[games_access] UN Convention -> national rights?

Sun Oct 31 18:20:04 EDT 2010

Also, Tara is right -- we need to talk to game attorneys (there is one on the IGDA board) before any sort of law or lobbying for a law happens. 

On Oct 31, 2010, at 5:09 AM, Sandra Uhling wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> the question is how will these new laws look like?
> It is not a question do we get them. We will get them. (Germany)
> And unfortunately the people who make this new laws do not know anything
> about games.
> 
> The question is how can we avoid risk and how can we use the chances?
> At the moment the requests of person with disabilities are like:
> * funds only when project realize barrier free things.
> * "Accessiblity" will be part of apprenticeship and study
> * Control for Accessibility
> * ...
> 
> I would say the game developer should worry about the action plan in
> Germany.
> Every country who ratified the UN Convention have to make sure that also
> companies realize accessibility.
> 
> 
> 
> In think the term "about us not without us" should also be for people
> who have to realize it. So they should ask all branches for feedback.
> 
> Here are my notes: 
> * we are not able to realize the request
> ** because we do not have information how to avoid barriers
> ** games cannot be "barrier free"
> ** in some special cases, games do not have to be "barrier free"
> ** barriers are often the key of a game, it is not easy to find a solution
> ** to make games more accessible we need more time, information, support,
> etc.
> 
> So what the game branch need is:
> * a project (Game Accessibility lab) that writes the information for game
> designer and game developer
> * we need more support, funds to realize more accessible games
> * we need minimal standards, that can be risen step by step, it cannot be
> "barrier free"
> * the game designer and game developer need support to learn about it and to
> realize it.
> 
> 
> Best regards,
> Sandra
> 
> 
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org] Im
> Auftrag von Michelle Hinn
> Gesendet: Samstag, 30. Oktober 2010 19:11
> An: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
> Betreff: Re: [games_access] UN Convention -> national rights?
> 
> Hey Sandra,
> 
> The UN convention is not something that will necessarily apply to any
> country's government. A lot of people on the list who are from the US have
> strong arguments against why accessible gaming law should not exist. I'm not
> necessarily one of them -- in my opinion an awareness campaign is never a
> bad thing.
> 
> To make something into law in the US will need to go WAY beyond anything the
> UN decides.  
> 
> Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "action" and "law?" Again, I'm
> not saying that awareness campaigns are bad -- just that government
> enforcement and lawmaking is hard. The UN may have a Convention but it's not
> something that will mean that a developer needs to worry about it. :(
> 
> Michelle
> 
> On Oct 30, 2010, at 11:35 AM, Sandra Uhling wrote:
> 
>> Hi Michelle,
>> 
>> well that is changing now. Thanks to the UN Convention.
>> But what is going to be changed will depend on what we do.
>> 
>> When Germany signed the protocol they thought they do not need to do
>> anything.
>> Well, when you see the action plans it is the other way round :-)
>> Now it is the time to get this action into real action.
>> 
>> But I do not have enough knowledge to write very good request. :-(
>> Of course we can only ask for laws for accessibility,
>> when we ask also for support for game designers.
>> 
>> Instead of getting only funds when you realize accessibility,
>> the companies should be supported to develop more accessible games.
>> Video games cannot be barrier free, they can be poor of barriers.
>> That is something important to say to the government.
>> 
>> Best regards,
>> Sandra
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
>> Von: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org]
> Im
>> Auftrag von Michelle Hinn
>> Gesendet: Samstag, 30. Oktober 2010 15:58
>> An: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
>> Betreff: Re: [games_access] UN Convention -> national rights?
>> 
>> Hey Sandra,
>> 
>> We do have some laws but the trouble is that the ones we have are more
>> focused on equal opportunity in the workplace for the disabled and such.
>> Given that years ago a law passed requiring "open captioning" (the
> captions
>> are either on the back of a movie theatre chair or on a hand held device)
>> for people who are deaf that has MAYBE only happened in a handful of movie
>> theaters in the country, I don't have much hope that a law requiring
>> videogame accessibility would ever happen. As I said, the movie industry
> has
>> to provide the open captioning YET no on enforces it... 
>> 
>> And our political climate right now is getting very hostile towards
>> videogames, especially as our mid-term elections are in just a few days --
>> the more conservative that get into office tend to see videogames ONLY as
>> evil -- they would rather them not exist at all for anyone, not just the
>> disabled.
>> 
>> Michelle
>> 
>> On Oct 30, 2010, at 8:27 AM, Sandra Uhling wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi,
>>> 
>>> the UN Convention is great. But at the moment it is only for the states.
>>> The states have to change their national laws that it effects also
>>> companies.
>>> 
>>> At the moment we have the possibility to give some feedbacks for the
>> German
>>> action plan.
>>> What kind of law do we need that it effects also companies?
>>> 
>>> E.g. PS3 console and not accepting special controller
>>> 
>>> How should a law look like that the gamer can request an update because
>> they
>>> are discriminated?
>>> It is also important that this will work, also when there are mistakes in
>>> the request.
>>> 
>>> Someone an idea?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Best regards,
>>> Sandra
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> games_access mailing list
>>> games_access at igda.org
>>> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>> 
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