[games_access] Getting Federal government. On our side.

[Robert Florio]

That's cool Ben I appreciate what you said.

>From my experience and the experience we've already gotten results from
leading industry people, there is no solution.

I think it's ridiculous I don't think the sig will be viewed as an enemy I
think it's a necessary step.

The part about doing surveys and trying to find and research information is
fine but I don't know how easy it will be because I don't think any of us
has a direct way to actually go out and survey the people we need.  And now
we need that.

It will make the petition stronger.  Brainstorming is needed how do we get
these surveys?  Who do I contact, in person or just e-mail?

The industry already we know they don't design excessively and we know they
don't like the government messing with them, this is an entirely different
thing.  We're not saying they are ruining our child's development with
violence, sex, drugs and alcohol, they are just saying we are discriminating
against interested consumers.  So that might be a little similar but either
way you look at it I think a necessary thing.

If anything I think a petition just serves to show whoever needs to see the
information whether it be government, the industry leaders, whomever, that
there is real backing behind this movement.

Coupled together with what I think is a great idea for some research and
surveys.  But from what I researched petitions are not very detailed they
become very lengthy and hard on the viewer to understand.  They need to be
right to the point specifically so I wrote up a draft I hope some people
might look at it and say something.

But I don't think waiting, Ben, like you might be suggesting, I might be
wrong, for actual games to be made to show how it can be done most likely
won't happen.  Because we can't wait around for process of natural
selection, I'm not an evolutionist, but it sounds funny that way the way I
said it.  I mean someday hopefully a big-time company might go all out on
accessibility but that's like waiting and wishing not knowing anything.
When and where.

I appreciate your thoughts definitely agree that surveys will really help.
In the meantime I think it's great to have a petition ready.  I hope you
look at the draft I wrote.  It's in a previous submission.

I think we absolutely should not be afraid of the industry.  If we are
afraid of them thinking of us as campaign issue starters and becoming
opponents instead of partners, I feel like we will lay down our initiatives
waiting for them to do something instead of going out and making it happen
faster.  It's a human rights issue and claiming I think everyone can see the
industry is not budging.  It's subjective with, budging, the way I mean it
is there's absolutely no big talk on any huge game releases worldwide
showing there is a movement supported by the industry.  Besides independent
gamers and designers but that hasn't made an impact.

If we can rally the right people behind us coupled with surveys than we can
get hopefully important people inspired to actually maybe do something.  I
think when people stand together in a crowd, it holds a lot more weight,
than one or two people standing alone together pointing to a direction where
everyone should be.  When you can plainly see everybody already is behind
these hypothetical 2 people to walk that direction.  I think that's basic
psychology and the way humanity approaches most serious issues.

Robert

-----Original Message-----
From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Ben Sawyer
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 1:59 PM it's pretty
To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [games_access] Getting Federal government. On our side.

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
>
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