AbleGamers promotes the many benefits of developing highly accessible gaming software, whereby disabled gamers have brand new outlets for everything from esteem-building escapism to social experiences. Gaming as an entertainment medium and culturally vital art form has seen a vast increase in the diversity of players in recent years, however many gamers with special needs can have a difficult time enjoying it. In this talk, I discussed how we reach out to developers about making their games more accessible. I also detailed some of the best examples of accessible games, explained how engineering options for disabled gamers can be very simple, and got into the business advantages of reaching a wide gamer audience.
2. Games, Web Developer and Consultant
@ Jack Morton Worldwide
Disabled Gamer
Accessibility Evangelist
Director of Industry Outreach, AbleGamers
Mission and specialty: to make games
and entertainment software more
accessible
3. The AbleGamers Foundation is dedicated to bringing greater
accessibility in the digital entertainment space so that people with
disabilities can gain a greater quality of life, and develop the rich social
life that gaming can bring.
Player and caregiver support
Developers
Events and community
Editorial
Grants
Accessible hardware
4. For disabled players…
Empowerment
Self-efficacy
Escapism
Social experiences
Aids in rehabilitation
Audience diversification
5. Events such as
PAX and GDC
AbilitiesExpo
World Congress on Disabilities
Day-to-day support and consulting
Sponsors: Microsoft, Rockstar, PopCap,
Harmonix, IndieGala
6. Includification
First-ever permanent accessibility arcade in
D.C.
New advisor and Board of Directors member
Paul Barnett (EA)
Larry Goldberg (WGBH)
Weeklong of coverage on G4TV.com
AAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award and
documentary
7. Located at the MLK Memorial
Library in D.C.
Several gaming stations featuring
a variety of games and hardware
Kinect/Xbox, PC, Adroit, Quasimoto Axis
Fruit Ninja, Forza
First-ever arcade of its kind open to
public
Generated a lot of attention
“When properly used, video games can be an important learning tool for
literacy, spatial reasoning and curriculum support as well as a wonderful
social experience.”
- Venetia Demson, Chief of D.C. Public Library’s Adaptive Services Division
8.
9. The “How”
Comprehensive Best Practices
Good, Better, Best
Case Studies
Developer Exercises
Testimonials
Will be updated annually in print and often
online
Has gotten excellent feedback
10. “There should be
no barriers to fun”
Solutions for Developers
Hardware
Business
Ethical Imperative
11. Don’t add lots of time (for the most part)
Are not technically infeasible
Do not violate platform requirements
Will not alienate your player base
…or ruin your gameplay
Accessibility is accessible to everyone
Realistic
13. Remappable Keys, Camera Options
Dragon Age, Rift, Resistance
Third party access
Moveable UI, Macros
WoW, Dark Age of Camelot
Save Points
Speed
15. Closed Captioning
Needs to account for
dialogue and events
Fonts/colors
Alternative
indicators
Call of Duty
Hard to come by
16. Tutorials/training
“Starter” areas
Sandboxes/freedom
Open-world games
Difficulty adjustment
Good menu systems
Camera options
Auto-pass
17. Still evolving very rapidly
Most of these practices apply
Modified multi-touch
Alternative input
iOS/Android both have their
strengths
Accessibility not heavily enforced
Can be more accessible than other platforms
…or far less, depending on need.
19. 42 million disabled people in US
alone
Average household has some
kind of gaming device
Audience represents major
untapped revenue
Money is an excellent
motivator
20. We’re getting through
Developers who act see happier players
Changes design process
Medicine is major proponent
Increasing awareness
21. Gaming as an accessible activity
is inevitable, in the long run
Market demand
Maturation of the art form
Industry changes constantly
New gen of developers
Obsolescence of AbleGamers would be
welcomed
22. It’s about playing
Not rewards, points, etc.
Innumerable benefits for player
Social options
Ethical and cultural imperative