building guidelines & best practices for accessible games

www.gamesforhealth.org

Building Guidelines & Best Practices for Accessible Games

Eleanor Robinson : 7-128 Software&

Tara Tefertiller Voelker : IGDA Game Accessibility SIG


In this session:•Game Accessibility Basics Crash Course•Simple accessibility features for any title•Examples from AAA games•Handing it over to Eleanor•Guidelines for Blind Gamers•Discussion


What I’m Playing...What I’m Playing...


Game accessibility

What are the numbers? How many Americans have a disability?


54 million Americans•They represent almost 20% of the population, or 1 in 5.

•3.3 million Americans use a wheel chair, with another 10 million using a cane, crutches or walker.

•.7.8 million have difficulty reading printed words and letters

•1 million can t hear conversations and 4.8 wear hearing aids.

•16.1 million have limitations with cognitive functions or a mental or emotional illness that interferes with daily activities

http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p70-117.pdf

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff13.html


Don t forget the baby boomers.About 40% of Americans 65 and older have at

least 1 disability.

Casual & Family Gaming

One day, you ll be old, too.


What can you do?

Provide features that can help everyone.

Here s a list of the 10 most popular accessibility features in

today s AAA titles.


Subtitles and Closed CaptionsOn screen text for all spoken words or important sounds, including speech during gameplay, not just cut scenes.

7.8 Million with hearing troubles, and 1 million deaf

in America.


Remappable ControlsAllowing the player to assign the game s controls to the button they choose

People with certain physical disabilities, custom controllers, arthritis, and many

more


Additional Control OptionsAnalog stick sensitivity, look inversion, horizontal inversion, south paw controls, etc

Lefties, one handed gamers, custom

controllers, arthritis, other gamers with

disabilities and many more


Multiple Difficulty LevelsFrom complete noob to veteran, can also include various levels of speeds

New gamers, elderly gamers, gamers with certain physical or cognitive disabilities


Calling out important items/ Highlighting pathsMaking quest items high contrast, having in-game GPS

Gamers with low vision, new gamers,

elderly gamers, gamers with certain cognitive disabilities


Color Blind friendlyIncluding red-green, and blue-yellow color blind

Approximately 10% of all males are

colorblind


High Contrast Mode / Turning off Backgrounds

Gamers with low visibility, with crappy PCs


Training Mode and TutorialsTo allow people to adjust to playing with their skills and equipment, and help them through the game

New gamers, elderly gamers, gamers with certain physical or

cognitive disabilities, gamers with custom

controllers, etc


Assistive ModesAuto aim, enemy lock on, auto-centering

New gamers, elderly gamers, gamers with certain physical or

cognitive disabilities, gamers with custom

controllers, etc


Provide Documentation in an accessible formatHave manuals available online as PDFs or plain text

Visually impaired gamers, gamers who misplace things easily


Now just because these are the most popular doesn t mean they address everything.

* For PC titles, label all the controls so that screen readers can speak the label

* Add specific help for any "hot key" option available to the player.

* Variable font size in any game that has written dialogue or cut scenes.

igda-gasig.org


The best choice is to be flexible.

Give the player options.


2 minute video to show what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqAeD6TBZt8&feature=player_embedded


Even then, not everything is covered, so

Off to Eleanor!


What I’m Playing...What I’m Playing...


Blind Computer Games

What does it take to make computer software accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired


www.blindcomputergames.comA website for:Blind Gamers to refer developers to who want to make their games more accessible

Developers who need accessibility information. Anyone who is looking for information about games for blind or visually impaired gamers.

http://www.blindcomputergames.com/


Features Guidelines for developing computer games for blind

gamers Technical how to articles to help gamers

approach developers and developers understand blind gamer needs

Example games Links to our top 25 websites lists


Accommodations Tab order left to right, top to bottom. Also, not

missing any controls.

Focus is critical all controls, menu items, images and tables should speak when they gain focus. Context is all!

Font size should be variable. Contrast is important.


More Accommodations

Ensure background music and sounds can be turned off.

Help screens need to be spoken and traversable by keyboard.

Use punctuation since screen readers and speech synthesis use it for inflection.


Control Panel


Captions


Big Type


Conclusion It is possible to add accessibility accommodations to

many more games than currently have them. It broadens the market to silver gamers today. The same things that make a game accessible, make

it better for everyone. There are developers out there that are currently

doing it.


Break for Discussion• Alternate ways of representing information based on graphics.•What will "silver gamers" need to let them continue to play games•What types of accessibility accommodations will improve game play for non-disabled players•One button mode•Alternate ways of representing information based by sound (besides close captions)•The issues Kinect can pose to those with certain physical limitations•Kinect and sign language• Addressing cognitive disabilities

building guidelines & best practices for accessible games

Documents

blind gamers

elderly gamers

impaired gamers

game new gamers

gamers withcertain physical

gamers whomisplace things

cognitive disabilities

game s controls