What does game accessibility look like before the game is played?
Playing on Hard Mode:
Accessibility, Difficulty & Joy in Game Adoption�for Gamers with Disabilities
Disabled Gaming:
The cultural practice employed by gamers with disabilities, involving alternative �gaming practices influenced (in part) by interactions with access difficulty
Access Difficulty:
A specific type of challenge in a game related to navigating accessibility barriers
Support both Social AND Independent Access
Spotlight and Develop Community Resources
Provide Opt-In Features �and Customizability
Finding a potential �game to play
Discovery
PHASE
1
Targeted vs. Broad Search?
Trusted Advice
The “Game Store”
Recommendations from friends & the disability community were the most trusted resource
Some employed a targeted search: �a large effort up-front to find one game �that might be accessible
Others employed a broad search:�discover as many games as possible in hopes that one of them might be accessible
“Browsing” wasn’t an option: there was no equivalent to a ‘game store for accessible games’
PHASE
2
Assessing a potential �game’s “fit”
Evaluation
Appropriating Gaming Media
Hard-to-Find Info
Uncertainty
Crucial info was often hardest to find, including �in-game options and accessibility settings
Even with all the desired info, there was always a chance of incorrect evaluation.
Gameplay videos on YouTube and Twitch were “kind of like a free trial”:�games could be previewed without needing to purchase the game first
Interaction with streamers � ⤷ Ability to ask specific questions
PHASE
3
Getting �“set up” �with a game
Adaptation
Adapting the Game
Adapting the System
Adapting Expectations
Adapting Play
Adjusting the output of the game: �Enabling subtitles, installing color contrast mods, etc.
Changing the interaction with the console / platform:
Configuring screen readers, specialty controllers, etc.
Choosing particular game aspects to engage/avoid:�Avoiding online play, setting personal goals, etc.
Changing objectives of the game & customizing style:
“More accessible” character choices, creating metagames
Jesse J. Martinez
@JesseDoesHCI
jessejm@cs.uw.edu
Jon E. Froehlich
@jonfroehlich
jonf@cs.uw.edu
James Fogarty
@ProfJayFo
jfogarty@cs.uw.edu
Provide Opportunities for Unconventional Play