[games_access] Getting Federal government. On our side.

[Ben Sawyer]

So hear me out as a friend and consultant in this regard...

I would not do this right away.  I think you need to wait until there  
is a strategic plan in place to properly address this as a potential  
campaign issue (by campaign I mean campaign by the sig not the actual  
presidential campaign).

If the SIG is viewed as trying to simply apply political pressure on  
the game industry then it will be viewed by the industry as an  
opponent vs a partner.  Right now I think there is more work to be  
done as a partner then an opponent.  I think also you will have a  
much better time applying political pressure when the solutions for  
such games are better researched and documented in such a way where  
the argument is reduced to implementing very defined solutions.

In the meantime why not start something where you gather online  
information about people with disabilities and what games they can  
and can't play or wish they could, etc.  And have the identify what  
makes them semi or entirely unplayable - vision impairment  
nothwithstanding.  In the case of vision impairment if we're talking  
absolute blindness we should instead understand what games could be  
playable if they did make a slight change.  Obviously no one with  
severe vision impairment is playing Halo anytime soon.  This data  
captured properly would put a bigger face and set up numbers on the  
issue much better and is a stalking horse for what comes next...

You could create a survey via survey monkey and then also capture  
email.  Then later you could potentially turn these into bona-fide  
petition holders if you felt like you were getting an absolute cold  
shoulder.

My worry is that what you will do with something like this is  
basically redefine the SIG along seeing this requiring a governmental  
political solution.  The games industry is not really great at  
reacting to such overtures.

I don't want you to not think this is a valid option - it is - but to  
me done wrong it's the wrong option at the wrong time.

- Ben


On Dec 3, 2007, at 1:06 PM, Robert Florio wrote:

>
>
> I know what you mean Michelle.  But the bottom line is there needs  
> to be
> something created so that the entertainment world has a standard also.
>
> Take for example the product brought out by the movie industry.
>
> In order for their productivity listened to by people with heart  
> hearing,
> the movie theaters themselves by law, have to provide assistance  
> technology
> to help the people either see or hear with devices.
>
> To me that seems like not exactly the same thing but something  
> similar.
>
> The game design industry also provides a product that is not equal
> opportunity to enjoy.
>
> If we can get the petition circled around then we can send it to  
> the right
> people who know the law and who can help us voice in if they see  
> the need,
> which will combine the most important people we can find to sign it.
>
> Even if we just get around to the people we need to sign it, and  
> then send
> it around to officials, and nothing happens, I think it makes a  
> very loud
> statement.  Because then it can be documented who signed it.
>
> I would imagine trying to get the key names in the industry to sign  
> it.
> Even the employees for those companies.
>
> Not to mention sending it out to all the important institutions.
>
> On their web site for the petition web page they do say that it's
> prohibited, not allowed, to mass e-mail yourself they set it up  
> somehow
> targeting it to the right people I'm not sure how.
>
> I do not know what that's all about.  Seems kind of crazy.
>
> Robert
>