cane. Was the feedback we got from other blind streamers and other jammers. So we're probably going to ditch the cane or replace it with something else. But the cane was just a feature we had to kind of accommodate and kind of hone in like, Hey, this is for the blind community.

That was kind of a big debate. Is I. Do we keep the cane or do we not? I think in future development, not a lot of people really used the cane. Was the feedback we got from other blind streamers and other jammers. So we're probably going to ditch the cane or replace it with something else. But the cane was just a feature we had to kind of accommodate and kind of hone in like, Hey, this is for the blind community.

Would there be a way for the cane to possibly have some collision detection or something like that? Plan Yeah, that was a plan.

Would there be a way for the cane to possibly have some collision detection or something like that? Plan Yeah, that was a plan.

So we did have a collider on the cane to detect things, but it broke. Oh, no, I didn't have time. So this is the fun thing about game jams is everything breaks in the last three hours of jam and you're scrambling to fix as many things as you can.

So we did have a collider on the cane to detect things, but it broke. Oh, no, I didn't have time. So this is the fun thing about game jams is everything breaks in the last three hours of jam and you're scrambling to fix as many things as you can.

Oh, yeah. That's always the why, isn't it? Oh, God. Well, it was quite a fun prototype and there's absolutely a lot of game there, a lot of potential features. So what are your plans to further develop the game on that point? To perhaps include filters, to simulate blindness? I think there's something about adding the Perkins Braille display and, you know, a lot more things like that. So what sort of exciting things are in the pipeline for Honeycomb Festival?

Oh, yeah. That's always the why, isn't it? Oh, God. Well, it was quite a fun prototype and there's absolutely a lot of game there, a lot of potential features. So what are your plans to further develop the game on that point? To perhaps include filters, to simulate blindness? I think there's something about adding the Perkins Braille display and, you know, a lot more things like that. So what sort of exciting things are in the pipeline for Honeycomb Festival?

So we actually just got the filters working.

So we actually just got the filters working.

All right, awesome.

All right, awesome.

The next update, we're going to have filters so that someone who is fully sighted like myself, can tap through and say, okay, well, what if I try playing this game with glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy or, you know, like blindness or Perkins blindness? So we have those filters in place now for sighted people to play and try to simulate what it's like playing as a blind person. That will be in the next update for further development. Right now, there's only one type of enemy, which is a, B. We're going to be adding, you know, something a bit more sinister, like a snake, which is a lot more quiet. And we're going to be adding areas where, you know, you have to go into a cave and there could be a snake in that cave, but it's going to be quite hard to hear them because snakes are really quiet. We do have plans to expand the world and have other things for Lynette to collect. We were talking about maybe turning it into something like a delivery service game, you know, like a festival. They're like, Hey, you're really good at collecting Honeycomb. Did you want to start a business of it? So yeah, there's potential talk for that. And then, you know, it becomes more of like an open world collection sort of game. Oh, well, be really cool. Yeah. So that would mean more levels. Like I said, the next thing we'd like to do is get a cave going and have, you know, different types of enemies, and a cave would be a lot of reverberation as well. So we can change the soundscape of that or everything echo a bit more as if you were in a cave. There was talk of a point system or upgrade system, so maybe you could upgrade Linnets Kane or you could upgrade Teddy or something like that to kind of make things a bit easier as well.

The next update, we're going to have filters so that someone who is fully sighted like myself, can tap through and say, okay, well, what if I try playing this game with glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy or, you know, like blindness or Perkins blindness? So we have those filters in place now for sighted people to play and try to simulate what it's like playing as a blind person. That will be in the next update for further development. Right now, there's only one type of enemy, which is a, B. We're going to be adding, you know, something a bit more sinister, like a snake, which is a lot more quiet. And we're going to be adding areas where, you know, you have to go into a cave and there could be a snake in that cave, but it's going to be quite hard to hear them because snakes are really quiet. We do have plans to expand the world and have other things for Lynette to collect. We were talking about maybe turning it into something like a delivery service game, you know, like a festival. They're like, Hey, you're really good at collecting Honeycomb. Did you want to start a business of it? So yeah, there's potential talk for that. And then, you know, it becomes more of like an open world collection sort of game. Oh, well, be really cool. Yeah. So that would mean more levels. Like I said, the next thing we'd like to do is get a cave going and have, you know, different types of enemies, and a cave would be a lot of reverberation as well. So we can change the soundscape of that or everything echo a bit more as if you were in a cave. There was talk of a point system or upgrade system, so maybe you could upgrade Linnets Kane or you could upgrade Teddy or something like that to kind of make things a bit easier as well.

Yeah, no, there's lots of possibilities there. It's very exciting to see how that all pans out because it was a great prototype, very fun, sort of ten, 15 minutes of gameplay there. So lots to look forward to. Now, if people are getting excited and they are looking forward to having a go at playing Honeycomb Festival, what's the best way for them to play it?

Yeah, no, there's lots of possibilities there. It's very exciting to see how that all pans out because it was a great prototype, very fun, sort of ten, 15 minutes of gameplay there. So lots to look forward to. Now, if people are getting excited and they are looking forward to having a go at playing Honeycomb Festival, what's the best way for them to play it?

Yeah, so the game is free. The prototype is free at the moment, so you can play the prototype on Itch.io, which is a website where people do game jams and people upload games and people to try and sell. So all you have to really do is just type in Itch.io slash Honeycomb Festival and you can play a WebGL version of the game where it can run through the browser. But in all the devs personal opinions, the audio runs better if you download the game via Windows or Mac.

Yeah, so the game is free. The prototype is free at the moment, so you can play the prototype on Itch.io, which is a website where people do game jams and people upload games and people to try and sell. So all you have to really do is just type in Itch.io slash Honeycomb Festival and you can play a WebGL version of the game where it can run through the browser. But in all the devs personal opinions, the audio runs better if you download the game via Windows or Mac.

I can attest to that. I did download the game and the audio does run better, so that's definitely the way to go. Now. Are there plans to perhaps bring Honeycomb Festival to phone or tablet in the future when it is further down the line and there is more game for people to sink their teeth into?

I can attest to that. I did download the game and the audio does run better, so that's definitely the way to go. Now. Are there plans to perhaps bring Honeycomb Festival to phone or tablet in the future when it is further down the line and there is more game for people to sink their teeth into?

So at the moment we're aiming for a steam release. Yeah, in terms of mobile games, we'd have to change a couple of things in the API eventually. We would like to have it for mobile, Android, iPhone tablets sort of thing. We'd have to rewire a couple of the controls which we're currently doing as well to see if we can get the Perkins Brailler working as well as a controller. So I think the mobile development is like the last thing on our list at the moment, but.

So at the moment we're aiming for a steam release. Yeah, in terms of mobile games, we'd have to change a couple of things in the API eventually. We would like to have it for mobile, Android, iPhone tablets sort of thing. We'd have to rewire a couple of the controls which we're currently doing as well to see if we can get the Perkins Brailler working as well as a controller. So I think the mobile development is like the last thing on our list at the moment, but.

Potentially fair enough, because you know, there are lots of different bits and. Places, a lot of bridges to cross. And it is the classic wisdom keyboard format. A lot of people, a lot of gamers out there will be quite familiar with that. So I think that's quite a familiar home setting for a lot of people. So I think that's a fantastic sort of starting point. And yeah, it's a bit hard to translate that over to swiping around on your phone screen and people have different sized phones and there's all these different logistics, so I can understand PC sort of priority at the moment.

Potentially fair enough, because you know, there are lots of different bits and. Places, a lot of bridges to cross. And it is the classic wisdom keyboard format. A lot of people, a lot of gamers out there will be quite familiar with that. So I think that's quite a familiar home setting for a lot of people. So I think that's a fantastic sort of starting point. And yeah, it's a bit hard to translate that over to swiping around on your phone screen and people have different sized phones and there's all these different logistics, so I can understand PC sort of priority at the moment.

The story we actually started with them. We started developing it as the Perkins Brailler was the main controller, but we ran into the issue of Jaws. So we're trying to figure out a way how to mute Jaws automatically and then just run through because it would just say, you know, graph grab a a every time you press down, you know, as Jaws does the Brailler.

The story we actually started with them. We started developing it as the Perkins Brailler was the main controller, but we ran into the issue of Jaws. So we're trying to figure out a way how to mute Jaws automatically and then just run through because it would just say, you know, graph grab a a every time you press down, you know, as Jaws does the Brailler.

Yes.

Yes.

It was doing our heads in. So we decided to ditch that and add it in further development if that's where we can make that a controller without Jaws saying everything you know, because you don't really need your you don't need Jaws at all for this game. We just need the controller. So we're currently figuring that out as well.

It was doing our heads in. So we decided to ditch that and add it in further development if that's where we can make that a controller without Jaws saying everything you know, because you don't really need your you don't need Jaws at all for this game. We just need the controller. So we're currently figuring that out as well.

Yeah, that's right, because the audio feedback, if you do go the wrong way or you bump into something that just says, you know, not that way. No, go back, try another way. So it's really interactive, but it's kind of tricky for me to give feedback because I'm not a blind player. I'm someone who has a fair chunk of usable vision, though I am comfortably in the low vision bracket. So I've got legally blind in my left eye, but quite a bit of usable vision in my right. But I absolutely loved the Bright colors. That was a fantastic feature and I think a lot of people have noticed growing up. I preferred shows and games and things with brighter colors than the ultra realistic Dark Souls palette of game where it's all very dark and there's not a lot of difference going on. And compare that to something like, I don't know, Mario Odyssey. It's like, Oh, reds and greens and blues and all that stuff going on. And yeah, so that's really another kind of added element of accessibility, making the game really bright and colorful to help with that is it?

Yeah, that's right, because the audio feedback, if you do go the wrong way or you bump into something that just says, you know, not that way. No, go back, try another way. So it's really interactive, but it's kind of tricky for me to give feedback because I'm not a blind player. I'm someone who has a fair chunk of usable vision, though I am comfortably in the low vision bracket. So I've got legally blind in my left eye, but quite a bit of usable vision in my right. But I absolutely loved the Bright colors. That was a fantastic feature and I think a lot of people have noticed growing up. I preferred shows and games and things with brighter colors than the ultra realistic Dark Souls palette of game where it's all very dark and there's not a lot of difference going on. And compare that to something like, I don't know, Mario Odyssey. It's like, Oh, reds and greens and blues and all that stuff going on. And yeah, so that's really another kind of added element of accessibility, making the game really bright and colorful to help with that is it?

It really wants. There are a lot of amazing accessible games out there which are just black screens and that's by all means fine. However, this is also my personal space. I don't like making games that are super serious. Yeah, I mean, the majority of the games I make are fun, wacky, lighthearted. I don't like super serious games. So this one, I guess is more of a it's more childlike and more friendly. You know, the bright colors also simulate that as well as you know, we could have done with just a black screen, but I think it would be more enjoyable for those who even do have a limited amount of vision to perhaps, you know, see, you can see Lynette, you can see Teddy. There's also glowing outlines around Teddy as well. So for those with low vision can see him. Same with the wasps and the bees. They're all red. Even the cutscenes for those and the cutscenes are audio described. But even the cutscenes have glows around the characters as well to just kind of make out what they are. They're not overly detailed as they don't really need to be. As for someone who doesn't have the best vision, but it is just a nice touch to say like, Hey, you know, it's not just a black screen. There is stuff there, if you can see it. It was just a bit more catering to be a little bit more light hearted and yeah.

It really wants. There are a lot of amazing accessible games out there which are just black screens and that's by all means fine. However, this is also my personal space. I don't like making games that are super serious. Yeah, I mean, the majority of the games I make are fun, wacky, lighthearted. I don't like super serious games. So this one, I guess is more of a it's more childlike and more friendly. You know, the bright colors also simulate that as well as you know, we could have done with just a black screen, but I think it would be more enjoyable for those who even do have a limited amount of vision to perhaps, you know, see, you can see Lynette, you can see Teddy. There's also glowing outlines around Teddy as well. So for those with low vision can see him. Same with the wasps and the bees. They're all red. Even the cutscenes for those and the cutscenes are audio described. But even the cutscenes have glows around the characters as well to just kind of make out what they are. They're not overly detailed as they don't really need to be. As for someone who doesn't have the best vision, but it is just a nice touch to say like, Hey, you know, it's not just a black screen. There is stuff there, if you can see it. It was just a bit more catering to be a little bit more light hearted and yeah.

And that does work really well that the honeycombs a yellow and the bees are red. So you're like, Oh, there's a red thing over there, better not go that way.

And that does work really well that the honeycombs a yellow and the bees are red. So you're like, Oh, there's a red thing over there, better not go that way.

We actually took that from Have you ever played The Last of Us?

We actually took that from Have you ever played The Last of Us?

A little bit, yeah.

A little bit, yeah.

Yeah. So the last of us has a really the first last of us has a great accessibility to philosophers too is amazing in their accessible features. The first the last of us had a Hogwarts legacy does too is they have filters. So all the enemies are red. You know, your blue allies are green. So we were kind of doing something similar to, you know, we're like, Hey, when you see red best Danger. So that's the idea behind that. And I think a lot of games do have that now like or games have that. Like I said, Last of Us, Hogwarts Legacy, Uncharted, they've all got those features where you can block out your enemies and your allies and such with those giant colors.

Yeah. So the last of us has a really the first last of us has a great accessibility to philosophers too is amazing in their accessible features. The first the last of us had a Hogwarts legacy does too is they have filters. So all the enemies are red. You know, your blue allies are green. So we were kind of doing something similar to, you know, we're like, Hey, when you see red best Danger. So that's the idea behind that. And I think a lot of games do have that now like or games have that. Like I said, Last of Us, Hogwarts Legacy, Uncharted, they've all got those features where you can block out your enemies and your allies and such with those giant colors.

Okay, we.

Okay, we.

Could talk about this forever because there's so much yeah, so much to unpack. And I'll talk.

Could talk about this forever because there's so much yeah, so much to unpack. And I'll talk.

About games forever.

About games forever.

Absolutely. Oh, we could, um. We could have our own, I guess. Games. Yeah. Yeah. Game podcast. So watch this space. Yeah. I've been speaking today with Dominique Parker, one of the creators of Honeycomb Festival, which is now available online to download for PC. Dominique, thank you so much for your time today. It was great to catch up to have a chat all about Honeycomb. First of all.

Absolutely. Oh, we could, um. We could have our own, I guess. Games. Yeah. Yeah. Game podcast. So watch this space. Yeah. I've been speaking today with Dominique Parker, one of the creators of Honeycomb Festival, which is now available online to download for PC. Dominique, thank you so much for your time today. It was great to catch up to have a chat all about Honeycomb. First of all.

Thank you so much for having me. Sam. Like I said, it's an honor and a privilege and I will never stop talking about games.

Thank you so much for having me. Sam. Like I said, it's an honor and a privilege and I will never stop talking about games.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio associated stations of RPI and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Dominic Parker about the accessible Game Honeycomb Festival. We might have to have a chat with Dominic if the game does end up on the same marketplace or there's some new exciting updates to let you all know about, so watch this space for sure. And now next up, we've got a special guest back on the show. It's a long overdue return of a voice I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with. Well, we're reaching that time of year again when the concept of curling up in bed with a good book is super appealing. And with some winter warmers, I have Leanne from the library to tell us all about the latest additions to the Vision Australia Library catalog, as well as some new events popping up over the months of June and July. Leanne, welcome back to Talking Vision.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio associated stations of RPI and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Dominic Parker about the accessible Game Honeycomb Festival. We might have to have a chat with Dominic if the game does end up on the same marketplace or there's some new exciting updates to let you all know about, so watch this space for sure. And now next up, we've got a special guest back on the show. It's a long overdue return of a voice I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with. Well, we're reaching that time of year again when the concept of curling up in bed with a good book is super appealing. And with some winter warmers, I have Leanne from the library to tell us all about the latest additions to the Vision Australia Library catalog, as well as some new events popping up over the months of June and July. Leanne, welcome back to Talking Vision.

Thanks, Sam. Good to be in the studio with you.

Thanks, Sam. Good to be in the studio with you.

Now there's a few exciting events coming up in the world of the Vision Australia Library. So tell us a bit about those.

Now there's a few exciting events coming up in the world of the Vision Australia Library. So tell us a bit about those.

Sure, Sam So there's always something happening at the library. At the end of this month, we are having our Young Writers workshop, which we've called Story Laboratory, and we're bringing in authors Bianca Breen and Stuart Wilson to chat to some of our younger library members about the art of story writing. So that's starting on June the 26th. It's a just in time for the school holidays. It'll be on evenings via Zoom so everyone across the country is welcome to join. This one is for young people who are in grades five to year ten. So Young Writers Workshop.

Sure, Sam So there's always something happening at the library. At the end of this month, we are having our Young Writers workshop, which we've called Story Laboratory, and we're bringing in authors Bianca Breen and Stuart Wilson to chat to some of our younger library members about the art of story writing. So that's starting on June the 26th. It's a just in time for the school holidays. It'll be on evenings via Zoom so everyone across the country is welcome to join. This one is for young people who are in grades five to year ten. So Young Writers Workshop.

And there's also something coming up on the 28th of June.

And there's also something coming up on the 28th of June.

Leanne. Yes. So this is our regular Treat Your Shelf book Chat, which we host for library members, coming together with our library team to chat about what we've been reading in the last few months. And we do always like to have a bit of a theme. So our theme for this month is West Australian authors and your colleagues, Stella will be joining us for this session. She originally hails from Western Australia, so she does. This is a topic that's due to her. She loves supporting local authors. Yeah. So we'll be chatting about great fiction that comes out of Western Australia.

Leanne. Yes. So this is our regular Treat Your Shelf book Chat, which we host for library members, coming together with our library team to chat about what we've been reading in the last few months. And we do always like to have a bit of a theme. So our theme for this month is West Australian authors and your colleagues, Stella will be joining us for this session. She originally hails from Western Australia, so she does. This is a topic that's due to her. She loves supporting local authors. Yeah. So we'll be chatting about great fiction that comes out of Western Australia.

And people may have caught the Richard Fidler event that happened earlier in the year. But in case people are listening and they're thinking, you know, Oh, I missed out on that, or I'd love to hear that again, they can do that, of course.

And people may have caught the Richard Fidler event that happened earlier in the year. But in case people are listening and they're thinking, you know, Oh, I missed out on that, or I'd love to hear that again, they can do that, of course.

Yes. Yes. So we had a great evening hosting Richard Fidler for the Melbourne Writers Festival earlier in May. It was a fantastic evening. Sam and hearing Richard share about the writing of his book, The Book of Roads and Kingdoms. So that session was recorded and is now available to listen back to on Vision Australia Radio podcast as well as on Vision Australia Library. So in our online catalogue you can subscribe to Vision Australia Library in conversation and you'll be able to listen to the discussion with Richard as well as all of the previous conversations we've hosted.

Yes. Yes. So we had a great evening hosting Richard Fidler for the Melbourne Writers Festival earlier in May. It was a fantastic evening. Sam and hearing Richard share about the writing of his book, The Book of Roads and Kingdoms. So that session was recorded and is now available to listen back to on Vision Australia Radio podcast as well as on Vision Australia Library. So in our online catalogue you can subscribe to Vision Australia Library in conversation and you'll be able to listen to the discussion with Richard as well as all of the previous conversations we've hosted.

And coming up in July we've got another big Visions book coming out with Craig Shanahan, the Blind Chef. So do you want to tell us a little bit about that?

And coming up in July we've got another big Visions book coming out with Craig Shanahan, the Blind Chef. So do you want to tell us a little bit about that?

So say, Yeah, we're looking forward to releasing the second book in the Big Visions picture book series. So earlier in the year, I know we've chatted about the first book, Surfing in the Dark, which featured the story of surfer Matt Faustin. This second book is called Cooking Up a Storm, and it is featuring the story of Craig Shanahan. So he's a chef based in Sydney who is blind and has opened up his own cafe. So it's a really amazing story of resilience and perseverance. He's a great role model. Craig So yeah, we're really proud to be sharing his story through our big vision books, and they'll soon be present in bookstores, libraries all across the country.

So say, Yeah, we're looking forward to releasing the second book in the Big Visions picture book series. So earlier in the year, I know we've chatted about the first book, Surfing in the Dark, which featured the story of surfer Matt Faustin. This second book is called Cooking Up a Storm, and it is featuring the story of Craig Shanahan. So he's a chef based in Sydney who is blind and has opened up his own cafe. So it's a really amazing story of resilience and perseverance. He's a great role model. Craig So yeah, we're really proud to be sharing his story through our big vision books, and they'll soon be present in bookstores, libraries all across the country.

Okay, that's Cooking Up a Storm featuring Craig Shanahan, the second in the three part series of Big Visions books from Vision Australia. Now, speaking of the Vision Australia Library and books, there's some new book additions that we can always get excited about. So tell us a bit about some things that have come across your desk that sort of have caught your eye and got you a bit excited.

Okay, that's Cooking Up a Storm featuring Craig Shanahan, the second in the three part series of Big Visions books from Vision Australia. Now, speaking of the Vision Australia Library and books, there's some new book additions that we can always get excited about. So tell us a bit about some things that have come across your desk that sort of have caught your eye and got you a bit excited.

Yeah, absolutely. Sam So look, there's always new books being added to the library. We get about 200 books in per month, so you're never short of something to read with the library. A couple of the more notable titles that have entered the library recently. A great memoir by Sam Neill, the actor, the New Zealand actor called Did I Ever Tell You This? So this was written in a flurry of creativity in a very short time during lockdown. So and Sam also narrates this himself. So so that'll be a fantastic listen to hear Sam sharing his own story. So that's Did I Ever Tell You this? By Sam Neill, another wonderful, wonderful book that has just recently been added to the library. It's not a new title. It's a couple of years old, but it's Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. So this is one I've only read very recently. It's beautifully written. It's a reimagining of the story of William Shakespeare's family. So he had a son who died at about 12 years old. Not much is known about the circumstances of his passing, but his son's name was Hamnet and a few years later, William Shakespeare went on to write Hamlet, his great tragedy. So Maggie O'Farrell creates a really beautiful story about family, about motherhood. There's a big focus on on his wife and about grief. So yeah, highly recommend Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. And for our readers who are into crime mysteries, we have the ever popular flu. McDonald and her latest book called Into the Night. It's part of the Detective Dave Burrows series. I really love reading these. We chatted to Fleur a couple of years ago in Australia Library, and it's always, always really fun to read these rural based mysteries.

Yeah, absolutely. Sam So look, there's always new books being added to the library. We get about 200 books in per month, so you're never short of something to read with the library. A couple of the more notable titles that have entered the library recently. A great memoir by Sam Neill, the actor, the New Zealand actor called Did I Ever Tell You This? So this was written in a flurry of creativity in a very short time during lockdown. So and Sam also narrates this himself. So so that'll be a fantastic listen to hear Sam sharing his own story. So that's Did I Ever Tell You this? By Sam Neill, another wonderful, wonderful book that has just recently been added to the library. It's not a new title. It's a couple of years old, but it's Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. So this is one I've only read very recently. It's beautifully written. It's a reimagining of the story of William Shakespeare's family. So he had a son who died at about 12 years old. Not much is known about the circumstances of his passing, but his son's name was Hamnet and a few years later, William Shakespeare went on to write Hamlet, his great tragedy. So Maggie O'Farrell creates a really beautiful story about family, about motherhood. There's a big focus on on his wife and about grief. So yeah, highly recommend Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. And for our readers who are into crime mysteries, we have the ever popular flu. McDonald and her latest book called Into the Night. It's part of the Detective Dave Burrows series. I really love reading these. We chatted to Fleur a couple of years ago in Australia Library, and it's always, always really fun to read these rural based mysteries.

Our library members do love a bit of crime fiction and a bit of mystery, so that's always a very productive avenue for the Vision Australia Library. And I'm sure a lot of people out there are very keen to hear about more editions for that genre. That's quite exciting now. Thank you so much, Liane. I've been speaking today with Leanne from the library all about the latest upcoming events and new additions to the Vision Australia Library Book Collection. Leanne, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to catch up with you.

Our library members do love a bit of crime fiction and a bit of mystery, so that's always a very productive avenue for the Vision Australia Library. And I'm sure a lot of people out there are very keen to hear about more editions for that genre. That's quite exciting now. Thank you so much, Liane. I've been speaking today with Leanne from the library all about the latest upcoming events and new additions to the Vision Australia Library Book Collection. Leanne, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to catch up with you.

Thanks. I'm always good to talk.

Thanks. I'm always good to talk.

And now continuing on with the library theme today, here's Frances Kelland with a reader Recommended Francis.

And now continuing on with the library theme today, here's Frances Kelland with a reader Recommended Francis.

Thank you, Sam. This book is back of Beyond One Woman's Remarkable story of love, adventure, disasters and wonderful times in the Gulf country. This is by Jenny Old. At 22, Jenny fell in love with Rick old and went to live and work with him on his property. McAllister in the Gulf of Carpentaria. There she faced incredible hardship, living in a hut with not even basic necessities. Her only contact with the outside world was a two way radio. In this vast, empty landscape. She battled drought, flood fire and cyclones for 18 years. She and Rick struggled to stay on in the Gulf, eventually triumphantly turning McAllister into a thriving oasis. This extraordinary story of one indomitable Australian woman is told in her own words with skill and humour. A story of the Bush people and their generosity filled with wonderful characters. Most of all, the story of one woman's love for her man and the adventure it took her on. McAllister The story of Jenny Olds amazing life in the outback will captivate and enthrall. Let's hear a sample of Back of Beyond by Jenny Old. It's narrated by Sally Turnbull. As a child, some of my favourite books with the Silver.

Thank you, Sam. This book is back of Beyond One Woman's Remarkable story of love, adventure, disasters and wonderful times in the Gulf country. This is by Jenny Old. At 22, Jenny fell in love with Rick old and went to live and work with him on his property. McAllister in the Gulf of Carpentaria. There she faced incredible hardship, living in a hut with not even basic necessities. Her only contact with the outside world was a two way radio. In this vast, empty landscape. She battled drought, flood fire and cyclones for 18 years. She and Rick struggled to stay on in the Gulf, eventually triumphantly turning McAllister into a thriving oasis. This extraordinary story of one indomitable Australian woman is told in her own words with skill and humour. A story of the Bush people and their generosity filled with wonderful characters. Most of all, the story of one woman's love for her man and the adventure it took her on. McAllister The story of Jenny Olds amazing life in the outback will captivate and enthrall. Let's hear a sample of Back of Beyond by Jenny Old. It's narrated by Sally Turnbull. As a child, some of my favourite books with the Silver.

Brumby, Silver Brumby's Daughter and The Golden Stallion, which I read and reread. I had such romantic ideas about wild horses at McAlester. I love to watch them gallop across the plains. When we were driving around our boundaries, free and sure footed mainstreaming mussels gleaming the Mayor's Guide at the Falls while the stallion was ever watchful over his brood. This was indulgent thinking on my part. The Brumbies had become a pest and were increasing in numbers. They had caused a serious problem at the end of 1971 by plunging into the waterholes and stirring up the mud, making it impossible for the cattle to drink the water. I was distressed that these beautiful creatures might have to be culled. Fate stepped in when A few months into 1972, we had a visit from two brothers, Des and Morgan Walden, who asked for permission to trap brumbies on McAlister. Just do what you have to do and don't tell me anything about it or discuss it in front of me, I instructed. Sadly, this was a rare princess moment for me. I did learn that the Brumbies would be trapped, then yardage and trucked for sale in Cloncurry. Desmond Morgan camped out by the waterholes, having first constructed Hessian enclosures into which they would guide the horses. For days the canny animals refused to come near but finally their need to drink drove them to overcome their fear and cautiously approach theirs. And Morgan quickly closed the gates behind them.

Brumby, Silver Brumby's Daughter and The Golden Stallion, which I read and reread. I had such romantic ideas about wild horses at McAlester. I love to watch them gallop across the plains. When we were driving around our boundaries, free and sure footed mainstreaming mussels gleaming the Mayor's Guide at the Falls while the stallion was ever watchful over his brood. This was indulgent thinking on my part. The Brumbies had become a pest and were increasing in numbers. They had caused a serious problem at the end of 1971 by plunging into the waterholes and stirring up the mud, making it impossible for the cattle to drink the water. I was distressed that these beautiful creatures might have to be culled. Fate stepped in when A few months into 1972, we had a visit from two brothers, Des and Morgan Walden, who asked for permission to trap brumbies on McAlister. Just do what you have to do and don't tell me anything about it or discuss it in front of me, I instructed. Sadly, this was a rare princess moment for me. I did learn that the Brumbies would be trapped, then yardage and trucked for sale in Cloncurry. Desmond Morgan camped out by the waterholes, having first constructed Hessian enclosures into which they would guide the horses. For days the canny animals refused to come near but finally their need to drink drove them to overcome their fear and cautiously approach theirs. And Morgan quickly closed the gates behind them.

And that was back of Beyond by Ginny Old. That comes from one of the most popular genres in the library. Australiana and biographies and memoirs are the two categories. If you would like to join the library and enjoy some of those fantastic books, you can call them on 1300 654 656. That's one 306 54656. Or you can email us at library at Vision Australia. Org, That's library at Vision Australia. Org.

And that was back of Beyond by Ginny Old. That comes from one of the most popular genres in the library. Australiana and biographies and memoirs are the two categories. If you would like to join the library and enjoy some of those fantastic books, you can call them on 1300 654 656. That's one 306 54656. Or you can email us at library at Vision Australia. Org, That's library at Vision Australia. Org.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting this show together and remember we love your feedback and comments, so do get in touch on Talking vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week and Sam Coy saying thanks very much for putting up with the scratchy voice and bye for now.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting this show together and remember we love your feedback and comments, so do get in touch on Talking vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week and Sam Coy saying thanks very much for putting up with the scratchy voice and bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 380 474 W6 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 380 474 W6 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.