Abstract
Games are an important part of modern culture. The nature of most video games is such that it can be difficult for individuals with impairments to enjoy many titles. In many cases, this is not due to the games themselves presenting an impossible challenge, but because the games have been left inaccessible through the omission of common features. Mainstream titles are often accessible and inaccessible by turns. This strongly suggests that the resultant inaccessibility is an oversight rather than conscious design. Awareness building is an important process in improving the inclusivity of game titles. This in turn is important in ensuring that all members of society have an opportunity to enjoy a valuable recreational form. To this end, the essay discusses both the types of disability that could be supported and some common mechanisms by which this can be done. A short overview of several prominent game titles is included to provide real world context for the discussion. In this essay, the author argues that ensuring accessibility need not be a costly or an onerous task, and that great strides can be made by, simply adopting the existing good practice that is currently spread across mainstream titles.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allman, T., Dhillon, R. K., Landau, M. A. E., and Kurniawan, S. H. (2009). Rock vibe: Rock band (TM); computer games for people with no or limited vision. Proceedings of the 11th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility, Assets ’09, pages 51-58, New York, NY, USA. ACM.
Bethesda Game Studios (2008). Fallout 3 [Disc]. Xbox 360. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Deloitte (2009). State of the Media Democracy Survey, Fourth Edition
Eidos Montreal (2011). Deus Ex: Human Revolution [Disc]. Xbox 360. Montreal, Canada.
Entertainment Merchants Association (2009). Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry.
Entertainment Software Association (2008). Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Games Industry in 2008.
Entertainment Software Association (2011). Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Games Industry in 2011.
Fozzard, J. (1990). Vision and hearing in aging, pages 150–170.
Heron, M (2011). The ACCESS Framework: Reinforcement Learning for Accessibility and Cognitive Support in Older Adults. PhD. Scotland: University of Dundee.
Heron, M.J., Hanson, V., & Ricketts, I. (2011). Accessibility Support with the ACCESS Framework. Digital Engagement’ 11. Newcastle, United Kingdom.
Keates, S. and Clarkson, J. P. (2002). Countering design exclusion through inclusive design. SIGCAPH Comput. Phys. Handicap., (73-74):69–76.
Kline, D., & Scialfa, C. (1997). Sensory and perceptual functioning: Basic research and human factors implications (pp. 27–54). New York: Academic Press.
Laberge, J. C., & Scialfa, C. T. (2005). Predictors of web navigation performance in a life span sample of adults. Human Factors. The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 47(2), 289–302.
Nielsen, J. (2008). Middle-Aged Users’ Declining Web Performance. Jakob Nielsen’s AlertBox.
Oddworld Inhabitants (1997). Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. [Disc]. Playstation 2.
Pullin, G. and Newell, A. (2007). Focussing on Extra-Ordinary users. In Universal Acess in Human Computer Interaction. Coping with Diversity, pages 253–262.
Robinson, E., Walker, S. (2011). Gaming on a Collision Course: Averting significant revenue loss by making games accessible to older Americans. AbleGamers Foundation.
Rocksteady Studios (2009). Batman: Arkham Asylum [Disc]. Xbox 360. London, United Kingdom.
Rocksteady Studios (2011). Batman: Arkham City [Disc]. Xbox 360. London, United Kingdom.
Schieber, F. (2006). Vision and aging. In J. Birren, & K. Schaie (Eds.) Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (pp. 129–154). Academic Press, 6th ed.
Schrier, J. (2011). How a Blind Gamer plays Zelda by Ear. Wired Magazine.
Sharit, J., Hernández, M. A., Czaja, S. J., & Pirolli, P. (2008). Investigating the roles of knowledge and cognitive abilities in older adult information seeking on the web. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact., 15(1), 1–25.
Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643–662.
Trewin, S. M., Laff, M. R., Cavender, A., and Hanson, V. L. (2008). Accessibility in virtual worlds. CHI ’08 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, CHI EA ’08, pages 2727-2732, New York, NY, USA. ACM.
Valve Corporation (2008). Left 4 Dead [Disc]. PC. Washington, United States.
Waller, A., Hanson, V. L., and Sloan, D. (2009). Including accessibility within and beyond undergraduate computing courses. Proceedings of the 11th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility, Assets ’09, pages 155–162, New York, NY, USA. ACM.
Yuan, B., Folmer, E., and Harris, F. C. (2011). Game accessibility: a survey. Universal Access in the Information Society, 10(1):81–100.
Zajicek, M. (2003). Software design for older adults to support memory loss. INCLUDE 2003 Inclusive design. for society and business.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Heron, M. Inaccessible through oversight: the need for inclusive game design. Comput Game J 1, 29–38 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392326
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392326