Joystiq

AbleGamers Foundation to open first permanent 'Accessibility Arcade'

Jordan Mallory — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:00:00 EST

The AbleGamers Foundation will be opening its first permanent arcade installation designed for people with disabilities on Wednesday, October 10, at the Washington D.C. public library's main MLK branch. While the arcade concept has been shown off previously as a limited-time installation, this will new version will be a permanent addition to the library.

"We're looking forward to welcoming new and experienced gamers with disabilities of all ages to the library for a unique experience," said DC Public Library Adaptive Services Division chief Venetia Demson in a press release available after the break. "When properly used, video games can be an important learning tool for literacy, spatial reasoning and curriculum support as well as a wonderful social experience."

Information regarding the specific games and/or assistive technologies that will be available at the arcade was not provided, though anyone interested in the arcade (or the accessible gaming movement as a whole) is encouraged to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for noon local time that Wednesday.

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AbleGamers Foundation to open first permanent 'Accessibility Arcade' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie studio Almost Human is more human than most

Jessica Conditt — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:40:00 EST

Yesterday morning, Juho Salila went to work as usual, expecting to streamline the graphics and build a few monsters for Legend of Grimrock, Almost Human's imminent dungeon crawler. He sat down, booted up his computer, and noticed the Grimrock site had crashed multiple times throughout the night due to traffic overload, and his inbox was inundated with new emails.

Hours earlier, Reddit user meandertal had posted this screencap from the Almost Human blog, highlighting a fan's question about the inclusion of on-screen arrows in Grimrock. That wasn't currently an option, programmer Petri Häkkinen said, asking the fan why he wanted to know. "I'm disabled and use a mouth stick for typing," he responded, saying he'd adapt to the existing controls and couldn't wait to play the game.

Two and a half hours later, Häkkinen posted this:

The fan was blown away -- and so were the Redditors who read meandertal's post.

"When we got our inbox open, we almost couldn't believe our eyes; it was just pouring with encouraging emails," Salila told Joystiq. "All these people writing in saying thanks and wishing us good luck, just like in the mountain of comments on Reddit.

"For us it was a rather simple thing to implement, but we couldn't imagine that it could mean so much to somebody else. It kind of gives you perspective on life itself."

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Indie studio Almost Human is more human than most originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral Games hears disabled gamer, adding customizable controls to Dead Space 2

Mike Schramm — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:00:00 EST

Spooky cathedrals, fun technology and lots of slimy necromorphs to dismember at will -- is there anything else you could possibly want in Dead Space 2? Well, Gareth Garratt, a gamer living with cerebral palsy, would like to see customizable controls implemented in the game. Garratt is trying to play the horror sequel on PC, partly by pushing a mouse with his chin, and is unhappy that he can't assign the "walk forward" command to a mouse button. Plenty of games allow for customizable controls, he says, so why can't Dead Space 2?

Over 20,000 fellow players agree, and they've signed an online Internet petition asking video game publishers to make sure that all games offer customization for their controls. Here's the good news: Dead Space 2 dev Visceral Games has already heard them loud and clear. Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis tells Joystiq that a patch for the PC version of the game enabling full control remapping is on the way, and that "a number of folks on our team are so passionate about getting this fix done that they are currently working hard" on it. Papoutsis says the patch will fix a few other issues with the PC version, and that a release date will be announced "when the patch is fully tested." You can read his remarks in full after the break.

Continue reading Visceral Games hears disabled gamer, adding customizable controls to Dead Space 2

Visceral Games hears disabled gamer, adding customizable controls to Dead Space 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Industry missing out on revenue from aging, disabled gamers

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:00:00 EST

According to a report coauthored by the Able Gamers Foundation and 7-128 Software, the game industry is losing out on up to $3 billion in revenue by failing to cater to older or disabled gamers. The report alleges that the gaming population is getting older, noting that the ESA pegged the average gamer's age at 35 in 2008, up from 33 in 2007 and 30 in 1995. It states further that more and more homes have access to game consoles and internet-connected PCs, opening the industry to a wide potential audience of older players -- players that are more prone to disability than the young. Finally, Baby Boomers -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- have much more disposable income than younger demographics, adding up to billions in potential revenue.

"If the gaming industry does not realign their priorities to include accessible gaming," notes the report, "then a collision will happen in the next five years," resulting in "lost sales and lost customers." The report proposes that game developers begin implementing accommodations for disabilities in their games, including variable font sizes, color blind modes, variable speed settings and more in order to cater to the disabled market. "By making video games accessible to gamers with disabilities, which includes older gamers," writes co-author Eleanor Robinson, "game manufacturers will unlock a lucrative, paying market of consumers for years to come."

[Via The Escapist. Image: AbleGamers.org]

Report: Industry missing out on revenue from aging, disabled gamers originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 17 May 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AbleGamers launches reviews with accessibility in mind

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST

Before you send an overtly hostile dissertation to AbleGamers about their outrageous 6.7/10 scoring of Batman: Arkham Asylum, keep in mind that the site's newly launched review section focuses on accessibility above all else. While that particular review mentions the game's many qualities, some of them may be difficult to appreciate by disabled players.

The site offers critique and advice on several aspects you may take for granted, including the presence of subtitles, colorblind options and adjustable controls. "There are countless sites out there that review games for their graphics and sound, but no one is looking at the game from the standpoint of accessibility," explains Mark C. Barlet, President of the AbleGamers Foundation. "With 63 million Americans with disabilities this is a focus that is needed and who better to do it than the flagship site for disabled gamers, AbleGamers.com. I hope that game makers now add AbleGamers to their list of news outlets to send review copies to."

In a show of support, Joystiq Publishing has sent over its highly anticipated puzzle game, Is This Color Red or Green?. We reckon it's at least a nine.

AbleGamers launches reviews with accessibility in mind originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Wheel Art caters to the disabled

Candace Savino — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: News, Mods

Read on if you like getting your heart warmed.

The video embedded above shows Digital Wheel Art in action, a process that uses the Wiimote's bluetooth capabilities to translate art onto a screen. YoungHyun Chung developed the project after interacting with children suffering from cerebral palsy, as they lack the ability to express themselves artistically.

Digital Wheel Art is not only a means of self-expression, though; it also provides art therapy for people suffering from disabilities. Using Johnny Lee's whiteboard ideas as a starting point, Chung managed to create a painting program that traces the path of the Wiimote. The Wiimote can thereby be attached to a wheelchair, allowing disabled people to paint digitally with simple movements. To change colors, the user only has to tilt his or her head.

We're certainly impressed by Chung's efforts, and we're glad to see video game technology being use to help others. Kudos to you, Mr. Chung.

[Via Destructoid]

Digital Wheel Art caters to the disabled originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now you're playing with ... no hands

Eric Caoili — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:10:00 EST

Filed under: Fan stuff, Controller

Never one to shy away from innovative gaming setups, Nintendo experimented with dozens of unusual peripherals and controllers decades before the Wii remote debuted its motion sensing capabilities. The NES's Hands Free Controller, a 2.5-pound device that strapped over your chest and provided a chin-fitted joystick (or a foam-covered ball) as its directional pad, was definitely one of those unconventional setups.

Using an articulation tube, physically-limited gamers with special needs could "sip and puff" with the HFC instead of pushing the A and B buttons on a traditional controller. Sipping and puffing with more force would translate into hitting Select and Start. The button modes and pressure settings were adjustable with several knobs and switches on the device's control panel.

Because it was never sold in stores and was only available for purchase through Nintendo's customer service line, the HFC is one of the most rare NES accessories out there. An unused bundle that showed up on eBay recently commanded a Buy It Now price of $379.99! Head past the post break for some old magazine scans advertising Nintendo's Hands Free Controller.

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Now you're playing with ... no hands originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 May 2007 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plight of the color blind gamer

Ken Weeks — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: News

Joystiq has an interesting post on the unique challenge facing color blind gamers as they strive to conquer Rockstar Presents Table Tennis.

Plight of the color blind gamer originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colorblind gaming or: Table Tennis is impossibly hard!

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, Business

Around one in ten males and one in two hundred females are unable to discern the difference between some or all colors that other people can distinguish. Like most other people with the disability, I've been colorblind (or, to use the politically correct term, have had color sight deficiency) since birth. I find it hard, and sometimes impossible, to tell the difference between shades of red, green and brown, blue and purple and oranges and yellows. As my optician told me when I was young, this disability means that I can't work in a paint factory or be a pilot. What he didn't tell me was that I'd have trouble playing friggin' computer games!

As you probably know, the Xbox 360 features several colored buttons. Usually I can tell the difference between these buttons (the problem isn't so bad that I can't tell the difference between the equivalent of red and green at traffic lights). However, there's one game that has caused a problem: Rockstar's Table Tennis. A fundamental part of the gameplay is being able to respond to the opposing player's spin on the ball. This is represented by one of the colors which are also found on the gamepad. Blue for left spin, red for right spin, green for forward spin and yellow for back spin. Unfortunately, I can barely tell the difference between the red, green and yellow on a standard definition display. On a high definition screen the green and yellow are still nearly identical to my eyes.

This isn't usually much of a problem during normal play (besides, I can always just press the green button), but on the training levels where you are taught how to spin the ball, I found the task physically impossible. I literally had to guess which spin the computer was giving the ball! Table Tennis has the hardest training level of any game, at least for me. Since completing the training levels is an Xbox 360 achievement, it's also possibly the hardest achievement there is. It took me around 3-4 hours and dozens of reattempts to get the 5 points given to you after you complete training.

Continue reading Colorblind gaming or: Table Tennis is impossibly hard!

Colorblind gaming or: Table Tennis is impossibly hard! originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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