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Game Accessibility: Taking Inclusion to the Next Level

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Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Design Methods and User Experience (HCII 2021)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 12768))

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Abstract

This paper provides an overview of game accessibility. It describes what game accessibility is and highlights the need to combine usability and adaptability, as a “one-size-fits-all” approach is not possible due to the interactive and dynamic nature of the video game medium and the array of (dis)abilities different users may have. The main accessibility barriers different groups of users face are also presented. Then, the main focus shifts to the current state of the art in game accessibility, including existing guidelines and research carried out in this field. Finally, future perspectives are outlined, emphasizing the need for a user-centred approach and for collaboration between users, academia, and the industry.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See https://caniplaythat.com and https://www.gameaccessibilitynexus.com.

  2. 2.

    See https://www.gaconf.com/conference/.

  3. 3.

    See https://jornades.uab.cat/videogamesaccess/.

  4. 4.

    See https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtWREyqj2spI0KiWHp09Fvg.

References

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  2. WHO. Disability and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health. Accessed 02 Feb 2021

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  4. Bierre, K., et al.: Accessibility in Games: Motivations and Approaches (2004). https://g3ict.org/publication/igda-accessibility-in-games-motivations-and-approaches. Accessed 04 Feb 2021

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Gameography

  1. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft, 2020)

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  2. The Last of Us II (Naughty Dog, 2020)

    Google Scholar 

  3. The Sims (Electronic Arts, 2000-present)

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the Researching Audio Description project (PGC2018–096566-B-I00, MICIU/AEI, FEDER, UE), awarded by the Spanish Government, the EU project EASIT (2018–1-ES01-KA203–05275) and the project 2017SGR113, funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya.

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Correspondence to Carme Mangiron .

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Mangiron, C. (2021). Game Accessibility: Taking Inclusion to the Next Level. In: Antona, M., Stephanidis, C. (eds) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Design Methods and User Experience. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12768. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78092-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78092-0_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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