[games_access] Ideas for GDC 2008

[d. michelle hinn]

Ok...so now's the time to get the write ups going for the proposed 
SIG sessions for GDC 2008 (it always takes us a bit to get things 
finalized and GDC is even earlier in 2008) and I some ideas that I 
want to run past people.

We've talked a lot already about applying accessibility to how it 
would help people that don't have a disability (like curb cuts that 
help bicyclists and parents with baby strollers, etc). What if we had 
a session called "Innovation: Game Accessibility for Able Gamers" 
with the session planned around taking what we know about 
accessibility and targeted the solutions for the "abled" in order to 
help them out by taking them out of the lull of "boring, predictable 
gaming"? This would be a session for the really "out there" stuff 
like biofeedback and games like demor. When I presented at last 
year's Montreal Game Summit, I found that it was the "wow" stuff that 
got people thinking about the whole issue of accessibility being 
"cool" -- it was the carrot that got them to listen to the more basic 
design information. After that, people came up to talk to me about 
how they never thought about accessibility as NOT limiting game 
design.

I'm not totally sold on the title (I just came up with it now so 
catchier titles would be greatly appreciated!) but it would give us a 
way to present accessibility information pertaining to disabled 
gamers, sell it as something that helps more than just disabled 
gamers without straying too far from the fact that we are the game 
accessibility SIG.

Another thing to think about is not how gamers is with disabilities 
are limited but, instead, how maybe the increased skill in another 
area makes them even MORE competitive and so "able" gamers should 
know about these -- it's a turn around of telling them what they are 
doing RIGHT in games by pointing out that they could even the score 
with regard to accessibility by keeping these things in their games 
(I know...that last one's trickier because it could lead to a 
developer thinking that they are unbalanced in their gameplay by 
making things easier for one user group...even though they already do 
that when they are INaccessible).

I've seen how easy some find it to forget the original audience that 
a design was aiming for by making changes that end up not serving 
that original audience. So that's why I remain resistant to totally 
taking the word "accessibility" out -- I'm afraid of NOT reminding 
the industry to keep gamers with disabilities in mind because it's so 
easy for them to come down with selective amnesia. We've tried a LOT 
of tactics over the years -- from serious to humorous, from 
roundtables to much more ambitious workshops. So we need to think 
about what we've learned from the four years we've presented as a SIG 
at GDC. We won't do "accessibility idol" again but I think we 
*should* do another competition (and we can again -- we got the 
tentative "thumbs up" to do an hour-long competition, rather than the 
two hour overkill). I'll write another email about ideas for a 
competition that removes us from "idol" but helps us better make 
accessibility into a challenging creative design process rather than 
this "forced, non-creative" thing that it's rumored to be (and this 
year I know to jump on the signage and web advert issue immediately).

BUT...as a SIG I think we should stick to a fun competition (with the 
devs that showed interest last year but couldn't do it but can this 
year), the expo (with the fall back of another "arcade" thing, only 
not three days worth), a "wacky session" like "innovation," and some 
sort of longer session (like a tutorial) where we can have "short 
burst" info about the things that SIG members have been doing -- ie, 
Eelke might take 20-30 minutes to discuss his stuff, Dimitris taking 
the same amount of time to overview his latest, Barrie and his stuff, 
etc, etc, etc. Then if any one person wants to do a longer 
presentation on their own stuff, they can do so at their own session, 
promoting it at the SIG workshop. And if it helps, we can present the 
more solo-acts as SIG-sponsored sessions to make sure it gets on the 
schedule better -- I know Reid and others have had a really hard time 
getting onto the schedule as solo acts. But in the end the longer 
presentations would be the onus of the person who is presenting their 
work and not something that the entire SIG needs to be there to set 
up for, etc (that doesn't mean that we all wouldn't try to be there 
for them!!).

We learned in March that 78.4 SIG sessions (ok, 8) isn't the way to 
go but I also think going back to the single roundtable isn't the 
answer either. So now we have to find our happy medium that allows us 
to all ATTEND other sessions and help increase the buzz about all of 
our sessions, our existance, etc but also maximize our limited 
(simply by the fact that there are just a few of us that can make it 
to any one GDC) efforts in the sessions that we do. And we have to 
find our happy medium so it's not just a couple of us pulling 
all-nighters the weeks before! So instead of me being in charge of 
every session for the organization, we can share the wealth a bit by 
having some on the committee for the competition, others on the 
tutorial/workshop committee, and so forth. I realize that we aren't a 
big lot but even NON attendees can help serve on committees to help 
share ideas!

Ok that's the end of this email that had started out short and sweet. 
:) Sorry -- just feeling the GDC pressure and I realllly want to get 
as many people involved as possible so we can present a more united 
effort and help best support one another!!

Thoughts? Reactions? And, yes, I'm now very removed from the emotions 
of GDC 2007. :) But please be thoughtful in your suggestions -- 
underneath that black leather jacket I keep wearing to GDCs (for good 
luck?), I can get rather down sometimes (yay! depression!) and I'd 
hate for us to have a flame war. I promise I will count to 10 before 
hitting the "send" button if I find myself taking things too 
personally. Ok, deal? :)

Michelle