From rkimball at gmail.com  Thu Sep  1 00:20:55 2005
From: rkimball at gmail.com (Reid Kimball)
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 00:20:55 -0400
Subject: [games_access] CC Guidelines doc in development
Message-ID: <a6673b8d050831212034dfd39e@mail.gmail.com>

http://game.rbkdesign.com/index.php/CC_Guidelines

Check out the new doc I wrote. This will be more comprehensive than a
checklist that Tim is trying to do, but it should be easy to extract
info from this doc into a checklist.

Please take a look and let me know of any problems, suggestions, etc.
I consider it a rough draft so it's got organization and spelling
issues. Once it's final I'd like to see it go up on the GA website we
have.

-Reid


From hinn at uiuc.edu  Thu Sep  1 14:07:23 2005
From: hinn at uiuc.edu (hinn at uiuc.edu)
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 13:07:23 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Reid's updates to the SIG wiki
Message-ID: <9edbb7d3.3515adf8.c34d700@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>

Hi all,

we're having some problems with the list right now so Reid 
has asked me to forward his message below:

>I've sent a couple emails lately and it doesn't seem like 
anyone is
>getting them.
>
>Email 1:
>I have updated the following page to provide info about the 
survey:
>
>http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Gamers_with_Disabilities_
Survey
>
>
>Email 2:
>http://game.rbkdesign.com/index.php/CC_Guidelines
>
>Check out the new doc I wrote. This will be more 
comprehensive than a
>checklist that Tim is trying to do, but it should be easy 
to extract
>info from this doc into a checklist.
>
>Please take a look and let me know of any problems, 
suggestions, etc.
>I consider it a rough draft so it's got organization and 
spelling
>issues. Once it's final I'd like to see it go up on the GA 
website we
>have.
>
>Can you please forward this to the GA email list? Thanks,
>
>-Reid


From matthew at agrip.org.uk  Thu Sep  1 19:15:25 2005
From: matthew at agrip.org.uk (Matthew T. Atkinson)
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:15:25 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Re: [AGDev-discuss] "top ten" suggestions for SIG
	Access
In-Reply-To: <e98efc99.348df75f.8198500@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>
References: <e98efc99.348df75f.8198500@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>
Message-ID: <1125616525.14576.5.camel@localhost>

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for providing that extra info to the AGDev list.  I think the
points David Lant made were very good (as Justin did too).  David
mentioned accessible documentation -- you might remember my post about
this earlier.  I will try and get the system I wrote about uploaded soon
so that developers can try it out.

best regards,


-- 
Matthew T. Atkinson <matthew at agrip.org.uk>



From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Thu Sep  8 16:13:05 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 21:13:05 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Top 10 Accessibility Features - rough draft from One
	Switch
Message-ID: <002701c5b4b1$b8e5dbd0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

Rough Top 10 accessibility features:


Brief Top 10:

1. Volume controls.
2. User definable controls.
3. Broad difficulty level options.
4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
5. Trainer/help modes.
6. Easy to navigate menus.
7. Text to Speech.
8. Speed control.
9. Thought for partially sighted and colour blind gamers.
10. Simplified control mode option.



More detailed Top 10:

1. Volume controls. Should enable Individual volume controls over MUSIC and SFX from OFF to full volume. These should take effect over the entire game, menus included. These can benefit deaf and learning disabled gamers.
2. User definable controls. Ideally featuring the ability to map multiple controls to individual buttons, rapid fire (if appropriate) and ability to use digital controls to operate analogue controls.
3. Broad difficulty level options. Perhaps ranging from 1-10, 1 being the easiest, 10 the hardest. Level 1 should seem be extremely easy for the majority of gamers. Games that have lives or time limits could offer a wide range of choices here too.
4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
5. Trainer/help modes. Perhaps an option you can turn on that 'holds your hand' through a game, and points out various features to make them easier to understand.
6. Easy to navigate menus. Quick start for a game, minimal number of controls necessary to navigate.
7. More spoken text. Option for all text to be read out loud.
8. Speed control over game. Variations from very slow to normal.
9. Thought for partially sighted gamers (e.g. adjustable text size / colour scheme etc).
10. Simplified control modes. Simplified controls for gamers unable to use many controls.


The above is quite rough, and I've likely left out something glaring, but I wanted to get something in...

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk
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From j.chetwynd at btinternet.com  Sat Sep 10 04:02:40 2005
From: j.chetwynd at btinternet.com (Jonathan Chetwynd)
Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 09:02:40 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Top 10 Accessibility Features - rough draft from
	One Switch
In-Reply-To: <002701c5b4b1$b8e5dbd0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
References: <002701c5b4b1$b8e5dbd0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
Message-ID: <00865033-59C9-4F46-B197-8BAFA390B112@btinternet.com>

barrie,

seems a good starting place, nothing stood out, perhaps:

     alternative i/o as in keyboard/joystick, pretty fundamental

     user controlled feedback on progress ie more/less, car racing is  
reported to have stunning feedback.

cheers

~:"

On 8 Sep 2005, at 21:13, Barrie Ellis wrote:

Rough Top 10 accessibility features:


Brief Top 10:

1. Volume controls.
2. User definable controls.
3. Broad difficulty level options.
4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
5. Trainer/help modes.
6. Easy to navigate menus.
7. Text to Speech.
8. Speed control.
9. Thought for partially sighted and colour blind gamers.
10. Simplified control mode option.



More detailed Top 10:

1. Volume controls. Should enable Individual volume controls over  
MUSIC and SFX from OFF to full volume. These should take effect over  
the entire game, menus included. These can benefit deaf and learning  
disabled gamers.
2. User definable controls. Ideally featuring the ability to map  
multiple controls to individual buttons, rapid fire (if appropriate)  
and ability to use digital controls to operate analogue controls.
3. Broad difficulty level options. Perhaps ranging from 1-10, 1 being  
the easiest, 10 the hardest. Level 1 should seem be extremely easy  
for the majority of gamers. Games that have lives or time limits  
could offer a wide range of choices here too.
4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
5. Trainer/help modes. Perhaps an option you can turn on that 'holds  
your hand' through a game, and points out various features to make  
them easier to understand.
6. Easy to navigate menus. Quick start for a game, minimal number of  
controls necessary to navigate.
7. More spoken text. Option for all text to be read out loud.
8. Speed control over game. Variations from very slow to normal.
9. Thought for partially sighted gamers (e.g. adjustable text size /  
colour scheme etc).
10. Simplified control modes. Simplified controls for gamers unable  
to use many controls.

The above is quite rough, and I've likely left out something glaring,  
but I wanted to get something in...

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk
_______________________________________________
games_access mailing list
games_access at igda.org
http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access


Jonathan Chetwynd
Accessibility Consultant on Learning Disabilities and the Internet

29 Crimsworth Road
SW8 4RJ

020 7978 1764




From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Mon Sep 12 15:26:33 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 20:26:33 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Top 10 Accessible Gaming Features - wiki link and
	reply
References: <20050910160010.03FF0572D2@seven.pairlist.net>
Message-ID: <001b01c5b7cf$e305ab40$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

Top 10 Accessible Gaming features list is being updated here: 
http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Top_Ten by Tim Chase.

Good point Jonathan re. the alternative controllers - I wonder how this 
could be implemented with Games Consoles. I know that if more games could be 
played using standard Arcade Sticks on Playstation 2 without the need for 
analogue controls, this would help a fair number of disabled gamers that 
have been in contact with me.

Regards,

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk




> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: Top 10 Accessibility Features - rough draft from One
>      Switch (Jonathan Chetwynd)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 09:02:40 +0100
> From: Jonathan Chetwynd <j.chetwynd at btinternet.com>
> Subject: Re: [games_access] Top 10 Accessibility Features - rough
> draft from One Switch
> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List <games_access at igda.org>
> Message-ID: <00865033-59C9-4F46-B197-8BAFA390B112 at btinternet.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> barrie,
>
> seems a good starting place, nothing stood out, perhaps:
>
>     alternative i/o as in keyboard/joystick, pretty fundamental
>
>     user controlled feedback on progress ie more/less, car racing is
> reported to have stunning feedback.
>
> cheers
>
> ~:"

> Brief Top 10:
>
> 1. Volume controls.
> 2. User definable controls.
> 3. Broad difficulty level options.
> 4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
> 5. Trainer/help modes.
> 6. Easy to navigate menus.
> 7. Text to Speech.
> 8. Speed control.
> 9. Thought for partially sighted and colour blind gamers.
> 10. Simplified control mode option.





From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Tue Sep 20 02:17:42 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:17:42 +0100
Subject: [games_access] BBC Ouch! guide to switch gaming article
Message-ID: <003301c5bdab$02a37050$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

Hi all,

Thought I'd let you know that we have an accessible gaming article up on the front page of the BBC's disability web-pages 'Ouch!'. It's around switch gaming, and can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/ (probably on the front page for a week).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/closeup/switchgaming_guideto.shtml (hopefully here for good).

Barrie Ellis
www.OneSwitch.org.uk
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From thomas at pininteractive.com  Mon Sep 19 06:49:26 2005
From: thomas at pininteractive.com (Thomas Westin)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:49:26 +0200
Subject: [games_access] BBC Ouch! guide to switch gaming article
In-Reply-To: <003301c5bdab$02a37050$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
References: <003301c5bdab$02a37050$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
Message-ID: <fc.00802e9a00b361053b9aca00ec575d99.b36127@eden.grace.se>

Nice! I've added a link to it from our wiki / articles section

/Thomas

IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List <games_access at igda.org> on den
20 september 2005 at 08:17 +0100 wrote:
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/


Pin Interactive AB www.pininteractive.com
MSN ID:  thomas at pininteractive.com
Skype ID: thomaswestin 
Time zone: CET (GMT+1, PST+9)
____________________________________________________
Award Winning 3D Game for Blind and Sighted: www.terraformers.nu 
IGDA Game Accessibility SIG www.igda.org/accessibility/ 


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From thomas at pininteractive.com  Mon Sep 19 06:53:37 2005
From: thomas at pininteractive.com (Thomas Westin)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:53:37 +0200
Subject: [games_access] GA missing on the IGDA front page
Message-ID: <fc.00802e9a00b3612a00802e9a00b3612a.b3613c@eden.grace.se>

Hi,

I just noted that the GA wiki is not listed in the Topics section on the
front page top. I'll notify Jason about this

http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

/Thomas

Pin Interactive AB www.pininteractive.com
MSN ID:  thomas at pininteractive.com
Skype ID: thomaswestin 
Time zone: CET (GMT+1, PST+9)
____________________________________________________
Award Winning 3D Game for Blind and Sighted: www.terraformers.nu 
IGDA Game Accessibility SIG www.igda.org/accessibility/ 


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From rkimball at gmail.com  Mon Sep 19 11:40:55 2005
From: rkimball at gmail.com (Reid Kimball)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:40:55 -0500
Subject: [games_access] GA missing on the IGDA front page
In-Reply-To: <fc.00802e9a00b3612a00802e9a00b3612a.b3613c@eden.grace.se>
References: <fc.00802e9a00b3612a00802e9a00b3612a.b3613c@eden.grace.se>
Message-ID: <a6673b8d050919084039937821@mail.gmail.com>

He should have at least a link pointing to the SIG pages.

-Reid

On 9/19/05, Thomas Westin <thomas at pininteractive.com> wrote:
>  Hi,
>  
>  I just noted that the GA wiki is not listed in the Topics section on the
> front page top. I'll notify Jason about this
>  
>  http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
>  
>  /Thomas
>  
>  Pin Interactive AB www.pininteractive.com
>  MSN ID:  thomas at pininteractive.com
>  Skype ID: thomaswestin 
>  Time zone: CET (GMT+1, PST+9)
>  ____________________________________________________
>  Award Winning 3D Game for Blind and Sighted: www.terraformers.nu 
>  IGDA Game Accessibility SIG www.igda.org/accessibility/ 
>  
>  
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
> 
> 
>


From thomas at pininteractive.com  Mon Sep 19 14:32:22 2005
From: thomas at pininteractive.com (Thomas Westin)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 20:32:22 +0200
Subject: [games_access] GA missing on the IGDA front page
In-Reply-To: <a6673b8d050919084039937821@mail.gmail.com>
References: <fc.00802e9a00b3612a00802e9a00b3612a.b3613c@eden.grace.se>
	<a6673b8d050919084039937821@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <fc.00802e9a00b36ac800802e9a00b3612a.b36acd@eden.grace.se>

yes, Jason replied:

>Right, I know. We're working on revamping the wiki start page a little...
>
>Jason

rkimball at gmail.com on den 19 september 2005 at 17:40 +0100 wrote:
>He should have at least a link pointing to the SIG pages.
>
>
>
>-Reid
>
>
>
>On 9/19/05, Thomas Westin <thomas at pininteractive.com> wrote:
>
>>  Hi,
>
>>  
>
>>  I just noted that the GA wiki is not listed in the Topics section on
>the
>
>> front page top. I'll notify Jason about this
>
>>  
>
>>  http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
>
>>  
>
>>  /Thomas
>
>>  
>
>>  Pin Interactive AB www.pininteractive.com
>
>>  MSN ID:  thomas at pininteractive.com
>
>>  Skype ID: thomaswestin 
>
>>  Time zone: CET (GMT+1, PST+9)
>
>>  ____________________________________________________
>
>>  Award Winning 3D Game for Blind and Sighted: www.terraformers.nu 
>
>>  IGDA Game Accessibility SIG www.igda.org/accessibility/ 
>
>>  
>
>>  
>
>> _______________________________________________
>
>> games_access mailing list
>
>> games_access at igda.org
>
>> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>
>> 
>
>> 
>
>>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>games_access mailing list
>
>games_access at igda.org
>
>http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>
>



Pin Interactive AB www.pininteractive.com
MSN ID:  thomas at pininteractive.com
Skype ID: thomaswestin 
Time zone: CET (GMT+1, PST+9)
____________________________________________________
Award Winning 3D Game for Blind and Sighted: www.terraformers.nu 
IGDA Game Accessibility SIG www.igda.org/accessibility/ 


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From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Mon Sep 19 16:05:47 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:05:47 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
Message-ID: <006001c5bd55$86ea0280$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

You've probably all heard of the new Nintendo single handed controller by 
now (see the IGDA forum otherwise):

http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?s=34852a767478c92b8332226417348c5f&threadid=18378

Wondered if you have seen the following post from Carl Foust:


OGHC is a (very entertaining) blog about an old lady who loves games. She 
expresses some doubts here about the ergonomics of the new controller for 
people with arthritis:

http://oghc.blogspot.com/2005/09/grandma-to-nintendo-what-hell-are-you.html

Personally, I don't think it will be a big deal, since likely you will be 
able to use it perfectly with slight wrist movements, instead of swinging 
your arm around until it dislocates. Here's hoping you'll be able to adjust 
the sensitivity.



Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk 





From hinn at uiuc.edu  Mon Sep 19 16:18:14 2005
From: hinn at uiuc.edu (hinn at uiuc.edu)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 15:18:14 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
Message-ID: <88f4bcb3.3e66a118.e79cd00@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>

Yeah, I think this is one of those instances where it's 
going to be good for some people with mobility disabilities 
(such as amputees who have had an increasingly difficult 
time with controllers that require two hands), it's also 
going to raise concerns for others. 

I think it's an interesting direction for Nintendo to go in 
and, like I said, I think some groups of disabled gamers may 
really find this kind of controller advantageous. But for 
others it may end up making things worse.

Ah...the catch 22's of accessibility!

---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:05:47 +0100
>From: "Barrie Ellis" <barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk>  
>Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller  
>To: "IGDA GA mailing list" <games_access at igda.org>
>
>You've probably all heard of the new Nintendo single handed 
controller by 
>now (see the IGDA forum otherwise):
>
>http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?
s=34852a767478c92b8332226417348c5f&threadid=18378
>
>Wondered if you have seen the following post from Carl 
Foust:
>
>
>OGHC is a (very entertaining) blog about an old lady who 
loves games. She 
>expresses some doubts here about the ergonomics of the new 
controller for 
>people with arthritis:
>
>http://oghc.blogspot.com/2005/09/grandma-to-nintendo-what-
hell-are-you.html
>
>Personally, I don't think it will be a big deal, since 
likely you will be 
>able to use it perfectly with slight wrist movements, 
instead of swinging 
>your arm around until it dislocates. Here's hoping you'll 
be able to adjust 
>the sensitivity.
>
>
>
>Barrie
>www.OneSwitch.org.uk 
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>games_access mailing list
>games_access at igda.org
>http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access


From rkimball at gmail.com  Mon Sep 19 16:29:57 2005
From: rkimball at gmail.com (Reid Kimball)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 15:29:57 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
In-Reply-To: <006001c5bd55$86ea0280$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
References: <006001c5bd55$86ea0280$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
Message-ID: <a6673b8d05091913297ecb1dc@mail.gmail.com>

Yikes... I saw the hand wand controller a few days and also wondered
how accessible it was to those with physical disabilities (not very
much it seems).

I just saw the "wavebird" controller that allows you to plug in the
hand wand and together you've got 23 buttons. I count each direction
on the two d-pads as a button to press.

That's getting a bit insane and overall on the surface it doesn't seem
like these controllers are going to be more accessible. I suppose the
only thing we can do is talk to Nintendo, ask if they have considered
these issues and hope for best. They are always saying they want to
make gaming accessible regardless of generation.

-Reid

On 9/19/05, Barrie Ellis <barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk> wrote:
> You've probably all heard of the new Nintendo single handed controller by
> now (see the IGDA forum otherwise):
> 
> http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?s=34852a767478c92b8332226417348c5f&threadid=18378
> 
> Wondered if you have seen the following post from Carl Foust:
> 
> 
> OGHC is a (very entertaining) blog about an old lady who loves games. She
> expresses some doubts here about the ergonomics of the new controller for
> people with arthritis:
> 
> http://oghc.blogspot.com/2005/09/grandma-to-nintendo-what-hell-are-you.html
> 
> Personally, I don't think it will be a big deal, since likely you will be
> able to use it perfectly with slight wrist movements, instead of swinging
> your arm around until it dislocates. Here's hoping you'll be able to adjust
> the sensitivity.
> 
> 
> 
> Barrie
> www.OneSwitch.org.uk
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>


From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Mon Sep 19 17:30:07 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 22:30:07 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
References: <006001c5bd55$86ea0280$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
	<a6673b8d05091913297ecb1dc@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <00a001c5bd61$5407ec90$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

Good time to contact Nintendo, and why not an open letter to Sony and 
Microsoft too? These controllers are not accessible to many potential 
gamers.

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Reid Kimball" <rkimball at gmail.com>
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 9:29 PM
Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller


Yikes... I saw the hand wand controller a few days and also wondered
how accessible it was to those with physical disabilities (not very
much it seems).

I just saw the "wavebird" controller that allows you to plug in the
hand wand and together you've got 23 buttons. I count each direction
on the two d-pads as a button to press.

That's getting a bit insane and overall on the surface it doesn't seem
like these controllers are going to be more accessible. I suppose the
only thing we can do is talk to Nintendo, ask if they have considered
these issues and hope for best. They are always saying they want to
make gaming accessible regardless of generation.

-Reid 





From hinn at uiuc.edu  Mon Sep 19 17:43:35 2005
From: hinn at uiuc.edu (hinn at uiuc.edu)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 16:43:35 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
Message-ID: <ba2d337e.3e6e7163.8296100@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>

I sent out a letter a while ago but never got a response 
back -- it was the last time we talked about sending them an 
open letter. Unfortunately all this stuff was fried in my 
recent hard drive crash -- Reid? Do you have a copy of the 
stuff you sent me several months ago so that I can try and 
recreate it and then we can work on drafting the letter on 
the wiki?

Yeah, I agree that the Nintendo controller is going to be a 
nightmare to a lot of people. At the same time I've heard 
from a lot of parents over the years who have children who 
only have the use of one hand/arm and this may be a good 
solution for them. I'm not disagreeing that this is a bad 
step back for many -- it's just that it might also be a step 
forward for some. Numbers-wise, I'm not sure how many this 
is good/bad for. It is a nice example of how accessibility 
isn't so simple that we, as a SIG, can just say "oh, just do 
this and you've created an accessible 
game/controller/console." 

Michelle

---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 22:30:07 +0100
>From: "Barrie Ellis" <barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk>  
>Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller  
>To: <rkimball at gmail.com>, "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG 
Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
>
>Good time to contact Nintendo, and why not an open letter 
to Sony and 
>Microsoft too? These controllers are not accessible to many 
potential 
>gamers.
>
>Barrie
>www.OneSwitch.org.uk
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Reid Kimball" <rkimball at gmail.com>
>To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" 
<games_access at igda.org>
>Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 9:29 PM
>Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
>
>
>Yikes... I saw the hand wand controller a few days and also 
wondered
>how accessible it was to those with physical disabilities 
(not very
>much it seems).
>
>I just saw the "wavebird" controller that allows you to 
plug in the
>hand wand and together you've got 23 buttons. I count each 
direction
>on the two d-pads as a button to press.
>
>That's getting a bit insane and overall on the surface it 
doesn't seem
>like these controllers are going to be more accessible. I 
suppose the
>only thing we can do is talk to Nintendo, ask if they have 
considered
>these issues and hope for best. They are always saying they 
want to
>make gaming accessible regardless of generation.
>
>-Reid 
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>games_access mailing list
>games_access at igda.org
>http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access


From richard at audiogames.net  Tue Sep 20 01:51:15 2005
From: richard at audiogames.net (AudioGames.net)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:51:15 +0200
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
References: <ba2d337e.3e6e7163.8296100@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>
Message-ID: <002001c5bda7$50c25bb0$29fc8418@Delletje>

I agree. The point is, there is just not "one" accessible game controller. 
I've seen various academic projects which focus on alternative controllers 
(my background is music technology and this field has many examples of 
alternative controllers as "new musical instruments") and all have been very 
different. There was one project (a game for a person with a severe mental 
disability, actually outside of the field of music technology) in which the 
team built a game solely for one specific user. The controller? A chair 
which functioned as a joystick with several features specific for this one 
user. I'll dig up the project and will post about it soon. Anyhow, the 
controller was a comfortable chair because that was the kind of controller 
that fit this user the best. The chair could move in 4 directions (like a 
limited joystick) and there was a button on a stick (a bit shaped like a 
gear shift in a car) that the user could use to control some aspects of the 
game. Now imagine the possibilities, but also, the limitations of such a 
controller. The outcome of the project was that designing for a single 
person can be very fruitful (it was very hard for the user in question to 
use/interact with non-custom technology/real-life items > he could never 
play games, due to attention span, etc!). However, it was also very costly, 
as you can imagine.

I agree this "one-handed" controller might actually include more gamers to 
the Nintendo venture since theoretically there *must* be a target audience 
who can only use one hand. That's a good thing (I know I'm not mentioning 
that I've left out the left-handed plug-in joystick controller now). But 
still, it's obvious that it's not enough since there are many potentional 
gamers out there that can't even use a one-handed joystick.
I'm curious: it seems to me that Nintendo has developed (or is developing) 
specific games that make maximum use of the possibilities of this 
controller. Similar to how Sony built games specific for the EyeToy. Part of 
the fun of the game is using the specific controller (with the EyeToy: 
seeing yourself on the screen, waving your arms around in midair and still 
playing a game is a wonderful experience). This is one aspect of controllers 
that needs to be taken into account in my opinion. Still, many games do use 
multiple controller inputs (best example are racing games, many can be 
controlled either through a racing wheel setup or via the keyboard.) In 
these cases the game is more far more important and the controller 
experience a lot less. I think it would be wise to focus game accessibility 
towards these types of games (controller-independend games).

Greets,

Richard





----- Original Message ----- 
From: <hinn at uiuc.edu>
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>; 
<rkimball at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 11:43 PM
Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller


>I sent out a letter a while ago but never got a response
> back -- it was the last time we talked about sending them an
> open letter. Unfortunately all this stuff was fried in my
> recent hard drive crash -- Reid? Do you have a copy of the
> stuff you sent me several months ago so that I can try and
> recreate it and then we can work on drafting the letter on
> the wiki?
>
> Yeah, I agree that the Nintendo controller is going to be a
> nightmare to a lot of people. At the same time I've heard
> from a lot of parents over the years who have children who
> only have the use of one hand/arm and this may be a good
> solution for them. I'm not disagreeing that this is a bad
> step back for many -- it's just that it might also be a step
> forward for some. Numbers-wise, I'm not sure how many this
> is good/bad for. It is a nice example of how accessibility
> isn't so simple that we, as a SIG, can just say "oh, just do
> this and you've created an accessible
> game/controller/console."
>
> Michelle
>
> ---- Original message ----
>>Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 22:30:07 +0100
>>From: "Barrie Ellis" <barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk>
>>Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
>>To: <rkimball at gmail.com>, "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG
> Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
>>
>>Good time to contact Nintendo, and why not an open letter
> to Sony and
>>Microsoft too? These controllers are not accessible to many
> potential
>>gamers.
>>
>>Barrie
>>www.OneSwitch.org.uk
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Reid Kimball" <rkimball at gmail.com>
>>To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List"
> <games_access at igda.org>
>>Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 9:29 PM
>>Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
>>
>>
>>Yikes... I saw the hand wand controller a few days and also
> wondered
>>how accessible it was to those with physical disabilities
> (not very
>>much it seems).
>>
>>I just saw the "wavebird" controller that allows you to
> plug in the
>>hand wand and together you've got 23 buttons. I count each
> direction
>>on the two d-pads as a button to press.
>>
>>That's getting a bit insane and overall on the surface it
> doesn't seem
>>like these controllers are going to be more accessible. I
> suppose the
>>only thing we can do is talk to Nintendo, ask if they have
> considered
>>these issues and hope for best. They are always saying they
> want to
>>make gaming accessible regardless of generation.
>>
>>-Reid
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>games_access mailing list
>>games_access at igda.org
>>http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access 



From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Tue Sep 20 02:53:31 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:53:31 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
References: <ba2d337e.3e6e7163.8296100@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>
	<002001c5bda7$50c25bb0$29fc8418@Delletje>
Message-ID: <001b01c5bdb0$1f899050$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

A long term solution might be:

1. Games consoles and PCs using a standard across the board connection for 
controllers (e.g. USB & wireless standard).
2. All games allowing you to user-define the controls (e.g. JoyToKey).
3. All games allowing you to use digital controls to replace analogue 
controls if needed.
4. More games allowing play using simplified controls / game mechanics.
5. More manufacturers making a variety of accessible controllers that won't 
go out of date.

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk 





From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Tue Sep 20 03:11:28 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 08:11:28 +0100
Subject: [games_access] BBC7 Radio  BigToe: Accessible Video Gaming article
References: <9970BA1C3E95C443B335A96FCCEEF82B796555@bbcxue601.national.core.bbc.co.uk>
Message-ID: <004c01c5bdb2$8531f800$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

MessageHi all,

The BBC are definitely doing their bit for accessible gaming at present. I'm told that there will be a radio and web broadcast today on BBC7's children's show "Big Toe" (4pm - 6pm) sheduled for 4:55 (UK time). This was made at this year's CGE-UK show, and will hopefully feature Christopher Myers interview (lad with cerebral palsy who helped on our stall), conducted with his communicator.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/bigtoe/

It should be available to listen to on-line for about a week after: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/

Regards,

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk
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From richard at audiogames.net  Tue Sep 20 14:02:29 2005
From: richard at audiogames.net (AudioGames.net)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 20:02:29 +0200
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
References: <ba2d337e.3e6e7163.8296100@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu><002001c5bda7$50c25bb0$29fc8418@Delletje>
	<001b01c5bdb0$1f899050$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
Message-ID: <003c01c5be0d$777a4040$29fc8418@Delletje>

Great list (I mean it!)

Greets,

Richard

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barrie Ellis" <barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk>
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 8:53 AM
Subject: Re: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller


>A long term solution might be:
>
> 1. Games consoles and PCs using a standard across the board connection for 
> controllers (e.g. USB & wireless standard).
> 2. All games allowing you to user-define the controls (e.g. JoyToKey).
> 3. All games allowing you to use digital controls to replace analogue 
> controls if needed.
> 4. More games allowing play using simplified controls / game mechanics.
> 5. More manufacturers making a variety of accessible controllers that 
> won't go out of date.
>
> Barrie
> www.OneSwitch.org.uk
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access 



From jpratt at soe.sony.com  Tue Sep 20 15:56:07 2005
From: jpratt at soe.sony.com (Pratt, James)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:56:07 -0700
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller
Message-ID: <DC795BF038573041B6F8893F6B6C9E9503C3047F@mail-sd2.ad.soe.sony.com>

Personally, I really appreciate the use of haptic control. However, all
of the pictures and videos I've seen so far show a lot of ulnar
deviation. It will be Nintendo Wrist now instead of Nintendo Thumb. I'm
waiting for the ergo community to chime in. 

-----Original Message-----
From: games_access-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Barrie Ellis
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 3:06 PM
To: IGDA GA mailing list
Subject: [games_access] Nintendo one handed controller

You've probably all heard of the new Nintendo single handed controller
by 
now (see the IGDA forum otherwise):

http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?s=34852a767478c92b833222641734
8c5f&threadid=18378

Wondered if you have seen the following post from Carl Foust:


OGHC is a (very entertaining) blog about an old lady who loves games.
She 
expresses some doubts here about the ergonomics of the new controller
for 
people with arthritis:

http://oghc.blogspot.com/2005/09/grandma-to-nintendo-what-hell-are-you.h
tml

Personally, I don't think it will be a big deal, since likely you will
be 
able to use it perfectly with slight wrist movements, instead of
swinging 
your arm around until it dislocates. Here's hoping you'll be able to
adjust 
the sensitivity.



Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk 



_______________________________________________
games_access mailing list
games_access at igda.org
http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access


From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Wed Sep 21 12:01:46 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 17:01:46 +0100
Subject: [games_access] BBC7 'Big Toe' - Accessible Computer Games article
Message-ID: <004101c5bec5$c4a464f0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

Hi again,

BBC7 broadcast a short radio piece on accessible gaming yesterday (20.9.05) on their "Big Toe" programme for kids.

Listen to it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/bbc7/aod.shtml?bbc7/bigtoe (51:23 - 55:14)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/bigtoe/ - BBC7 "Big Toe" web-site


The BBC wouldn't give me permission to archive it unfortunately, so it will quickly vanish into the ether after a week.

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk



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From richard at audiogames.net  Wed Sep 21 15:05:08 2005
From: richard at audiogames.net (AudioGames.net)
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 21:05:08 +0200
Subject: [games_access] BBC7 'Big Toe' - Accessible Computer Games article
References: <004101c5bec5$c4a464f0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
Message-ID: <003d01c5bedf$628a6a70$29fc8418@Delletje>

Well, I'll make a recording of it anyway for personal research stuff use... thanks for sending the link!


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Barrie Ellis 
  To: IGDA GA mailing list 
  Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 6:01 PM
  Subject: [games_access] BBC7 'Big Toe' - Accessible Computer Games article


  Hi again,

  BBC7 broadcast a short radio piece on accessible gaming yesterday (20.9.05) on their "Big Toe" programme for kids.

  Listen to it here:

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/bbc7/aod.shtml?bbc7/bigtoe (51:23 - 55:14)

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/bigtoe/ - BBC7 "Big Toe" web-site


  The BBC wouldn't give me permission to archive it unfortunately, so it will quickly vanish into the ether after a week.

  Barrie
  www.OneSwitch.org.uk






------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  games_access mailing list
  games_access at igda.org
  http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
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From j.chetwynd at btinternet.com  Thu Sep 22 08:14:55 2005
From: j.chetwynd at btinternet.com (Jonathan Chetwynd)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 13:14:55 +0100
Subject: [games_access] BBC7 'Big Toe' - Accessible Computer Games article
In-Reply-To: <004101c5bec5$c4a464f0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
References: <004101c5bec5$c4a464f0$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>
Message-ID: <EA28EE57-AEEE-4ACE-A827-4530CE466CB5@btinternet.com>

Barry,

congratulations! quite a coup for you and the BBC

I've posted the links on for the links on IRC#Accessibility
http://acc-logs.jibbering.com/2005-09-22.html

the direct link seems to be for this week only:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/shows/rpms/bbc7/bigtoe_tue.rpm

~:"

Jonathan Chetwynd
Accessibility Consultant on Learning Disabilities and the Internet

29 Crimsworth Road
SW8 4RJ

020 7978 1764




From jason at igda.org  Thu Sep 22 16:12:10 2005
From: jason at igda.org (Jason Della Rocca)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 16:12:10 -0400
Subject: [games_access] igda survey action
In-Reply-To: <20050922160025.8ED4D570E4@seven.pairlist.net>
References: <20050922160025.8ED4D570E4@seven.pairlist.net>
Message-ID: <6.2.1.2.0.20050922160645.02890dc0@mail.igda.org>

Hi all,

I'm guessing many of you have gotten "spam" on our recent survey, one way 
or another. But, wanted to plug here just in case...

The IGDA has just put up a survey to assess how we are doing and get input 
on what we could/should be doing better, etc.

http://www.igda.org/survey/?sid=8


(FYI, this survey is for members and non-members/users, and we're raffling 
off some PSPs as incentives.)

Thanks!

Jason

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jason Della Rocca
Executive Director
International Game Developers Association

t: +1-514-426-1162
f: +1-514-426-1201
Montreal, Canada
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.igda.org/
http://www.realitypanic.com/

"Do or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda



From rkimball at gmail.com  Mon Sep 26 23:41:33 2005
From: rkimball at gmail.com (Reid Kimball)
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 22:41:33 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
Message-ID: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com>

I have updated the survey project page on our wiki site with new info
on the survey.

http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Gamers_with_Disabilities_Survey

Just click the link on that page to try the new survey. I have added
ALL of the questions I was given. The Cognitive section is very thin
on questions however.

Let me know of any problems, suggestions, etc.

It's getting a lot closer to feeling like a useful survey now, yay!

-Reid


From thomas at pininteractive.com  Thu Sep 29 16:43:48 2005
From: thomas at pininteractive.com (Thomas Westin)
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 22:43:48 +0200
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
In-Reply-To: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com>
References: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <fc.00802e9a00b43cee3b9aca008ffb7b33.b43d01@eden.grace.se>

Hi Reid,

I still find the question

>"What type of input do you use?"

to be wrong, given the options which are

>braille
>stereo headphones
>surround headphones
>stereo speakers
>surround speakers
>video screen with englarged fonts
>force feedback devices

all of those or _output_ devices?

Otherwise, great work with the survey!

/Thomas


Reid Kimball <rkimball at gmail.com> on den 27 september 2005 at 05:41 +0100
wrote:
>http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Gamers_with_Disabilities_Survey


Pin Interactive AB www.pininteractive.com
MSN ID:  thomas at pininteractive.com
Skype ID: thomaswestin 
Time zone: CET (GMT+1, PST+9)
____________________________________________________
Award Winning 3D Game for Blind and Sighted: www.terraformers.nu 
IGDA Game Accessibility SIG www.igda.org/accessibility/ 


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From agdev at thechases.com  Thu Sep 29 16:52:59 2005
From: agdev at thechases.com (Tim Chase)
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 15:52:59 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
In-Reply-To: <fc.00802e9a00b43cee3b9aca008ffb7b33.b43d01@eden.grace.se>
References: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com>
	<fc.00802e9a00b43cee3b9aca008ffb7b33.b43d01@eden.grace.se>
Message-ID: <433C542B.4080409@thechases.com>

> I still find the question
> 
> "What type of input do you use?"
> 
> to be wrong, given the options which are
> 
> braille
> stereo headphones
> surround headphones
> stereo speakers
> surround speakers
> video screen with englarged fonts
> force feedback devices
> 
> all of those or _output_ devices?

I guess it could be interpreted as "how do *you the player* get 
your input".  But it is a bit ambiguous.  Perhaps something such 
as "Which, if any, of the following specialized hardware do you 
use while gaming?" might make it less ambiguous.

> Otherwise, great work with the survey!

seconded!  I do notice that it still requires JavaScript to be 
enabled, or otherwise some of the sections come up blank. 
Otherwise, as long as I had JS turned on, it worked fine, and 
nothing stood out as glaringly peculiar :)

-tim





From richard at audiogames.net  Thu Sep 29 17:42:20 2005
From: richard at audiogames.net (AudioGames.net)
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 23:42:20 +0200
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
References: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com><fc.00802e9a00b43cee3b9aca008ffb7b33.b43d01@eden.grace.se>
	<433C542B.4080409@thechases.com>
Message-ID: <001401c5c53e$aba998b0$29fc8418@Delletje>

Hi,

I agree with Thomas that...

- braille display
- stereo/surround headphones
- stereo/surround speakers
- video screen with englarged fonts
- force feedback devices

...are definitely all "output devices". Wikipedia definition of an "input 
device":

"A number of devices are used for *entering* data into a machine, typically 
a computer."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_device)

I think this is the general opinion on input/output devices.

Greets,

Richard




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Chase" <agdev at thechases.com>
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 10:52 PM
Subject: Re: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated


>> I still find the question
>>
>> "What type of input do you use?"
>>
>> to be wrong, given the options which are
>>
>> braille
>> stereo headphones
>> surround headphones
>> stereo speakers
>> surround speakers
>> video screen with englarged fonts
>> force feedback devices
>>
>> all of those or _output_ devices?
>
> I guess it could be interpreted as "how do *you the player* get your 
> input".  But it is a bit ambiguous.  Perhaps something such as "Which, if 
> any, of the following specialized hardware do you use while gaming?" might 
> make it less ambiguous.
>
>> Otherwise, great work with the survey!
>
> seconded!  I do notice that it still requires JavaScript to be enabled, or 
> otherwise some of the sections come up blank. Otherwise, as long as I had 
> JS turned on, it worked fine, and nothing stood out as glaringly peculiar 
> :)
>
> -tim
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access 



From hinn at uiuc.edu  Thu Sep 29 18:01:31 2005
From: hinn at uiuc.edu (hinn at uiuc.edu)
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 17:01:31 -0500
Subject: [games_access] Next SIG Meeting: October 3, 2005 at 12noon
 US Eastern Time/New York Time
Message-ID: <2301ceee.43966672.822e200@expms2.cites.uiuc.edu>

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that the next SIG meeting is this MONDAY 
(October 3rd) at 12noon US Eastern Time/New York Time on MSN 
messenger. 

Never been to a meeting? Email me at hinn at uiuc.edu and I'll 
give you information on how/where to meet up with us online.

Some items on the agenda include:

* GDC 2006 (Proposed tutorial session agenda is due October 
8)

* Reid's Survey Update

Thanks everyone! Hope to see many of you on Monday!
Michelle
Chair, IGDA Game Accessibility SIG


From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk  Fri Sep 30 02:55:33 2005
From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 07:55:33 +0100
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
References: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com><fc.00802e9a00b43cee3b9aca008ffb7b33.b43d01@eden.grace.se><433C542B.4080409@thechases.com>
	<001401c5c53e$aba998b0$29fc8418@Delletje>
Message-ID: <002101c5c58b$f41ec370$0202a8c0@OneSwitch>

Good work so far. Few points I can still see:

1. Fixed font size on IE5 means I can't enlarge the font size with my 
browser. Definite accessibility issue in itself.
2. No ALT text on graphics (i.e. PHP Surveyor). Not a major issue as that 
seems to be the only graphic.
3. The entire survey is not particularly accessible for learning disabled 
gamers. The writing is too difficult, with no images or symbols to get 
across questions.






From richard at audiogames.net  Fri Sep 30 05:35:02 2005
From: richard at audiogames.net (AudioGames.net)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 11:35:02 +0200
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
References: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <002e01c5c5a2$3b700ca0$29fc8418@Delletje>

Hi,

Here are some more suggestions:

1) I would like to suggest that you add...

- PlayStation (1)
- PlayStation Portable
- Nintendo DS
- N-Gage
- Mobile (Phone / PDA)

... to the list of game platforms mentioned in question "Please select from 
below the game platforms you play games on regularly.". These still qualify 
as "modern" game plaforms, I think. At least, according to media such as 
GameSpot and Edge magazine.

2) I also wonder what "Sega" platform is meant (such as: Dreamcast, Genesis, 
Saturn) in the same question?

3) In the same question: shouldn't there also be a group "arcade"? Since 
electronic games can be divided into computer games, (mobile) console games 
and arcade games? If this survey is targeted only towards "the accessibility 
of electronic home entertainment", maybe this should be mentioned in the 
introduction?

4) Question about genres: "What genre of games do purchase frequently?". 
What is a training game? I'm having a bit of difficulty with this list of 
games and here's why:
On one hand you have genres: "FPS, RPG, RTS, Sports, Simulation (I think 
Sports and SIMS are 2 seperate genres), adventure, action (whatever it may 
be, still, many people still use this term)". On the other hand you have 
"casual games". I guess training games, like educational games, 
informational games and rehabilitational games are all part of the field 
called "serious games". However, a serious game can be a FPS (for example 
America's Army). So terms like FPS and casual games are, in my opinion, two 
perspectives of looking at games (and therefore, an RTS or a SIM can also be 
an educational game). What do you think?

5) One other note about the same question: it says "purchase". Is that meant 
to be the same as "play"? What is it exactly that you want to know: the 
purchase activity of the player or the games played by the player? Maybe 
split up this question like so: "what genres of games do you play 
frequently" and "how often do you purchase games" and "what genres of games 
do you purchase"?

6) The question "How do you learn of games that suit your needs?" I would 
ask somewhere at the end of the survey. Right now it is an odd one in 
between questions that deal with accessibility issues.

7) I would rephrase "Describe a few main accessibility issues you see with 
mainstream video games today." with something like "what problems do you 
encounter while trying to play a game?". However, this question seems very 
similar to "What difficulties do you have with games?" asked later on 
(especially with my rephrasing). Maybe think about this, what is it that we 
want to know with these two questions?

Greets,

Richard













----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Reid Kimball" <rkimball at gmail.com>
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 5:41 AM
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated


I have updated the survey project page on our wiki site with new info
on the survey.

http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Gamers_with_Disabilities_Survey

Just click the link on that page to try the new survey. I have added
ALL of the questions I was given. The Cognitive section is very thin
on questions however.

Let me know of any problems, suggestions, etc.

It's getting a lot closer to feeling like a useful survey now, yay!

-Reid
_______________________________________________
games_access mailing list
games_access at igda.org
http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access 



From richard at audiogames.net  Fri Sep 30 06:27:34 2005
From: richard at audiogames.net (AudioGames.net)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 12:27:34 +0200
Subject: [games_access] Game Accessibility Survey updated
References: <a6673b8d050926204126c14777@mail.gmail.com>
	<002e01c5c5a2$3b700ca0$29fc8418@Delletje>
Message-ID: <007701c5c5a9$92c7f510$29fc8418@Delletje>

And even some more suggestions:

1) The question "Please list accessible 3D games that have the best 
interface for the following" should definately be rephrased.

- what is 3D in this context? 3D sound? Or surround sound? Physical or 
Virtual? 3D visuals? 3D visuals on a computer screen or holographics? etc. 
etc.
- what is an accessible 3D game for that matter? Who decided it is 
"accessible"?
- this question leaves no room for the user to use "2D" games in their 
answers. Many audiogames are actually 1D (are played over a horizontal axis 
only, with panning from left to right).
- "Orientation feedback" should be rephrased, I suggest to "orientation". 
Feedback is a only one form of information that can be used for orientation. 
Feedforward is another. (I'm currently writing my PhD thesis involving this 
subject and I would recommend feedforward for orientation any time over 
feedback :) What do you prefer? Sound that lets you know you bumped into a 
wall or sound that lets you avoid the wall... :)
- "finding out what is in front of your avatar" suggests that users can't 
answer with game that don't have an avatar. It also suggests that "what's in 
front" is the most important. I'm not saying that this question should be 
removed, but isn't "what's in front" a form of navigation/orientation type 
of question? Like "what's left, right, above, below, inside of the 
listener?"
- "moving the avatar" ... same suggestion about the term avatar as above. 
What's your avatar in Tetris? Also don't forget many players don't even know 
the term avatar.
- Also: "the best interface for moving your avatar" - what type of 
interface? The interface between the player and the game consists of various 
things: input interface (controller, keyboard, microphone, etc), output 
interface (screen, speakers, vibrator, etc.). So what accessible game 
features the best interface? I should definately add an open question "why?" 
to this question.
- Also, please define "best". On what scale?

Maybe it's best to split up this questions in many small questions.

2) I've noticed that the type of questions vary a lot between the different 
disabilities. For example. the deaf-questions seem to focus on whether or 
not a gamer with a hearing disability would *want* to use various 
accessibility options, the blind-questions focus on what accessibility 
features for the blind exist in games. I would try to find the same format 
for all disabilities, so disability-specific questions all focus on 
"experience/usage", "accessible hardware/software solutions in games", 
"good/bad examples of game accessibility", etc.