Joystiq

FIFA 13 is AbleGamers' 'Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year'

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST

The AbleGamers Foundation continues to spearhead the charge for greater accessibility in modern game design, and just as it did last year, the organization has taken it upon itself to determine which mainstream game released in 2012 offered the most helpful features for gamers with physical and/or mental disabilities.

Surprisingly, EA Sports' FIFA 13 has earned the honor of being 2012's Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year. "For disabled gamers with Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and even one-handed gamers," the announcement reads, "the ability to play such a sophisticated sports game with simple controls that can be handled by a trackball or mouse mean gamers who may not have been able to enjoy iconic sporting activities like baseball, football, hockey or soccer can now take part in the fun."

AbleGamers also appreciated the game's color customization abilities and clearly presented, easily navigated menus, but was most impressed, however, by how deeply FIFA 13's AI can be altered. "The entire game can be slowed down. The computer can be set to perform slower and with less efficiency. Player controlled avatars can utilize additional speed, accuracy and shot power. For those with cognitive disorders and motor impairments, the ability to set the game to an acceptable rate of speed enables those with even the most severe of disabilities."

FIFA 13 is AbleGamers' 'Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Failing the NHL 13 academy

Mike Suszek — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EST

I love sports, but I know next to nothing about hockey. Maybe my lack of NHL love has something to do with my Wisconsin upbringing, a sort of "no-man's land" for professional hockey. The Milwaukee Admirals AHL team doesn't excite me, and picking between the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings is an uncomfortable proposition.

My knowledge of the sport itself is even more limited. Aside from the terms "icing" and "line changes," hockey is alien to me. Joystiq recently ran an editorial discussing how simulation sports games don't do enough to assist people like me in learning the ropes in the sports they feature. To test that theory, I attempted to learn more about hockey through NHL 13.

Gallery: NHL 13

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Failing the NHL 13 academy originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Adroit accessible controller, 'Switchblade,' revealed

JC Fletcher — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:45:00 EST

You might know the name "Switchblade" as the tiny, currently concept-only laptop by Razer. However, it's also the first in Evil Controllers and AbleGamers' "Adroit" line of controllers designed for easy accessibility for players with disabilities.

The Switchblade is basically a big black box, with 19 ports to which sticks, buttons, rumble packs, and other attachments can be placed in any configuration. It comes with two joysticks, but as Thrifty Nerd reports, it's possible to make a directional pad out of four buttons as well, if that works better for the owner's needs. You can also program macros for each individual port.

The Switchblade is built for Xbox 360, but adapters will be available for use on PC and PS3. There's no date yet, and no official price, but Thrifty Nerd reports that it'll be "a few hundred dollars." It's pricey, but not compared to the cost of having your own customized controller built.

First Adroit accessible controller, 'Switchblade,' revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Adroit' controller line to make games more accessible

JC Fletcher — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST

Evil Controllers, a company that augments controllers by adding LED lights, d-pad upgrades, auto-fire and other extra capabilities, has announced a plan that we can't find evil no matter how much we look. It's working with the AbleGamers Foundation to design accessible peripherals for disabled gamers.

The "Adroit" line of controllers is intended to enhance accessibility at an affordable cost. "The problem with equipment currently available to help the disabled community get into videogames is that it often costs way more than someone on disability can afford," AbleGamers.com EIC Steve Spohn said in the announcement. "These controllers will be higher quality with lower cost. What's not to love?"

AbleGamers and Evil Controllers haven't released specifics about the Adroit line yet, mentioning only that it " will include all of the fan favorite features available on Evil Controllers mods". More information about the first releases will be divulged "within the next few weeks," according to the press release. In the meantime, feel free to be thoroughly teased by the video after the break.

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'Adroit' controller line to make games more accessible originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MLB 11 includes one-button 'Association for Disabled Virtual Athletes' mode

JC Fletcher — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Sony's San Diego studio is taking a rare step to allow gamers with disabilities to play MLB 11: a one-button gameplay mode. In the "Association for Disabled Virtual Athletes" mode, AI handles the fielding, and players only have to press one button in order to swing the bat or pitch, allowing gamers who might not be able to throw a baseball to wield a baseball-style Dual Shock with ease.

The mode was inspired by Hans Smith, a baseball superfan with cerebral palsy, whose limited mobility made it impossible for him to play real baseball and difficult to play video game baseball. Sony San Diego added him to last year's MLB game as an avatar and went one step further this year, with the disability-friendly gameplay mode.

"Some organizations for disabled people aren't available to everyone -- you have to live in a big city," Smith told ESPN. "Plus, you still run the risk of getting hurt. But with a virtual organization, you can adjust the settings to whatever you want. If you can't do anything but push one button, then you can control everything else via the artificial intelligence. This levels the playing field for people who are otherwise outside the sports arena."

MLB 11 includes one-button 'Association for Disabled Virtual Athletes' mode originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valve expresses interest in eye tracking, improving experience for able and disabled gamers

Andrew Yoon — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST

Valve is no stranger to experimenting with new ways of communicating and tracking data within games. Whether it's something as simple as closed captioning and customizable controls, or something a bit more niche like a colorblind mode, many of Valve's games have been celebrated for being more accessible. Mike Ambinder of Valve Software spoke with Gamasutra and explained how company's pursuits enables it to "improve the experience of both able and disabled gamers."

In addition to previously documented research into sign language, Valve's Ambinder also expresses interest in "the potential of eyetrackers and the eventual ability to let gamers use their eyes as active controller inputs." With this method, you may be able to control a game completely hands-free ... without having to use your entire body as an input device. "It may be possible in the future to let the eyes act as a proxy for the mouse cursor, letting gamers transmit navigation and targeting inputs via eye movements. If you couple this approach with the use of blinks or other proxies for button presses, you may remove the need for a mouse and keyboard (or gamepad) all together," Ambinder added.

While eye tracking sounds particularly ambitious, there are many other efforts in place by designers to make a game work better for disabled gamers. Read the full Gamasutra write-up for more.

Valve expresses interest in eye tracking, improving experience for able and disabled gamers originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Johnny Lee: Wii remote experimentation a happy accident

Alisha Karabinus — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST

NWF: At the TED conference, you talked about the accessibility of the Wii and the projects you're working on, like the interactive whiteboard, the demonstration of head tracking, etc., and how that accessibility motivates you. What do you think this means for other people doing similar research, either formal or informal? Because it's so accessible, will we see similar projects?

JL: I don't know. I guess if you consider the work I've done to be somewhat either motivational or inspirational, then sure. I think that would be great, to see more work like that. In general, I think there's always been room for the type of motivation that I've presented, coming up with really cheap solutions that may not necessarily provide 100% of the capabilities of some of the higher end options, but are good enough for a wider population, and as a result, it becomes attractive technology not because it's the best, but because it's the most accessible. And actually, it's probably less novel of an idea than some people might think. I've been reading a book called The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen, and he introduced the concept of a disruptive technology, and for the most part, his definition of a disruptive technology sort of fits that description of a technology which may not necessarily provide the most outstanding performance but does have a much different price point and as a result becomes much more attractive. His book wasn't necessarily my inspiration, but I guess you could say I came to the same sort of conclusion on my own. It's been a motivator in my work, and if it's a motivator in other peoples' work, that would be great, but I don't necessarily see a reason why it would become more or less popular than it was before.

NWF: Most of the other projects that we've seen that involve the Wii remote are just using it to play other games. Why do you think so many armchair developers and researchers are focusing on that aspect?

JL: It's easy and obvious. I think it's sort of the most straightforward thing to do. If you have a controller that you can talk to, what else can you control? This input device has, for example, an accelerometer and an accelerometer is very good at detecting tilt, so you make something that needs tilt control, like a video game. I've also seen some projects which use it to detect the orientation of a screen, and they have a virtual ball that moves around. If it's good for detecting orientation when you rotate it, then people will start out by coming up with orientation-based ideas. It's sort of the first degree idea, and it's going to be the one people do first simply because it's the easiest.

NWF: One of the other things you talked about at the TED conference was that people in schools were already using some of your ideas, like the interactive whiteboard. Do you think that any of these projects will suffer any sort of stigma when it comes to schools because they're affiliated with gaming? At its base, this is technology associated with gaming, because that's what you're using.

JL: That's an interesting question; I haven't encountered that one before. My guess is that, if the technology provides an economically attractive solution, that bottom line will overcome the association with the gaming industry. In some circles, gaming technology is becoming so sophisticated that it's earning respect in more general technological appreciation circles, and people are taking games more seriously -- especially with this generation of kids who are growing up with video games and technology. Some educators would find the ability to somehow turn a gaming technology into an educational product very appealing, because you can maybe appeal to the children a little bit more. I think that, if there's an institution which says "we're not going to look at the Wii remote because it's a gaming technology," they're a little bit short-sighted, and they'll be in the minority in the coming years.

NWF: I certainly agree with that! But on that same line of thought, do you think that a gaming console can help change the way society interacts with computers?

JL: Yes! I think it's done so already. If you think about computing in general, it includes a wide variety of technology. Usually, when people say computers, they're thinking of something with a keyboard and a mouse, and maybe a web browser and a word processor on it. Computers include your phone, your microwave, and most living room devices like DVD players and stereos. I would argue that the video game console is in fact a computer, and in the circles that I run in, that's a relatively non-controversial concept. But the kind of activities people think about doing with a gaming console currently are limited to playing video games, and as a result, if it's not productive, people don't think it's really a useful computer. But in fact, the console is becoming a very, very powerful computing platform, and so for example, things like surfing the web become much more plausible in a console format, as does accessing on-demand video, as well as more sophisticated things like programming your digital video recorder. If you just think of this as a general computing platform, it's a channel into a wide variety of computing tasks. They may not have word processing, but it's no less computing for that. I think the game console tends to evolve a lot faster than the desktop computer, where people are really attached to the keyboard and mouse, and it's really hard to pitch a new input system that may not... well, the keyboard and mouse is so efficient that a new input system has to compete with that efficiency and cost, and thus it's always very difficult to work in that space. But in the gaming space, you can experiment with lots of different input technologies.

NWF: There's so much convergence now with the gaming consoles -- they're doing so many things, like media centers, and those traditional computing functions -- and you can do so much beyond just playing games. Do you think that's connected to the kind of experimentation people are doing with the Wii remote and other consoles? Do you think that the one follows the other? Would people have thought of these things if gaming consoles weren't expanding the way that they are?

JL: To some degree, I think the experimentation with the Wii remote is independent of the integration aspect of the platforms, largely because the integration of the all-in-one living room device is a corporate agenda, and the operating systems that allow the consoles to do that is not open. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all control that. The experimentation with the Wii remote, on the other hand, I think was an accident. Mostly because Nintendo did not necessarily intend to support open experimentation with the controller, and as a result ... I think everything done with the Wii remote was completely unintentional on Nintendo's part, and the fact that they did nothing to stop people has allowed a lot of exploration. The integration of the consoles and the experimentation with user interfaces with the Wii remote are somewhat independent of each other, though they deal with the same commercial domain of video game technology.

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Johnny Lee: Wii remote experimentation a happy accident originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No dressing up allowed in PS3's Home

Peter Vrabel — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PlayStation Network

In an effort to keep Home "accessible to everyone," Peter Edwards told Bit-tech.net that there would be limitations on costumes for your avatar. "The idea is to keep it as accessible, mainstream and friendly as possible," says Edwards, the executive producer for Home. "If everyone's walking around dressed as orcs or stormtroopers or whatever, then you lose that welcoming, accessible element that means Mum, Dad and your sister might get involved as well." Really? The largest MMO in the world may not have stormtroopers, but they certainly have orcs and other strangely dressed characters and yet, they don't seem to have any problem pulling in over 8 million subscribers. Maybe it's not a fair comparison to Home, but it's a bit of a stretch to think that costumes on avatars would assuredly prevent Home's accessibility for all audiences. If the game was extremely buggy or just plain "not fun," well that would be more of a root cause against its widespread accessibility. At any rate, what do you think? Would Home be more or less accessible with fully customizable avatars?

No dressing up allowed in PS3's Home originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deaf gamer seeks subtitles support

Kyle Orland — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:45:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Casual

Kotaku has reprinted an interesting letter from a deaf gamer asking the ESA to support subtitling in video games. The lack of subtitling means a game's story is often incomprehensible to roughly one percent of the population. Not only that, but audio-only cues are sometimes important to the gameplay itself, such as the beeping bomb-detection device in Metal Gear Solid 2.

What's worse, deaf and hard of hearing gamers often have no idea whether a game will cater to them going into a purchase. Game packaging rarely notes the availability of subtitles, and game reviews rarely mention audio accessibility (GameCritics is a notable exception, including a deaf and hard of hearing section in its consumer guides).

Game accessibility doesn't stop at hearing loss. Developers are working on audio-only games for the blind and The Switch Project supports simple, one-button games that "can be played by anyone, no matter the disability."

Deaf gamer seeks subtitles support originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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