[games_access] I'm out - enjoy the quilting bee.

[Mark Barlet]

Barrie, I think Chuck has hit it right on the head. If I recall even
John Bannick a few months ago pointed out the need to support these
makers of games, and called out My Football Game in his example of
SUPPORTING THOSE THAT ARE DOING. It is only when someone calls this
group in it that a people spin into action.

Frankly, this group has taken the wins of AbleGamers and chastised us
for our "approach" and "tactics" and yet I dare say that the rag tag
team over at AbleGamers had more collective "wins" for accessibility
in 2009 than this group has had in 8 years? This group is still
shopping the same GDC talks that they gave 5 years ago. Hell one of
them is talking about wins in a mainstream game that you can now
download for free because it is so old.

When I joined this group a few years ago I thought I had reached into
a team that was really working towards a cause, a cause that is real
to me because I am disabled, my best friends are disabled, my sister
is disabled, but I quickly realized that it was every man for himself,
and the only cause was sitting around talking about things and shit on
people that are doing something about game accessibility that really
changed peoples lives. I was told not to post my shit to this group
while others were linkbombing the crap out of the list. AbleGamers was
writing original content, developer interviews, and so on, while the
rest of you were talking about how great it would be if we could talk
to developers. I know of only 4 people on this list that are even
member of AbleGamers. Hell some of the people on this list have
actively been trying to destroy AbleGamers (they know who they are).
so to me a few of you have "credibility issues" when it comes to game
accessibility.

Want an example of a GA-SIG FAIL? I asked this group the other day
what questions you would want answered if I posted it to 60 to 80
people working with games in health care. You know how many questions
I got? NOT ONE. In all this group of people that "care" for game
accessibility not one. (I know that some on this group will be some of
those pros at Game Accessibility Day, but many will not) So I can
understand Chuck's frustration.

So I say all that to say this... I am going to leave this SIG, it is a
waste of time, and time is something I frankly do not have a lot of
given that AbleGamers is busy advancing game accessibility and not
sitting around and talking about it. I have Game Accessibility Day to
prep for and Games for Health and the LAUNCH of the AbleGamers
Foundation Accessibility HUB in Chicago in June, a white paper 7-128
and AbleGamers is producing to proof and add my part to, oh and I have
a full time job that has nothing to do with any of this!

If there is anyone who really gives a crap about game accessibility
needs me, you know where I am. I think that I have proven that time
and time again that i am for the cause. Self promoter, you bet, proud
of what The AbleGamers Foundation is doing, hell yah!

I know many people personally from this group, John, Barrie, Brian,
Nat, Dr. Flynn (not sure your new last name), in fact all of you are
welcome to keep knowing me and I look forward to still working with
you, but this list is a waste of time.

You are welcome to visit and participate in
http://www.gameaccessibility.org (I set the site up for the SIG, but
none of you came to help, so AGF just took it) or
http://www.ablegamers.com and even the new Serious Games site we are
going to be launching soon.

Mark Barlet
President and CEO
The AbleGamers Foundation

mark at ablegamers.com

-- 

The AbleGamers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that advocates
for greater accessibility in the digital entertainment space.
Visit our site, http://www.ablegamers.org