[games_access] Brighton Develop web-site updated

[Barrie Ellis]

http://www.developconference.com/
http://www.tandem-events.com/workshops.html

IGDA Accessibility Workshop
Michelle Hinn, Jonathan Chetwynd, Barrie Ellis, Eelke Folmer, Giannis 
Georgalis, Dimitris Grammenos, Goran Lange, Richard Van Tol, Thomas Westin
Full Day Workshop · Friday, 14th of July

Computer and video games have become a mainstream form of media for not only 
entertainment purposes but also for education, training, and other areas. 
Games undoubtedly play an important part in our culture and can help add to 
our quality of life. As a quality of life issue, mainstream game 
accessibility has become an important selling point. Since increasing game 
accessibility expands the target group of your game, it should be considered 
a financially important factor. It also enhances the user experience since 
it is focused on making the game interface easier to use and can provide all 
gamers with new game experiences, such as relying more on sound cues as a 
navigation strategy. Finally, there is a social responsibility that should 
be taken seriously by the game industry as a whole to include all kinds of 
users in gaming and game development just as other entertainment sectors 
have, such as the movie industry.

Topics include why game accessibility matters, demonstrations and 
discussions about why different disabled gamer groups can't play the 
majority of the mainstream games on the market, and what kinds of software, 
middleware, and hardware solutions have been created to date. Additionally a 
number of tips and tricks will be discussed for developers to implement and 
get started on making sure that their titles are as accessible as possible. 
Participants will also get a chance to play games designed for the deaf, for 
the blind, and for the cognitively and mobility impaired.