[games_access] You Can Make a Difference

[D. Michelle Hinn]

Hi all,

It would be very interesting to know who on the list has bought an  
accessible game for themselves or others and what the reactions were  
so that we could send email to those companies so that they know that  
what they are doing or have done HAS made a difference.

$$ talks...and I and others can speak at conferences about what to  
include in games. But to that...I know that I (and others!) also get  
the financial question. It's one thing to predict what COULD be  
gained monetarily but it's another to provide and encourage feedback  
from users as a group, as individuals, and from gamers with  
disabilities. It's these stories and advocacy about gamers with  
disabilities on AbleGamers, Game Forward, One Switch, Game Informer,  
and others (sorry to have left out any news/information sources --  
just picked a couple off the top of my head) that make a real  
emotional impact...and also give companies the knowledge that they  
are doing the right thing AND that what they do IS increasing sales.  
Even yesterday's story in Game Informer -- although it was about an  
unfortunate situation -- resulted in very interesting forum posts on  
that site. Randy himself has been fielding posts on the list and when  
he got on the forums, wow, that resulted in a very different tone as  
people actually started READING the story and looking up how many  
people that setting has helped -- those with and without  
disabilities. (Unfortunately, continued inquiries to Infinity Ward  
and Activision remain unanswered).

John raises an excellent point -- let's talk about what we and others  
have BOUGHT to support game accessibility whether for themselves or  
for friends and family. And lets get that information to the  
companies. This doesn't have to be just FROM the SIG but let's all  
work on this as a group but also as individuals to help game  
companies realize that their efforts have made a difference via a  
financial perspective.

Just my 2 cents of support. :) And, yes, I have bought some game  
titles and controllers for community centers and when I get back from  
running a few errands I'll tell you about those so that you know I'm  
not just talking out of both sides of my mouth! :)

Michelle

On Dec 3, 2009, at 4:08 AM, John Bannick wrote:

> Folks,
>
> The SIG does more to make computer games accessible than anywhere  
> else I've found on the Web.
>
> Here's something additional we all can do this month.
>
> 1. Buy accessible games as gifts (Not necessarily ours, but anyones’)
> 2. Suggest to friends and family that accessible games make good gifts
> 3. And, most importantly, suggest to everyone who’ll stand still  
> for a minute that they tell game companies when they’ve bought  
> their game because it was accessible.
>
> Our own 7-128 Software recently released Visit Salem, a travelogue  
> game. It includes over 6 hours of audio descriptions, history,  
> architecture, music and interviews. It’s also totally inaccessible  
> to players who are blind, deaf, or motion-impaired.
>
> Why? Because it would take an additional 6 months to make it  
> accessible. Even with a code base that includes a lot of  
> accessibility features and useful guidance from John Oliveira, a  
> colleague and head of our Massachusetts Commission for the Blind,  
> and from you and other folks I know in the accessibility community.
>
> I’d love to make it accessible to players who are blind, or deaf,  
> or motion-impaired. But the consensus among our management team is  
> that there are too few potential sales to justify the effort and  
> expense, at least at this time.
>
> Game margins are razor slim. Electronic Arts lost tens of millions  
> of dollars this year, also last year. The difference between profit  
> and loss at our small mainstream company is tiny.
>
> Posts by other colleagues suggest that a few more sales could help  
> pay their light bills, too.
>
> Posts by Barrie, Dark, Mark Barlet, Brian Papineau, and my own  
> experience here suggest that some mainstream game companies do  
> respond positively when you tell them “I buy your stuff because you  
> make it work for me. I buy other people’s stuff when you  
> don’t” (Recent news notwithstanding)
>
> So, over the next few weeks you personally can make a difference by  
> bugging people to buy accessible games and for them to tell  
> developers when they do.
>
> John Bannick
> Chief Technical Officer
> 7-128 Software
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access

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