The video reveals a hidden American Sign Language (ASL) emote in Star Citizen, explaining its origin from a deaf backer encounter and providing instructions on how to access these animations via chat commands, as they are not available in the emote wheel. It aims to raise awareness and encourage the use of ASL emotes to enhance communication and inclusivity within the Star Citizen community.
In the video, the creator reveals that they secretly included an American Sign Language (ASL) emote in one of their recent Star Citizen videos as a subtle comedic nod for viewers familiar with ASL. This hidden detail sparked curiosity among viewers, prompting questions about how the emote was implemented. The creator realized that many newer players might be unaware of these ASL animations, while older players may have forgotten about them, leading to the decision to share some background and instructions on how to use these animations.
The origin of ASL animations in Star Citizen dates back to 2018/2019 when the animation director Steve Bender met a deaf backer who regularly attended Citizen Con with their brother, who translated ASL. This encounter inspired the development of accessibility features within the game to better support players who are deaf or hard of hearing, or those who prefer non-verbal communication. As a result, the animation team created a set of ASL animations, which were even featured in an official Around the Verse video, linked in the description for viewers interested in more details.
Despite their significance, these ASL emotes are not included in the game’s emote wheel and cannot be assigned to hotkeys, which limits their ease of use. However, players can still access these animations through specific slash commands typed into the chat. Each ASL emote has multiple tonal variations indicated by numerical suffixes; using the command without a suffix triggers a random variant, which might lead to unintended or awkward communication. Generally, the suffix “1” corresponds to a polite version of the sign, while “2” indicates a firmer or ruder tone.
To assist players in utilizing these ASL emotes effectively, the creator has provided the command list both on their website and in their Discord server’s resources channel, with links available in the pinned comment of the video. This resource aims to make the animations more accessible and encourage players to incorporate ASL into their in-game interactions, enhancing communication and inclusivity within the Star Citizen community.
The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to leave a like if they found the information helpful and a friendly sign-off encouraging fellow citizens to fly safely and be mindful of bugs within the game. Overall, the video serves as both a fun reveal of a hidden feature and an informative guide to promote awareness and use of ASL animations in Star Citizen.