From thomas at westin.nu Tue Dec 1 04:22:45 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2015 10:22:45 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Help the GA-SIG: become an IGDA member! Message-ID: <84D47316-EE46-42B6-AD5B-5218B6AEA098@westin.nu> Hello everyone, As you know, the GA-SIG is based on volunteer work. We have a long list of ongoing actions (at igda-gasig.org ), presents talks and holds gatherings at events (primarily GDC), funded out of our own pockets. If you're not a current member of the IGDA and would like give back by signing up as a member of the IGDA for a year or two, then look no further! You may be wondering, ?Dan/Thomas, what do I get besides some warm fuzzies for helping out my fellow SIG members?" You can check out all of the IGDA member benefits you get right over here , but for those who want a quick taste I've listed some below. Free or discounted hardware, software, and developer tools Discounts for books and conferences around the world such as GDC and the IGDA Leadership Summit Business & health insurance Support IGDA initiatives (advocacy on behalf of developers, research to support and educate the industry, supporting diversity and inclusion in everything we do, official supporters of positive change and community initiatives) Content! The IGDA provide interviews, webinars, research to grow members knowledge of our incredible diverse industry Access to the biggest game developer association in the world; Take your networking and connections to the next level Also, there are special discounts, benefits for students. IGDA is an amazing tool to help you grow skills and meet key people in the industry Ready to sign up and help out the GA-SIG? Wonderful. In order to help us though, you need to use our special promo code: ACCESS For new members: (returning members, please see below) Go to www.igda.org/whyjoin , scroll to the bottom, and select Individual Member. Choose a username, fill in your name, and click Continue. Select a membership and click Continue with the selected membership. Please choose one of the following: Individual Core Member ? 1 year (with or without auto-renewal) Individual Core Member ? 2 year (with or without auto-renewal) Complete your member profile and click Submit. On the Membership Dues page, enter the code ACCESS in the appropriate box and click Apply Code. A confirmation that the promo code has been applied will appear. This part is really important if you want to help us out! Finish up your registration and you should be good to go! Welcome to the IGDA! For returning members: (those who have not been a current member for a year or more) Go to www.igda.org and log into your existing account. After logging in, you should be informed that your membership has expired. (Oh no!) Click Securely renew your membership now. On the Membership Dues page, please choose one of the following memberships: Individual Core Member ? 1 year (with or without auto-renewal) Individual Core Member ? 2 year (with or without auto-renewal) On the Membership Dues page, enter the code ACCESS in the appropriate box and click Apply Code. A confirmation that the promo code has been applied will appear. This part is really important if you want to help us out! Finish up your registration and you should be good to go! Welcome back ol' pal! Thank you very much everyone, Thomas and Dan, co-chairs of the IGDA Game Accessibility SIG -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk Mon Dec 7 03:35:15 2015 From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis) Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2015 08:35:15 +0000 Subject: [games_access] Fwd: This may interest you In-Reply-To: <775591789.16213020.1449431478988.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> References: <775591789.16213020.1449431478988.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> <775591789.16213020.1449431478988.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Thought this would be of interest to most on this group (thanks to Jose Alejandro Silva).... Different Games Conference 2016 Different Games Conference 2016 Different Games Conference is an annual student and volunteer-lead conference on diversity and inclusivity in games. Ver en 2016.differentgames.org Vista previa por Yahoo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thomas at westin.nu Mon Dec 7 07:04:51 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2015 13:04:51 +0100 Subject: [games_access] This may interest you In-Reply-To: References: <775591789.16213020.1449431478988.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> <775591789.16213020.1449431478988.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <6E62B934-09F7-47A5-8A6F-AE6E3CC9DE17@westin.nu> Thanks Barrie, Very relevant conference but as it seems to not be a peer-reviewed academic conference I can?t motivate the trip from Sweden. Anyone (living in the NY area) who wlll attend? Best, Thomas > 7Dec 2015 kl. 09:35 skrev Barrie Ellis : > > Thought this would be of interest to most on this group (thanks to Jose Alejandro Silva).... > > Different Games Conference 2016 > > > > > > > Different Games Conference 2016 > Different Games Conference is an annual student and volunteer-lead conference on diversity and inclusivity in games. > Ver en 2016.differentgames.org > Vista previa por Yahoo > > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael at michaelhaycroft.com Mon Dec 7 07:07:18 2015 From: michael at michaelhaycroft.com (Michael Haycroft) Date: Mon, 07 Dec 2015 05:07:18 -0700 Subject: [games_access] =?utf-8?q?This_may_interest_you?= Message-ID: <20151207050718.d802b3dc52cdfd6792f00493696f9295.0ff6dc05b1.wbe@email19.asia.secureserver.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thomas at westin.nu Wed Dec 9 02:24:36 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 08:24:36 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? Message-ID: Hi all, Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March 14-18 ? Best regards, Thomas W. From jarryd.huntley at gmail.com Wed Dec 9 02:48:37 2015 From: jarryd.huntley at gmail.com (Jarryd Huntley) Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 02:48:37 -0500 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I'll be there. On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Thomas Westin wrote: > Hi all, > > Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March 14-18 ? > > Best regards, > Thomas W. > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > -- Jarryd Huntley Sr. Software Engineer | Composer | Cleveland Game Devs - Organizer @JarrydHuntley | Linkedin | Cleveland Game Devs -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From i_h at hotmail.com Wed Dec 9 04:56:18 2015 From: i_h at hotmail.com (Ian Hamilton) Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 09:56:18 +0000 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: Me too Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 02:48:37 -0500 From: jarryd.huntley at gmail.com To: games_access at igda.org Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? I'll be there. On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Thomas Westin wrote: Hi all, Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March 14-18 ? Best regards, Thomas W. _______________________________________________ games_access mailing list games_access at igda.org https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org -- Jarryd HuntleySr. Software Engineer | Composer | Cleveland Game Devs - Organizer at JarrydHuntley | Linkedin | Cleveland Game Devs _______________________________________________ games_access mailing list games_access at igda.org https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chad at anacronist.com Wed Dec 9 19:31:31 2015 From: chad at anacronist.com (Chad Philip Johnson) Date: Wed, 09 Dec 2015 16:31:31 -0800 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: <1449707491.2104.10.camel@localhost> And me. -- Chad Philip Johnson Anacronist Software On Wed, 2015-12-09 at 09:56 +0000, Ian Hamilton wrote: > Me too > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 02:48:37 -0500 > From: jarryd.huntley at gmail.com > To: games_access at igda.org > Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? > > I'll be there. > > On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Thomas Westin > wrote: > Hi all, > > Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March > 14-18 ? > > Best regards, > Thomas W. > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > > -- > Jarryd Huntley > Sr. Software Engineer | Composer | Cleveland Game Devs - Organizer > @JarrydHuntley | Linkedin | Cleveland Game Devs > > > > _______________________________________________ games_access mailing > list games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG > website page is http://igda-gasig.org > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org From tvoelker at igda-gasig.org Wed Dec 9 23:22:37 2015 From: tvoelker at igda-gasig.org (Tara Voelker) Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 20:22:37 -0800 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: <1449707491.2104.10.camel@localhost> References: <1449707491.2104.10.camel@localhost> Message-ID: <30A054DA-BE27-4C27-85D3-BCBD1B6F0B7A@igda-gasig.org> I'm not attending the conference, but I may end up being in town. Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 9, 2015, at 4:31 PM, Chad Philip Johnson wrote: > > And me. > > -- > Chad Philip Johnson > Anacronist Software > > > > >> On Wed, 2015-12-09 at 09:56 +0000, Ian Hamilton wrote: >> Me too >> >> >> ______________________________________________________________________ >> Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 02:48:37 -0500 >> From: jarryd.huntley at gmail.com >> To: games_access at igda.org >> Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? >> >> I'll be there. >> >> On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Thomas Westin >> wrote: >> Hi all, >> >> Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March >> 14-18 ? >> >> Best regards, >> Thomas W. >> _______________________________________________ >> games_access mailing list >> games_access at igda.org >> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org >> >> >> -- >> Jarryd Huntley >> Sr. Software Engineer | Composer | Cleveland Game Devs - Organizer >> @JarrydHuntley | Linkedin | Cleveland Game Devs >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ games_access mailing >> list games_access at igda.org >> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG >> website page is http://igda-gasig.org >> _______________________________________________ >> games_access mailing list >> games_access at igda.org >> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org From thomas at westin.nu Thu Dec 10 06:53:06 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2015 12:53:06 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: <30A054DA-BE27-4C27-85D3-BCBD1B6F0B7A@igda-gasig.org> References: <1449707491.2104.10.camel@localhost> <30A054DA-BE27-4C27-85D3-BCBD1B6F0B7A@igda-gasig.org> Message-ID: OK, just for your info: I?m working on setting up a roundtable based on the SIG action list, to follow-up on what has been done and what should be priority going forward. More info will come. Best, Thomas > 10Dec 2015 kl. 05:22 skrev Tara Voelker : > > I'm not attending the conference, but I may end up being in town. > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Dec 9, 2015, at 4:31 PM, Chad Philip Johnson wrote: >> >> And me. >> >> -- >> Chad Philip Johnson >> Anacronist Software >> >> >> >> >>> On Wed, 2015-12-09 at 09:56 +0000, Ian Hamilton wrote: >>> Me too >>> >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________________ >>> Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 02:48:37 -0500 >>> From: jarryd.huntley at gmail.com >>> To: games_access at igda.org >>> Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? >>> >>> I'll be there. >>> >>> On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Thomas Westin >>> wrote: >>> Hi all, >>> >>> Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March >>> 14-18 ? >>> >>> Best regards, >>> Thomas W. >>> _______________________________________________ >>> games_access mailing list >>> games_access at igda.org >>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >>> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Jarryd Huntley >>> Sr. Software Engineer | Composer | Cleveland Game Devs - Organizer >>> @JarrydHuntley | Linkedin | Cleveland Game Devs >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ games_access mailing >>> list games_access at igda.org >>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG >>> website page is http://igda-gasig.org >>> _______________________________________________ >>> games_access mailing list >>> games_access at igda.org >>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >>> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org >> >> _______________________________________________ >> games_access mailing list >> games_access at igda.org >> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org From jerome.dupire at cnam.fr Thu Dec 10 07:28:39 2015 From: jerome.dupire at cnam.fr (Jerome Dupire) Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2015 13:28:39 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56696FF7.9020208@cnam.fr> At the moment, I will not... Le 09/12/2015 08:24, Thomas Westin a ?crit : > Hi all, > > Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March 14-18 ? > > Best regards, > Thomas W. > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > From four at nucleus.com Thu Dec 10 18:44:51 2015 From: four at nucleus.com (Siobhan Thomas) Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2015 23:44:51 +0000 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: < DUB130-W77D11E877E71CABA80FD0791E80@phx.gbl> <1449707491.2104.10.camel@localhost> <30A054DA-BE27-4C27-85D3-BCBD1B6F0B7A@igda-gasi g.org> Message-ID: I'm hoping to come! Just have to get permission from work Sent from my iPhone > On 10 Dec 2015, at 11:53, Thomas Westin wrote: > > OK, just for your info: > I?m working on setting up a roundtable based on the SIG action list, to follow-up on what has been done and what should be priority going forward. > More info will come. > Best, > Thomas > >> 10Dec 2015 kl. 05:22 skrev Tara Voelker : >> >> I'm not attending the conference, but I may end up being in town. >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Dec 9, 2015, at 4:31 PM, Chad Philip Johnson wrote: >>> >>> And me. >>> >>> -- >>> Chad Philip Johnson >>> Anacronist Software >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>> On Wed, 2015-12-09 at 09:56 +0000, Ian Hamilton wrote: >>>> Me too >>>> >>>> >>>> ______________________________________________________________________ >>>> Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 02:48:37 -0500 >>>> From: jarryd.huntley at gmail.com >>>> To: games_access at igda.org >>>> Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? >>>> >>>> I'll be there. >>>> >>>> On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, Thomas Westin >>>> wrote: >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> Just a quick poll, who is planning to attend GDC 2016, March >>>> 14-18 ? >>>> >>>> Best regards, >>>> Thomas W. >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> games_access mailing list >>>> games_access at igda.org >>>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >>>> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Jarryd Huntley >>>> Sr. Software Engineer | Composer | Cleveland Game Devs - Organizer >>>> @JarrydHuntley | Linkedin | Cleveland Game Devs >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ games_access mailing >>>> list games_access at igda.org >>>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG >>>> website page is http://igda-gasig.org >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> games_access mailing list >>>> games_access at igda.org >>>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >>>> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> games_access mailing list >>> games_access at igda.org >>> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >>> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org >> _______________________________________________ >> games_access mailing list >> games_access at igda.org >> https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access >> The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org From andreas.lopez93 at gmail.com Fri Dec 11 08:04:36 2015 From: andreas.lopez93 at gmail.com (Andreas Lopez) Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2015 08:04:36 -0500 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? Message-ID: I fear my wife, Yairelys and I won't attend this year because we have a trip to her family in cuba later next year and I only have one set of vacation. Hope to hear whatever happens Game Accessibility related here though! Sincerely, Andreas Lopez *Game Designer & Game Accessibility Advocate* *Co-Founder of Mythic Dragon Entertainment* *http://mythic-dragon.com * *Linked In * *My Portfolio * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk Mon Dec 14 14:38:41 2015 From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis) Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 19:38:41 +0000 Subject: [games_access] Microsoft "Ease of Access" call for accessibility ideas: Message-ID: Hi all, I've just popped a call to Microsoft for maybe the most forgotten, and yet often easiest feature to consider for Xbox games (and we've long called for it at the IGDA GASIG): https://xbox.uservoice.com/forums/335163-ease-of-access/suggestions/11075151-promote-very-broad-difficulty-adjustment-in-games It's something that maybe doesn't fall under the CVAA requirements: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/21st-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-cvaa And yet, it's one of the most inclusive accessibility features. Offer easier play options, and make the range as broad as you can. There's no such thing as too easy for many players. >From a selfish side, Xbox One games having very broad difficulty level adjustment would make many games easier for those using "Gaming Redux" methods (reducing controls down, such as a standard joypad game down to one-stick and a couple of buttons, or at the extreme end, down to a single button/switch). I'm rambling. Would be hugely appreciated if you'd take the time to sign-up/sign-in and vote. Especially for the game difficulty area! Cheers, Barrie OneSwitch -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thomas at westin.nu Mon Dec 14 16:22:07 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 22:22:07 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Microsoft "Ease of Access" call for accessibility ideas: In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Great initiative Barrie! I have - voted (of course!) - blogged about it here http://igda-gasig.org/2015/12/14/promote-very-broad-difficulty-adjustment-in-games/ - and linked it from the start page of igda-gasig.org /Thomas > 14Dec 2015 kl. 20:38 skrev Barrie Ellis : > > Hi all, > > I've just popped a call to Microsoft for maybe the most forgotten, and yet often easiest feature to consider for Xbox games (and we've long called for it at the IGDA GASIG): > > https://xbox.uservoice.com/forums/335163-ease-of-access/suggestions/11075151-promote-very-broad-difficulty-adjustment-in-games > > It's something that maybe doesn't fall under the CVAA requirements: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/21st-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-cvaa > > And yet, it's one of the most inclusive accessibility features. Offer easier play options, and make the range as broad as you can. There's no such thing as too easy for many players. > > From a selfish side, Xbox One games having very broad difficulty level adjustment would make many games easier for those using "Gaming Redux" methods (reducing controls down, such as a standard joypad game down to one-stick and a couple of buttons, or at the extreme end, down to a single button/switch). > > > I'm rambling. Would be hugely appreciated if you'd take the time to sign-up/sign-in and vote. Especially for the game difficulty area! > > Cheers, > > Barrie > OneSwitch > > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From game at accessibility.nl Tue Dec 15 05:03:50 2015 From: game at accessibility.nl (Game Accessibility) Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:03:50 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi all, won't be there, unfortunately a bit too far. However, recently we had the Control Conference back here in The Netherlands. Did some interviews there with a lot of (also indie) developers who were all saying the same thing: "It costs a lot of money to add accessible options to our games". And also "It's hard to validate the games with people with disabilities because we can't find them". Maybe it's something to take into consideration when attending GDC. Over here we're now trying to work out some options on how to make games accessible for the smallest amount of money and sorting out where to add this in the development process. So we can hand this over to developers and say, for this game it costs this much, you'll reach an audience that's bigger etc. Well just my 2 cents here but we're working on it ;) Kind regards, Erik 2015-12-11 14:04 GMT+01:00 Andreas Lopez : > I fear my wife, Yairelys and I won't attend this year because we have a > trip to her family in cuba later next year and I only have one set of > vacation. Hope to hear whatever happens Game Accessibility related here > though! > > Sincerely, > > Andreas Lopez > > *Game Designer & Game Accessibility Advocate* > > *Co-Founder of Mythic Dragon Entertainment* > *http://mythic-dragon.com * > > *Linked In * > *My Portfolio * > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From i_h at hotmail.com Tue Dec 15 07:19:10 2015 From: i_h at hotmail.com (Ian Hamilton) Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 12:19:10 +0000 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: It's just standard misconceptions/assumptions. My favourite example of cost is a game called Super Space Snakes in Space. High contrast visuals. colour-blind friendliness through pattern use, simple one button controls, choice of any key or mouse button, sandbox practice mode. Far more considerations than most games have, and it was a game jam game, made in 36 hours. At the same time as being one of the most polished and enjoyable games in the jam. The reason why they were able to do so much was simply because they thought about it all from the start - for example when they designed their snakes, they thought about how to design them in a colourblind friendly way, they didn't design them first and then go back and try to figure out how to unpick what they had done and spend time/money on trying to convert them to being colourblind friendly. There are some things that invariably cost money, but a great deal that can be reduced to cheap/easy or even free, just a simple design decision, if addressed early enough. Another example being text size, deciding from the outset that you are never going to use below 28px text for your 1080p game costs you nothing, but doing as The Witcher 3 did and trying to change the text size after everything has already been designed is prohibitively difficult and expensive. Or in-game instructions on controls, setting it up as variables at the start so when you remap it updates them accordingly isn't free but it is very cheap, compared trying to go back and retrofit it later, which is a bit of a nightmare. It might be worth speaking to Thomas about it, he worked on a similar study. For yours, what could be really useful would be a comparison of cost: when figuring out the optimum place in the development process, and comparing cost to implement then against the point of development at which it would be the most difficult/expensive. A few of those comparisons crossposted as something like a gamasutra post as well as on the game-accessibility site would no doubt go down well. Similar situation with finding people, may seem difficult if you haven't done it before, or have been burned by trying to contact national organisations, who are understandably protective of the people they represent. But it's easy enough, most people have groups near them who are often eager to help, or for those who have the money it's straightforward enough to get a market research company to source people for you. Or just recruit online, there are good communities, and a search for name of condition + gamer on twitter comes in pretty handy. Misconceptions / mythbusting in general sounds like something that should be content on the GASIG site, so perhaps that's where GDC fits in, get something drafted for review at the round table. Ian Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:03:50 +0100 From: game at accessibility.nl To: games_access at igda.org Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? Hi all, won't be there, unfortunately a bit too far. However, recently we had the Control Conference back here in The Netherlands. Did some interviews there with a lot of (also indie) developers who were all saying the same thing: "It costs a lot of money to add accessible options to our games". And also "It's hard to validate the games with people with disabilities because we can't find them". Maybe it's something to take into consideration when attending GDC. Over here we're now trying to work out some options on how to make games accessible for the smallest amount of money and sorting out where to add this in the development process. So we can hand this over to developers and say, for this game it costs this much, you'll reach an audience that's bigger etc. Well just my 2 cents here but we're working on it ;) Kind regards, Erik 2015-12-11 14:04 GMT+01:00 Andreas Lopez : I fear my wife, Yairelys and I won't attend this year because we have a trip to her family in cuba later next year and I only have one set of vacation. Hope to hear whatever happens Game Accessibility related here though!Sincerely, Andreas Lopez Game Designer & Game Accessibility Advocate Co-Founder of Mythic Dragon Entertainmenthttp://mythic-dragon.com Linked InMy Portfolio _______________________________________________ games_access mailing list games_access at igda.org https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org _______________________________________________ games_access mailing list games_access at igda.org https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thomas at westin.nu Tue Dec 15 08:17:48 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:17:48 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6605F5D3-6B12-47D2-A7EB-98F46ACE7065@westin.nu> Yes, and I can say it is tricky to study cost and man-hours; we could only make vague conclusions from the small survey we did with game producers. Javier Torrente et al has done a good study on measuring time with a game engine for educational games (e-Adventure) with access features, where he shows the amount of time needed if the editor supports accessibility features (i.e. so you don?t need to code, just fill in text etc) There are many ways to look at the cost - or perhaps more properly, return on investment - for instance: - User Experience: all gamers benefits from accessibility solutions ?> better UX ?> more clients ?> more money - Universal human rights and UN Enable: everyone should have equal access to culture ?> more people to play with ?> more gaming ?> more money - legislation (CVAA): you may have to anyway and retrofitting is always more costly ?> save money ?> more money - goodwill: you / your company will get cred ?> media / community attention ?> sell more games ?> more money /Thomas > 15Dec 2015 kl. 13:19 skrev Ian Hamilton : > > It's just standard misconceptions/assumptions. > > My favourite example of cost is a game called Super Space Snakes in Space. High contrast visuals. colour-blind friendliness through pattern use, simple one button controls, choice of any key or mouse button, sandbox practice mode. Far more considerations than most games have, and it was a game jam game, made in 36 hours. At the same time as being one of the most polished and enjoyable games in the jam. > > The reason why they were able to do so much was simply because they thought about it all from the start - for example when they designed their snakes, they thought about how to design them in a colourblind friendly way, they didn't design them first and then go back and try to figure out how to unpick what they had done and spend time/money on trying to convert them to being colourblind friendly. > > There are some things that invariably cost money, but a great deal that can be reduced to cheap/easy or even free, just a simple design decision, if addressed early enough. Another example being text size, deciding from the outset that you are never going to use below 28px text for your 1080p game costs you nothing, but doing as The Witcher 3 did and trying to change the text size after everything has already been designed is prohibitively difficult and expensive. Or in-game instructions on controls, setting it up as variables at the start so when you remap it updates them accordingly isn't free but it is very cheap, compared trying to go back and retrofit it later, which is a bit of a nightmare. > > It might be worth speaking to Thomas about it, he worked on a similar study. For yours, what could be really useful would be a comparison of cost: when figuring out the optimum place in the development process, and comparing cost to implement then against the point of development at which it would be the most difficult/expensive. A few of those comparisons crossposted as something like a gamasutra post as well as on the game-accessibility site would no doubt go down well. > > Similar situation with finding people, may seem difficult if you haven't done it before, or have been burned by trying to contact national organisations, who are understandably protective of the people they represent. But it's easy enough, most people have groups near them who are often eager to help, or for those who have the money it's straightforward enough to get a market research company to source people for you. Or just recruit online, there are good communities, and a search for name of condition + gamer on twitter comes in pretty handy. > > Misconceptions / mythbusting in general sounds like something that should be content on the GASIG site, so perhaps that's where GDC fits in, get something drafted for review at the round table. > > Ian > > Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:03:50 +0100 > From: game at accessibility.nl > To: games_access at igda.org > Subject: Re: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? > > Hi all, won't be there, unfortunately a bit too far. However, recently we had the Control Conference? back here in The Netherlands. Did some interviews there with a lot of (also indie) developers who were all saying the same thing: "It costs a lot of money to add accessible options to our games". And also "It's hard to validate the games with people with disabilities because we can't find them". Maybe it's something to take into consideration when attending GDC. > > Over here we're now trying to work out some options on how to make games accessible for the smallest amount of money and sorting out where to add this in the development process. So we can hand this over to developers and say, for this game it costs this much, you'll reach an audience that's bigger etc. > > Well just my 2 cents here but we're working on it ;) > > Kind regards, Erik > > 2015-12-11 14:04 GMT+01:00 Andreas Lopez >: > I fear my wife, Yairelys and I won't attend this year because we have a trip to her family in cuba later next year and I only have one set of vacation. Hope to hear whatever happens Game Accessibility related here though! > > Sincerely, > > Andreas Lopez > > Game Designer & Game Accessibility Advocate > > Co-Founder of Mythic Dragon Entertainment > http://mythic-dragon.com > > Linked In > My Portfolio > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > > > _______________________________________________ games_access mailing list games_access at igda.org https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk Tue Dec 15 09:14:57 2015 From: barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk (Barrie Ellis) Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:14:57 +0000 Subject: [games_access] Microsoft "Ease of Access" call for accessibility ideas: In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: :) Thanks, Thomas. On 14 December 2015 at 21:22, Thomas Westin wrote: > Great initiative Barrie! > > I have > - voted (of course!) > - blogged about it here > http://igda-gasig.org/2015/12/14/promote-very-broad-difficulty-adjustment-in-games/ > - and linked it from the start page of igda-gasig.org > > /Thomas > > > 14Dec 2015 kl. 20:38 skrev Barrie Ellis : > > Hi all, > > I've just popped a call to Microsoft for maybe the most forgotten, and yet > often easiest feature to consider for Xbox games (and we've long called for > it at the IGDA GASIG): > > > https://xbox.uservoice.com/forums/335163-ease-of-access/suggestions/11075151-promote-very-broad-difficulty-adjustment-in-games > > It's something that maybe doesn't fall under the CVAA requirements: > https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/21st-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-cvaa > > And yet, it's one of the most inclusive accessibility features. Offer > easier play options, and make the range as broad as you can. There's no > such thing as too easy for many players. > > From a selfish side, Xbox One games having very broad difficulty level > adjustment would make many games easier for those using "Gaming Redux" > methods (reducing controls down, such as a standard joypad game down to > one-stick and a couple of buttons, or at the extreme end, down to a single > button/switch). > > > I'm rambling. Would be hugely appreciated if you'd take the time to > sign-up/sign-in and vote. Especially for the game difficulty area! > > Cheers, > > Barrie > OneSwitch > > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > games_access mailing list > games_access at igda.org > https://pairlist7.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access > The main SIG website page is http://igda-gasig.org > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eleanor at 7128.com Tue Dec 15 10:52:22 2015 From: eleanor at 7128.com (Eleanor) Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:52:22 -0500 Subject: [games_access] Who will attend GDC 2016? Message-ID: <56703736.9090909@7128.com> Unfortunately, nobody from 7-128 Software will be able to get to GDC because of cost. Thomas Westin gave a really good list of ways to look at the cost but there is one gamer demographic that everyone is failing to consider in the accessibility area; Silver Gamers. While in 2000, most over 65+ people did not play games, today, fifteen years later, the number of gamers has increased significantly. In a talk I gave this fall, I estimated from ESA and census data, that 42 million people in the US are over 55 years old and are gamers. Seventy-five percent of 65+ own a mobile device and go on line. Remember, computer gaming started in the 1970's and people in their 60's were in their 30's at that time, young enough to explore computer and console gaming. They also played games with their kids in the 1980's when all the current genre's of games emerged. If you take into consideration that 51.8% of seniors have one or more disabilities: they can't see very well; they have hearing loss; their reflexes are much slower than that of a 20 year old; they have reduced movement capabilities as a result of accidents, arthritis and other joint disease; and they may have some mental confusion or loss of ability. Planning in accessibility features will add a tremendous number of potential customers. This age cohort should be included in any calculation of cost-effectiveness in adding accessibility to games. Plus as empty nesters, they have more available time and money. From thomas at westin.nu Fri Dec 25 07:56:32 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Fri, 25 Dec 2015 13:56:32 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Earn your attendence @ GDC 2016 Message-ID: <2B0DE7D9-A39F-4468-A867-9CC6E288BA29@westin.nu> Hi all, Those of you who would like to attend GDC but can?t afford it: Now you can earn your attendance by completing approximately 12-15 hours of on-site work with the IGDA at the 2016 Game Developers Conference! Read more here: http://www.igda.org/default.asp?page=gdc2016volunteer Last day to submit your application is 11 January 2016 @ 10pm (PST)! /Thomas -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thomas at westin.nu Wed Dec 30 07:36:53 2015 From: thomas at westin.nu (Thomas Westin) Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:36:53 +0100 Subject: [games_access] Happy New Year! Message-ID: <7AF0AE95-3C59-4CC2-BFCA-B5887875913A@westin.nu> I just like to wish you all a Happy New Year! 2015 has been a great year for game accessibility, much thanks to many people on this list and others. A quick recap of some highlights from the top of my head: - at GDC 2015 we had an unprecedented audience: hundreds of people at our panel, more than 30 attending the roundtable, and lots of attendees at Ian?s and Tara?s talks. Who would have thought that at GDC 2004 where we had one (!) attendee at our first roundtable, who had gone to the wrong session :) - Apple has implemented "fixed point mode" for switch users on iOS devices (thanks to Barrie, Ian, and Apple) - consoles have got accessibility features built-in, much thanks to FCC/CVAA, Microsoft and Sony - There is now a Twitch channel about GA (thanks to Tara) - Research articles continues to grow, and thus also knowledge about GA I had a chat with Tristin at IGDA before Christmas and she was impressed by our work and action plan. Let?s make 2016 an even greater year for game accessibility. Best, Thomas