[games_access] "Top 10" list for GDC

[Reid Kimball]

I may be insensitive here but I think some are going a little too far
with our "accessibility for all, in all media" mantra. I suggest we
focus on games instead. I don't think we should become experts in how
to make a piece of paper accessible. People with vision impairments
typically carry tools with them to help cope with the world around
them, like a magnifying glass, in addition to glasses, I would think.
I wear contacts/glasses, does that mean I demand that all road signs
have fonts in hundreds of feet in size so my less than 20/20 vision
can read them? Let's focus on getting our information out there about
how to develop the tools gamers can use that help them play games.
Each accessiblity feature will become the canes, glasses, and ramps
that help disabled gamers play more, let's not let the accessiblity
issues of a bookmark or website or survey get in the way of us
educating developers.

-Reid

On 10/25/05, hinn at uiuc.edu <hinn at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> thanks, tim, for this!
>
> this will be linked from the sig gdc roundtable info on the
> gdc website so that people can watch and participate in the
> discussion about the top ten if they like before and after
> the gdc!
>
> wiki's = fun! :)
>
> michelle
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 09:55:53 -0500
> >From: Tim Chase <agdev at thechases.com>
> >Subject: [games_access] "Top 10" list for GDC
> >To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
> <games_access at igda.org>
> >
> >I've updated the "Top 10" page with what I feel to be a good
> >list, though as usual, comments from the peanut gallery are
> >always welcome :)
> >
> >You should be able to find the online copy at
> >
> >http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Top_Ten
> >
> >but for you who are impatient like myself:
> >
> >    1. allow all controls (mouse, keyboard, gamepad)
> >       to be remapped
> >    2. add closed-captioning for all dialog and important
> >       sound-effects
> >    3. provide help files in an accessible format
> >       (HTML or plain-text)
> >    4. provide variable degrees of aiming
> >       assistance/auto-targeting
> >    5. provide a broad range of difficulty levels from
> >       incredibly simple to difficult
> >    6. make interface fonts scalable
> >    7. allow for high-contrast color schemes
> >    8. add audio tags to all significant elements (actors,
> >       doors, items, resulting actions, etc) in true
> >       spatial 3D audio
> >    9. allow for time-scaling
> >   10. one more idea here
> >
> >I'm still looking for a good candidate for #10, my first
> though
> >is to make it something like "get out there and do what you
> can
> >from this list to make a difference".  A list of ideas is
> nice,
> >but not doing any of them fails to benefit anybody.
> >
> >Additionally, I'm taking suggestions for the format in
> which to
> >put it.  A little off-list dialog with Michelle seemed to
> show
> >that while bookmarks are nice, fitting all these ideas onto
> a
> >bookmark requires a fairly small font.  Don't want to make
> our
> >"how to be more accessible" list hard on those with poor
> eyesight
> >:)  While some of us have minimal problems with 7-point
> font, I'm
> >sure most folks would smack me for trying that stunt.  A
> full
> >8.5"x11" piece of paper was a bit large, hard to fill, and
> kinda
> >unwieldy in general.  My favorite ideas so far are half-
> sheets of
> >paper...either of regular 8.5"x11" or of legal 8.5"x14",
> making
> >the final result 5.5"x8.5" or 7"x8.5".  I like the
> >half-a-regular-sheet for the simplicity, but I like the
> >half-a-legal-sheet for the asthetic dimensions (it looks and
> >feels more like a "reference card" sort of sheet)
> >
> >Comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. are all welcome.  Hey,
> it's a
> >wiki...you can even tweak it yourself :)
> >
> >-tim
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >games_access at igda.org
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