[games_access] Temporarily Disabled by Tech (was Prince of Persia)

Tue Mar 16 18:17:03 EDT 2010

Indeed. There are times when universally accessible can become  
"impossible" (understatement) but that doesn't mean that we should  
throw in the towel. Perhaps some games will never be universally  
accessible -- I can't think of what is actually universally  
accessible to everyone in every case, games or not. But it's a  
philosophy to keep in mind and to work toward even if in the end we  
fall short due to budgets, solutions that work for one group but make  
things worse for another, etc.

BTW, do I have stories to tell about motion sickness and the creation  
of Halo! Wow. Things got messy in the usability labs. :( Quite a few  
of us couldn't watch the observation screen because the characters  
are moving at 40mph and you are not going anywhere. That's why so  
many large scale VR apps (my background) in environments like the  
CAVE and CUBE made people so ill. If you weren't the driver, you got  
the "backseat of the car driving fast around a mountain" effect. So  
what Disney Research and others learned was exactly how important  
moving the ground platform was to go along with the visuals on  
screen. Lessened the motion sickness if you moved people as if they  
were REALLY in the environment versus just by sight.

There are lots of temporarily disabled by technology readings and  
examples. I broke my ankle a few weeks before I was hospitalized for  
something completely different. Guess who couldn't use the drum kit  
in Rockband because my left foot is weaker than my right (the one I  
broke)? Yes, solutions exist but I didn't have any at that point in  
time and I knew that I'd be out of the cast soon enough so spending  
the money on a solution wasn't practical.

I'm in PT right now for both my abdomen and my ankle. I asked them if  
we could try to integrate wii fit into my program. They didn't have  
prior experience with it but I could show them through it and we are  
using it for certain things like balance and such. Sure, it's not  
"stand alone" for me yet. My body is too beat up at the moment that  
right now I need a partner for any exercise I do. I have a molded  
walking cast but the main issue is the ten inch incision up my torso  
that is partially open (on purpose). If I fell...that would be very  
bad....as you probably can guess as a PT!

One thing that we haven't figured out yet that is very important to  
my physical health is that I have also lost a horrific amount of  
weight (current: 5'6 -- 97 pounds...) in the last month so making  
sure I maintain and increase my weight is important plus I am  
surgically menopausal so there are bone density concerns. I had  
already lost weight with the ovarian cancer but when things moved to  
the pancreas...eek. If you have any ideas that I could share with my  
PT team, please email me off list! That would be very kind of you.  
I'm not ready to go quite yet and I don't have easy access to PT  
outside of where I am now until I am cleared for travel (three more  
weeks).

Thanks for bringing up this interesting conversation Sheri and  
Sandra! I am going to work on finding some of my old VR articles  
about temporary disabilities that could help you with a historical  
background for any lit review or just personal/professional interest.  
Wow...talking about the CAVE brings back memories! *

Michelle

* For those not familiar with the CAVE/CUBE, the CAVE was a four  
walled (floor, plus forward, right and left walls where you could  
stand inside, say, DOOM (one of the first things to get ported  
over...lol...scientific money at work!). The CUBE is a six walled  
environment (all walls plus floor and ceiling. As with so many  
simulations, this was used in entertainment (Disney for example) and  
the military but also car and plane manufacturers. And there were  
several studies done with disabled users. One very interesting side  
example was an artist who had been in a horrible car accident and as  
a result had traumatic brain injury. Along with programmers, she made  
one of the most emotionally beautiful VR apps I have ever seen. It  
chronicled what the brain injury had done and how she now saw the  
world. Very, very emotional and one of the best (IMO) VR uses I have  
ever seen because it gave others (including doctors) a "walkthrough"  
of what it was like to have a disability of that nature.

On Mar 16, 2010, at 11:26 AM, sheryl Flynn wrote:

> This is precisely why "universal design" would be helpful in games.
>
> ~Sheryl Flynn PT, PhD
> www.games4rehab.com
>
>
>
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> From: D. Michelle Hinn <hinn at uiuc.edu>
> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List <games_access at igda.org>
> Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 11:01:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [games_access] timing, sound information (prince of  
> persia
>
> Hey Sandra!
>
> I agree -- game accessibility is not just for those with disabilities
> -- so many things help improve the gaming experience for all! Thanks  
> for your thoughts on Prince of Persia!!
>
> Michelle
>
> On Mar 15, 2010, at 10:11 AM, Sandra Uhling wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > in Prince of Persia sound is very important.
> > Besides a puzzle that was already mentioned,
> > there is sound information for a special jump.
> >
> > There is a jump where you have to jump from one
> > Wall to another and back ....
> > This jump is very difficult. It helps to listen
> > to the sound. There is a "paff" sound when you have to push the key.
> > Without this sound I would not be able to play it.
> >
> >
> > Also it would be great to have sometimes "timing-information".
> > There are some games where it is important to push a key at
> > a certain moment. Unfortunately you have to be able to get the
> > timing right, otherwise you cannot win. It would be great to have
> > a symbol or something counting down 3 2 1 click.
> > Or to make it very very easy without timing.
> >
> > While playing I noticed that I want to join the story.
> > I do not want to be able to make it in a hard difficulty.
> > I am glad when I can finish it. One Prince of Persia
> > I was able to finish only 2%.
> >
> > I am not disabled, but I have lots of difficulties to play such  
> games.
> > Game Accessibility is more than just thinking about disabled.
> > It is also for "busy gamer" and "beginner"...
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Sandra
> >
> >
> >
> >
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