[games_access] Thinking about GDC 08's competition

Sat Jun 2 19:21:53 EDT 2007

Are you really suggesting that blind users start at level 60? People
work for months to achieve those levels. What's to stop someone from
claiming to be blind?

It's interesting, I see there are two approaches to game
accessibility, 1) provide features to level the playing field and 2)
design mechanics in the game that can be used by those that are
disabled. Such as a character in a game that has special abilities for
hearing, which a blind person would more likely use. It seems like
option 2 is easier to design since you are making only a small section
of the game accessible via the natural abilities of the user.

Richard, I really do like your idea for cooperative play. It reminds
me of King's Quest VI. In King's Quest VI there is a puzzle where you
encounter 5 gnomes who each excel in one of the five senses. They
guard an area and are trying to keep humans out. You being a human
need to trick their senses into thinking you are not a human.

-Reid

On 6/2/07, Eelke Folmer <eelke.folmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
> On Jun 1, 2007, at 1:44 AM, AudioGames.net wrote:
>
> Btw: I thought of this concept when I read about the idea of sighted users
> leading blind-users through Second Life, as a guide. Helping each other out
> in a co-op game could prove to be a new kind of game accessibility?
>
> I was thinking about that the other day, but then in the context of World of
> Warcraft. What if a blind user in WoW would automatically start out as a
> level 60 wizard able to cast very powerful spells but requiring voice input&
> guidance from other party members? (assuming this player belongs to a
> party). Other party members would automatically try to protect this player
> as its very handy to have such a powerful wizard in your party. This way a
> kind of symbiotic relationship is created which is fair.
>
> Cheers Eelke
>
>
>
>
>
> What do you think?
>
> K... I'm away again, speak with you in a week...
>
> R Out
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "d. michelle hinn" <hinn at uiuc.edu>
> To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 3:53 AM
> Subject: Re: [games_access] Thinking about GDC 08's competition
>
>
>
> Heh -- this was probably a lost in translation/bad explanation on my part
> bit -- the "ax the reality show thing" was meant to mean don't do a game
> show thing at all!
>
> We "can't" use design challenge...but that doesn't stop us from coming
> pretty darn close to the same words...errr...Challenge: Design! ;)
>
> Another idea I had was...design for Helen Keller...now doing something
> accessible for the deaf AND blind...now that is a challenge...and the person
> that can design something cool around that will help solve the catch 22
> issue where doing something that helps the deaf might mess up something for
> the blind with regard to accessibility. This also puts us in more
> competition with Eric Z and his poetry/peace prize/needle and thread
> challenges...
>
> I was also thinking that the person should be able to also play it with
> non-disabled friends...perhaps over the top? But still...the social aspect
> of gaming is SO important.
>
> I *REALLY* want to give the challenge another try because I think we're onto
> something -- we just need to rethink it! And I want our sessions to be fun
> -- we don't have to be comedians (as we know now...we're not) to create a
> couple hour long presentations.
>
> And...(now back to game shows, only different)
>
> I also like the "Translation: Accessibility" idea where we have a, for
> example, what closed captioning means for the non-hearing impaired. Eelke --
> perhaps since you put the article out on Gamasutra, you'd like to lead some
> kind of session on this that is also SIG sponsored? Perhaps it could be more
> than a lecture -- did you see Microsoft's "usability game show" at CHI in
> Austria? We could toss out some fun prizes to those that come up with
> something not on the list -- that way the audience is more engaged. I can
> see this as a high energy and fun, engaging session.
>
> OK...More ideas!!!
>
> Michelle
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I agree with all of the competitors advice. I would also like to add "no
> game show theme next time"? A theme is good, but something cool, not corny?
> Michelle, I like all of your suggestions so far. I would prefer to have a
> good, 3rd party host and Raph seems like a good person for that. And I guess
> fitting in his own entry is cool?
>
> But, ok, what still seems missing is:
>
> 1) theme / title of the design challenge. Can we still use "design
> challenge" in the title?
> 2) basically along with the theme, the target impaired audience? Our options
> are:
>
> - game for one specific game handicap
> - game for a game handicap of choice
> - game for one out of a selection of game handicaps (the list we make)
>
> But maybe we can try something completely different/less obvious instead. As
> I read Eelke's (excellent) Gamasutra article today, I was thinking about
> handicaps caused by impairments and the same handicaps not caused by
> impairments. Example: deaf gamers encounter the same problems as gamers in a
> loud environment (LAN party/mother vacuming/arcade/on the train) as gamers
> that play a mobile game and intentionally turn the sound off. Another one
> is: gamers with parkinson encounter the same problem as gamers on a plane
> with turbulence. Another one is: gamers trying to play with a DS or a PSP in
> a sunny environment (as I tried in the Dominican Republic for 2 weeks)
> encounter the same problem as visually impaired gamers. etc. etc. For more
> examples, see Eelke's article.
>
> Maybe we could make sort of a game-handicap list, where each problem is
> linked to both a bodily impairment *and* a likely situation that a
> non-impaired gamer can also encounter. So the parkinson/airplane disability
> (although there's probably also the gamer with parkinson on a plane with
> turbulence-disability). This is also where we could can some fun in, for
> instance:
>
> disability: game speed is to fast
> people who encounter this issue: gamers with a physical impairment that does
> not allow for fast reactions, hippies
>
> disability: cannot hear game audio
> people who encounter this issue: deaf gamers, grannies, gamers who visited
> Ozzfest 2007
>
> Err... ?
>
> And I guess I still want Hugh Heffner to showcase his Playboy Mansion game
> to see how well he handles the controls at his age. And I like celebrity
> handicapped people: Michael J Fox showing how he plays with the DS having
> Parkinson?
>
> Just some random thought. Next please!
>
> Ries
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "d. michelle hinn" <hinn at uiuc.edu>
> To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
> Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 11:11 PM
> Subject: [games_access] Thinking about GDC 08's competition
>
>
> Hey guys,
>
> So I'm working on next year's design challenge for GDC and I'm taking the
> advise of the competitors from 07 into consideration:
>
> * Keep it to one hour
> * No judges at all -- if judges have questions about why they felt that
> way...I'll email you off-list
> * Include accessibility "extra info" between the contestants or do it all up
> front
> * NO VIDEOS unless they are realllllllllly good and reallllllllllly short
> (we left people in the dark with our video as fun as it was to make it
> wasn't nearly as hilarious in real life) :)
> * Keep things more serious without being boring
> * Ax the "reality show" idea
> * Cut down the number of contestants to 3
>
> So right now I'm talking to people who might be involved -- Raph Koster
> (wrote "theory of fun") is interested in either being a contestant or being
> "mini" presenter on the challenges of accessibility and fun (those of you at
> GDC 07 probably remember that we were up against him so maybe if we get
> everyone famous somehow involved...hehe) and then Will Wright, Dave Perry
> and Keita Takahashi who said they were interested for 08 --  I'm imagining
> all will not say "yes." Raph is really interested in being involved in some
> manner. I'd like for them to be involved during even the early stages so
> that we can present a coherent show. So I'd to have the spirit of being a
> publisher with many competing design studios and only one will get the "go"
> in a "go/no go" audience vote (this was Noah's suggestion). So the
> contestants would have "checking in" meetings with us as they go (to prevent
> "non-game presentations...we had a few") and such. And I'm imagining that
> all contestants would have "accessibility mentors" assigned to them from the
> SIG to make things even more challenging and fun for all of us and get us
> all involved.
>
> So this isn't THE proposal...I'm just still riffing on some ideas. So YOUR
> opinion counts so please do give it! None of last year's contestants said
> that we should drop the whole idea -- but instead change it and do it in a
> way that seems much more put together.
>
> So let's go! Let's think about our cool street cred session that might get
> people in the door for an hour and then get them to come to the expo for
> more! Let's think about how we can have the coolest, yet non-hospital
> inducing sessions to raise the roof!!!!
>
> Michelle
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Eelke Folmer                                          Assistant Professor
> Department of Computer Science &       Engineering/171
> University of Nevada                         Reno, Nevada 89557
> Game Quality
> usability|accessibility.eelke.com
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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